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Habits of Mind
• Thinking & communicating with clarity & precision
• Thinking interdependently
Target audience:
Class groups, Home groups
Resources:
Nil
Activity:
1. Introduce the Habits of Mind:
• Thinking & communicating with clarity & precision
- Be clear! Strive for accurate communication in oral form.
• Thinking interdependently
- Work together! Rely on others and share tasks, both physical and mental.
2. All students in the group are to place their hands on their heads and stand in a circle
all facing one way so that each person faces the back of the person in front of them
with about 150 – 300 mm between students. Discussion may be needed to solve
problems such as height variance within the group.
3. All students are to sit down simultaneously on the knees of the student directly
behind them without removing hands from heads or over-balancing. The group will
need to develop an effective system of communication to ensure they coordinate
effectively. Everyone must be seated comfortably without any loss of balance.
4. The seated ring of students must now work out how to rotate the circle. The best
option is to coordinate the sliding forward or backward of alternate feet. Is forward
rotation or backward rotation easier? How fast can the ring rotate without loss of
integrity of the ring?
5. Dismantle the ring without anyone over-balancing. Form two smaller rings with
equal numbers of students. Have the rings “race” to see which is faster at rotating.
6. Dismantle the rings. What is the smallest ring that can be created?
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