Habits of Mind

Many educators believe that intelligence and other forms of talent are fixed, quantifiable, and unchangeable; that intelligence is an entity displayed in one's measurable performance. Doing well means that one has ability; doing poorly means that one doesn't have ability. This view of the intelligent self influences effort. When people view their intelligence as fixed, they strive to obtain positive evaluations of their ability and to avoid displaying evidence of inadequacies in comparison with others. This entry defines habits of mind, lists the habits of minds associated with intellectual achievement, and describes the impact of teaching of these attitudes and skills.

More recently, psychologists have suggested that intelligence is composed of a continuously expandable repertoire of mental habits that can be learned, nurtured, and grown—habits of mind. When confronted with difficult, challenging tasks, students and teachers who have adopted this belief tend to invest energy to learn something new and to increase their understanding and mastery. They are more likely to focus on analyzing the task; to garner internal and external resources; to apply self-regulatory, metacognitive skills; and to generate and execute alternative strategies for problem solving.

Even though people may possess knowledge and skills, they must also be alert to opportunities to apply these skills, have the inclination to employ those strategies in appropriate situations, and reflect on and evaluate their effectiveness. Performing habits of mind, therefore, requires possessing the basic skills and capacities to carry out the strategy as well as the inclinations and dispositions to do so in situations that demand their application. A habit of mind includes the following:

• Value: Choosing to employ a pattern of intellectual behaviors rather than other, less productive patterns.
• Propensity: Feeling the tendency and inclination toward employing a pattern of intellectual behaviors.
• Alertness: Perceiving opportunities for, and appropriateness of, employing the pattern of behavior.
• Capacities: Possessing the basic thinking skills and capacities to carry through with the behaviors.
• Commitment: Reflecting on and constantly striving to improve performance of the pattern of intellectual behavior.

Research in effective thinking and intelligent behavior indicates that effective thinkers have identifiable characteristics. Those demonstrating these behaviors are not necessarily scientists, artists, mathematicians, or the wealthy. These characteristics have been identified in successful mechanics, teachers, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and parents—people in all walks of life.

Although intelligent human beings are capable of thinking skillfully, their habits of mind provide the fuel to activate strategic thinking. To engage skillfully in problem solving, decision making, or knowledge generation, a person must possess the inclination to decrease impulsivity, display empathy, be inquisitive, and be persistent.

Habits of mind are developmental qualities that are never fully mastered. They transcend all subject matters commonly taught in school and apply to adults as well as to children. Although there is not a finite number of habits of mind, a list of 16 have been synthesized by Arthur Costa and his colleagues and are described as follows:

• 1.
  Persisting: Persevering in a task through to completion; remaining focused.
• 2.
  Managing impulsivity: Thinking before acting; remaining calm, thoughtful, and deliberative.
• 3.
  Listening with understanding and empathy: Devoting mental energy to another person's thoughts and ideas; holding in abeyance one's own thoughts to perceive another's point of view and emotions.
• 4.
  Thinking flexibly: Being able to change perspectives, generate alternatives, consider options.
• 5.
  Thinking about one's thinking (metacognition): Being aware of one's own thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions, and their effects on others.
• 6.
  Striving for accuracy and precision: A desire for exactness, veracity, fidelity, and craftsmanship.
• 7.
  Questioning and problem posing: Having a questioning attitude; knowing what data are needed and developing questioning strategies to generate information.
• 8.
  Applying past knowledge to novel situations: Accessing prior knowledge; transferring knowledge beyond the situation in which it was learned.
• 9.
  Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision: Striving for accurate communication in both written and oral form; avoiding overgeneralizations, distortions, and deletions.
• 10.
  Gathering data through all senses: Gathering data through the sensory pathways—gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, and visual.
• 11.
  Creating, imagining, and innovating: Generating new and novel ideas, fluency, originality.
• 12.
  Responding with wonderment and awe: Finding the world awesome and mysterious. Seeking and being intrigued with phenomena and beauty.
• 13.
  Taking responsible risks: Being adventuresome; living on the edge of one's competence.
• 14.
  Finding humor: Finding the whimsical, incongruous, and unexpected; being able to laugh at oneself.
• 15.
  Thinking interdependently: Being able to work in and learn from others in reciprocal situations.
• 16.
  Remaining open to continuous learning: Having humility and pride when admitting one does not know; resisting complacency.

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