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• Utilising a number of approaches to model a endeavour, where the students and teacher work
Habit of Mind – modelling can occur in a variety of together to develop specific Habits of Mind,
ways. These include teacher exposition, teacher the teacher’s role and approach is an important
and student discussion, teacher or student consideration. During guided practice, teacher action
verbalising their thoughts as they use or reflect may be directed towards:
upon the use of a particular Habit of Mind and the
use of graphical or written representations. • focusing student attention on key aspects of
a Habit of Mind and the attitudes, actions and
• Including reflection in the modelling process behaviours contained within them;
– the process of reflection allows the teacher
and students to clarify their understanding • providing guidance in the structure and
and explore, for example, a variety of different sequencing of the various skills and patterns of
behaviour that make up a Habit of Mind;
approaches and strategies to solving the same
problem. • asking and encouraging students to formulate
questions;
For example, in a Grade 8 History classroom a
teacher uses work completed by students from • encouraging and aiding students to reflect
a previous semester and the Habit of Mind of upon their use of a Habit of Mind and their
thinking and communicating with clarity and understandings;
precision, to develop students’ understanding • supporting students to develop and maintain
of how to write a topic paragraph. The teacher positive attitudes towards the development and
may choose to model the process of writing use of the Habits of Mind.
a topic paragraph, emphasising structure and
the importance of clarity and precision in the For example, in a Grade 11 Chemistry classroom
production of a piece of writing. Alternatively, students as their final performance are asked to
the teacher may give his students two samples design and build an apparatus capable of producing
of student work from previous years, ask them a balloon that will lift 50 grams. In solving this final
to form judgements about the success of these problem the class has identified the Habits of Mind
pieces of writing and inductively develop a model of: persisting; questioning and posing problems; and
for a topic paragraph. creating, imagining, innovating as key dispositions
for the completion of the task. In preparation for the
It should be noted that modelling and discussing a completion of the problem, the teacher provides the
Habit of Mind does not mean that students can use students with a number of smaller tasks, the solutions
it. Therefore, after developing models for the use of to which will feed into the solution for the larger
one or more of the Habits of Mind it is necessary to problem. This process enables students to practice
provide students with the opportunity to practice and and engage their development of the understanding
use these dispositions with appropriate guidance in a of the chemistry concepts and ideas involved as well
number of different contxts. as their understanding and use of the Habits of Mind.
These tasks involve students investigating answers to
3. Guided Practice. The third phase, guided practice, questions such as: “Which chemical reaction should I
involves students receiving coaching, guidance and use?”; “How much of each reactant will be needed?”;
support as they learn and use the Habits of Mind. and “How can I control the rate at which the reaction
This can be achieved through: the use of appropriate takes place?” While the students are engaged in
learning experiences; the use of discussion and these tasks the teacher makes use of the range of
questioning; providing assistance with parts of a strategies mentioned previously to support and guide
Habit of Mind, the structure to be used, and reflection students’ development of the Habits of Mind.
both during and on completion of learning tasks;
and appropriate levels of support or guidance being 4. Reflection and Evaluation. Even though phase
provided to students as they gain experience in the four, reflection and evaluation, appears after phases
use of a particular Habit of Mind. one, two and three in the framework, reflection
and evaluation needs to be infused throughout all
The success of the guided practice phase is built phases. The infusion of reflection and evaluation
on a foundation of students engaging in a number sees students encouraged by the teacher to reflect
of learning experiences in which they deliberately individually and talk with others about their use of a
use and develop their own the Habits of Mind. Habit of Mind and ways of improving their practice.
That is, they are provided with guidance and By students becoming more aware of their own
support as they explore and develop their abilities thinking and comparing their actions and behaviours
to: recognise contextual cues in situations which with others, a number of metacognitive processes
signal opportunities for using particular actions and can be achieved, such as: they can monitor the
behaviours within a situation; make use of particular mental strategies that they and others have used,
skills and capabilities while engaging in particular reflect on what they have been thinking themselves,
behaviours; and strive to reflect on and improve gain a feeling of accomplishment, and think about
performance of particular Habits of Mind. how they could change their approach next time they
engage in a particular pattern of intellectual behaviour.
Given that guided practice is a collaborative Additionally, through reflection a teacher’s actions
may change in the way they go through the five
2 • Habits of Mind International Expo, Melbourne / Auckland October 2007