Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind by Arthur L Costa

Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind by Arthur L Costa

In Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind, noted educators Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick present a comprehensive guide to shaping schools around Habits of Mind. The habits are a repertoire of behaviors that help both students and teachers successfully navigate the various challenges and problems they encounter in the classroom and in everyday life. The Habits of Mind include

* Persisting
* Managing impulsivity
* Listening with understanding and empathy
* Thinking flexibly
* Thinking about thinking (metacognition)
* Striving for accuracy
* Questioning and posing problems
* Applying past knowledge to new situations
* Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision
* Gathering data through all senses
* Creating, imagining, innovating
* Responding with wonderment and awe
* Taking responsible risks
* Finding humor
* Thinking interdependently
* Remaining open to continuous learning

This volume brings together--in a revised and expanded format--concepts from the four books in Costa and Kallick's earlier work Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series. Along with other highly respected scholars and practitioners, the authors explain how the 16 Habits of Mind dovetail with up-to-date concepts of what constitutes intelligence; present instructional strategies for activating the habits and creating a thought-full classroom environment; offer assessment and reporting strategies that incorporate the habits; and provide real-life examples of how communities, school districts, building administrators, and teachers can integrate the habits into their school culture. Drawing upon their research and work over many years, in many countries, Costa and Kallick present a compelling rationale for using the Habits of Mind as a foundation for leading, teaching, learning, and living well in a complex world.

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.