Habits of Mind

Brought the book with me when went to Kyushu. In fact, bought this book for more than a year, but was left in the shelf.

There are 16 habits altogether. Indeed, after going trhough a few chapters, thought some of these habits are highly applicable to Mathematics in a classroom - to inculcate the discipline of thinking and working together.

The 16 habits are:

1. Persisting
2. Managing Impulsivity
3. Listening with Understanding and Empathy
4. Think Flexibly
5. Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition)
6. Striving for Accuracy
7. Questioning and Posing Problems
8. Applying Past Knowledge to New Situation
9. Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
10. Gathering Data through all Senses
11. Creating, Imagining and Innovating
12. Responding with Wonderment and Awe
13. Taking Responsible Risks
14. Finding Humour
15. Think Independently
16. Remaining Open to Continuous Learning

I think some of these simply sit very well in the Maths classroom... and would like to introduce some of these to my classes next year :)

Some encouraging phrases that echo my beliefs (as I read):

• [Persisting] If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will treat the whole world as if it were a nail. ~ Edward de Bono
• [Managing Impulsivity] The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into smaller manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. ~ Mark Twain
• [Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision] This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read. ~ Winston Churchill
• [Creating, Imagining, Innovating] I believe everybody is creative, and everybody is talented. I just don't think that everybody is disciplined. I think that's a rare commodity. ~ Al Hirshfield