Today in my student success class...

...we learned about habits of mind.

~A habit of mind is knowing how to behave intelligently when you don't know the answer.
~A habit of mind means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems, the answers to which are not immediately known.

There are 16 habits of mind:

1. Persisting
• sticking to something...even when it is difficult.
2. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision
• let others understand you and understand yourself
3. Managing impulsivity
• don't eat that because you are bored, don't check facebook or your email again...
4. Gathering data through all of your senses
• smell, hear, feel, see, taste what you're learning and doing.
5. Listening with understanding and empathy
• listen to what they are saying you instead of thinking about what you are going to say when they stop talking, be an active listener
6. Creating, imagining, innovating 
• think differently to change things up for the better
7. Thinking flexibly
• you don't have to change your beliefs or ideas but accept the possibility of it
8. Responding with wonderment or awe
• a skill are art that makes you truly appreciate what you are doing and allows you to fully enjoy the situation you are in...no matter how mundane it might be.
9. Think about your thinking (metacognition)
• think about what your mind thinks about, think before you talk, and stop negative thoughts that are in your head in their tracks...the power of positive thinking
10. Taking responsible risks
• don't be afriad to try new things
11.  Striving for accuracy
• anything worth doing is worth doing right
12.  Finding humor
• don't be afraid to laugh at yourself every now and then...plus, laughing is healthy for you
13. Questioning and posing problems
• ask questions to advance learning, don't just ask questions to be difficult
14. Thinking interdependently
• share ideas and think with others, two minds are better then one
15. Applying past knowledge to new situations
• create connections with the present and the past, make your learning active learning
16. Remaining open to continuous learning
• evaluate yourself everyday, know where you are improving or need help

This is not just for students, this is a way of life for everyone.
...plus...everyone is a student.

Love

LeeAnn