Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum by Arthur L Costa

Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum by Arthur L Costa

Distinguished educators Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick present this collection of stories by educators around the world who have successfully implemented the habits in their day-to-day teaching in K-12 classrooms. The collective wisdom and experience of these thoughtful practitioners provide readers with insight into the transdisciplinary nature of the 16 Habits of Mind--intelligent behaviors that lead to success in school and the larger world--as well as model lessons and suggestions for weaving the habits into daily instruction in language arts, music, physical education, social studies, math, foreign language, and other content areas. Readers will come to understand that, far from an add-on to the curriculum, the habits are an essential element for helping students at all grade levels successfully deal with the challenges they face in school and beyond.

As in all their books on the Habits of Mind, Costa and Kallick have a broad and worthwhile goal in mind. As they say in the concluding chapter of this volume, If we want a future that is much more thoughtful, vastly more cooperative, greatly more compassionate, and a whole lot more loving, then we have to invent it. That future is in our homes, schools, and classrooms today. The Habits of Mind are the tools we all can use to invent our desired vision of the future.

Bena Kallick, Ph.D. is a private consultant who works with school districts, state education departments, professional organizations, and government agencies all around the world. At Union Graduate School, Kallick earned her doctorate in educational evaluation. Her research interests include group dynamics, creative and critical thinking, and alternative classroom evaluation methodologies. Kallick, who was previously the head of the Teachers' Center, also founded a children's museum focused on problem solving and creation. She was the coordinator of an alternative high school for at-risk kids.

She is the co-founder of Performance Pathways, a firm dedicated to offering an integrated suite of easy-to-use software for curriculum mapping, assessment tracking, and reporting. She is currently serving as a strategic adviser for SunGard Public Sector K-12 on behalf of Performance Plus, a game-changing new product built on Performance Pathways' work. She is well-known for her pragmatic approach to using curricular planning and assessment to improve teaching and learning. Yale University School of Organization and Management, University of Massachusetts Center for Creative and Critical Thinking, and Union Graduate School have all employed Kallick as a professor.

She previously served on the Apple Foundation, Jobs for the Future, and Weston Woods Institute boards. She is currently a member of the Communities for Learning Board of Directors. Her collaboration with Dr. Art Costa resulted in the founding of the Institute for Habits of Mind (www.instituteforhabitsofmind.com), an international organization dedicated to converting schools into places where thinking and Habits of Mind are taught, practiced, appreciated, and ingrained in the school and community's culture. The Institute offers services and products to help schools and communities integrate the Habits of Mind into their culture.

She and Art Costa recently finished an online course for EduPlanet21, a company dedicated to Professional Development for Educators who use the most cutting-edge technologies and ideas to successfully engage students as 21st-century learners. She also serves as the company's Program Director.