The Faculty Room

Check out a fascinating and detailed set of postings in response to NY Times reader questions about the college admissions process, from four college admissions officers. Jeff Brenzel, at Yale University. Bruce Poch, at Pomona College. Steven Syverson, at Lawrence University. Bruce Walker, at the University of Texas at Austin.
http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/

Like many of you, years ago I spent most of my late December doing college reference letters for students of mine. Here are two noteworthy comments in response to a question about their value:

As a teacher who writes 20 or so recommendations a year and tries to make each letter unique, can you offer any more information about how such letters are read? After having written literally hundreds in my career, I find myself wondering if the at least 2 hours per recommendation I spend is worth it. Are there cases where recommendations will tip the balance for or against admission?

Mr. Brenzel of Yale: Recommendations play a critical role for us, and we deeply appreciate the time teachers put into writing good ones. If you teach at a school from which we receive multiple applications, the same officer will read and evaluate any recommendations you write for those applicants. If each recommendation reads about the same, with numerous positive adjectives but little in the way of concrete detail, the recommendations tend not to be helpful. We look for professional judgment from teachers, not simply warm feelings.

Mr. Poch of Pomona: I am grateful for fulsome teacher references and even more appreciative of those which are candid, sharing the good with the bad. Over time we sometimes get to know a teacher who has written for a number of students. A balanced reference will establish credibility for a teacher and is very helpful for our efforts.

From personal experience I have found this to be true - honest IS the best policy, especially if you write for many students and to the same colleges. What has been your experience?

After a brief sabbatical, the Faculty Room is open again. So, what’s on your mind?

Malcolm Gladwell is a brilliant writer, isn’t he? I confess that every article or book of his I have read is thought-provoking, informative, and clear. From Tipping Point to Blink he has opened our eyes and minds to new ways of looking. But recently his writings have focused more closely on educational topics. His new book Outliers discusses talent, achievement, and its origins. Did you know that the month of your birthday is a huge predictor or success in both hockey and learning? That’s just 1 insight in the book.

In a recent article in the New Yorker, he pushes the issue of talent and predicting it further. And here is where we all need to pay close attention. The emerging research on predicting who will be a good teacher and who wouldn’t goes right to the heart of ubd issues: the ability to be ‘with it’ in terms of paying close attention to what kids are doing, and the providing of feedback. Check it out.

Be quiet.
Sit still.
Put your head down on your desk.
Just settle yourself.

When you read these words, you might envision a horn-rimmed, scowling, frantic elementary teacher yelling at children. Now try reading the phrases as though Ghandi were talking. Or Christ. Or Yoda, - whatever your persuasion:
Be quiet.
Sit still.
Put your head down on your desk.
Just settle yourself.
Where does quiet meditation fit into the habits of mind? Is there value to tuning out?

In hearing a presentation by Dennis Sparks recently, I was impressed by his assertion that to obtain clarity and focus, an individual must seek quiet occasionally. It is an active exercise, one that requires effort. Although there is nothing to do with the intellect when quieting, anyone who practices it regularly says that it takes effort, and yields great benefits for the mind and body. Is this a habit of the mind that should be promoted and incorporated into what we do in schools?

As a young teen, I was part of a health class where the teacher taught meditation as a tactic for personal relaxation and stress relief. When I was a resident assistant at college I facilitated workshops on stress management. In both cases, “quiet” was considered something you did as a response to unpleasant feelings or situations. Should it be, instead, a pattern of intellectual behavior to maintain throughout our daily endeavors?

It would be a hard sell in our culture, one that values aggression and action, not retreat and reflection. There would have to be avoidance of ideas that sound too zen, like, “free your mind” or “veg-out.” Maybe we could gently introduce it by dusting off some old American wisdom like, “haste makes waste,” or “look before you leap.” Perhaps “patience is a virtue” still would be good guidance for grade school children.

At the risk of being too forward, I am asking for consideration of a 17th HOM: Separating and quieting.

Habits of Mind: Dispositions for Success

As we study the habits of mind, we are impressed by the international response to the question: “What is it about your students that makes you think they need to learn how to think?” and “How would you like them to be?” These questions have been posed with teachers of all grade levels in numerous schools and in countries around the world with surprisingly similar and consistent responses:

“They just blurt out answers. They should think beforJourney Of Continuous Growthe they respond.”

“They are afraid to take risks. I’d like them to be more creative; more adventuresome.”

“They depend on me for their answers. I wish they’d think for themselves.”

“They give up so easily with difficult tasks. I’d like them to hang in there.”

“They can’t seem to work in groups. They must learn to cooperate and work together.”

“They don’t apply their knowledge. I want them to use what they know in other situations.”

Once we introduce the Habits of Mind, teachers are amazed to find that, while the terminology might be different, what they have described as needed in their students is what we have described as the attributes of successful people in many walks of life. We have identified 16 vital habits of mind that, while teachers feel may be absent in some students in varying degrees, they are necessary for success in school, work, and life. (Costa & Kallick, 2001)

What is a Habit of Mind?

A “Habit of Mind” means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems. When humans experience dichotomies, are confused by dilemmas, or come face to face with uncertainties–our most effective actions require drawing forth certain patterns of intellectual behavior. When we draw upon these intellectual resources, the results that are produced are more powerful, of higher quality and of greater significance than if we fail to employ those intellectual behaviors.

Notice that each of these habits is defined with an “ing” rather than an “ed”. We realize that the habits require vigilance and that we are always strivING. While the Habits of Mind are never fully mastered, as continuous learners, they are continually practiced, modified, and refined. If they are truly “habituated” they are performed automatically, spontaneously and without prompting. They become an “internal compass” to guide one’s actions, decisions and thoughts.

This internalization grows as individuals commit themselves to development along five dimensions. They are:

Exploring Meanings

As students explore meaning they develop a basic literacy around the habits with a greater capacity to articulate more sophisticated definitions and acquire more concepts associated with the HOM. They are able to draw upon a greater range of examples and build more complex analogies and they begin to connect them to their own experiences and recognize them in others. They become able to reflect on times when they have (or should have) used a particular habit.

Expanding Capacities

As students learn and practice the Habits of Mind, they become more skillful and develop a large repertoire of strategies that they can call upon in problematic situations. Students grow more adept employing the habit strategically, selecting and sequencing the most appropriate strategies at the appropriate time. They refine their ability to apply each of these skills and strategies in complex and sophisticated ways. Learners also begin to develop internal, meta-cognitive strategies and “self-talk” for employing the HOM when confronted with problems, decisions, and ambiguous situations.

Increasing Alertness

In order to engage in any of the HOM, one must recognize that a problematic situation exists and that the opportunity for engaging one or more of the Habits of Mind has presented itself. Students build some guiding principles or criteria upon which they become increasingly alert to opportunities to engage in the HOM. Students will initially find it easy to engage in the HOM in very familiar, often simple contexts. However, over time we want them to be able to be alert to opportunities in new, novel, and complex situations. Furthermore, students will often rely on external prompts from teachers or others to indicate when to engage in the HOM. As they develop their alertness, they will become more self-directed and apply the appropriate Habits of Mind spontaneously.

Extending Values

As learners connect success to the effective application of the Habits of Mind, they begin to make predictions about when and why it might be appropriate to use a particular habit. In doing so they also deepen their valuing of the Habits because they can understand why using a habit would be important in these situations. They can reflect back upon the use of the habit and see that when the habit is appropriately used, it has led to greater success. Continuous experiences in which the habits show real benefits for successful interactions with work and others creates a better sense of self-confidence. As a result, the individual not only values the habits but also makes a commitment to using them. As learners extend the value they place on the Habits of Mind, they express a belief that the Habit is important not just in particular situations, but also more universally, as a pattern of behavior in their life, and they express a desire for the Habits of Mind to be adopted in the lives of others and in the community at large.

Building Commitment

Building a commitment to continuous improvement in the use of Habits of Mind occurs when learners increasingly become self-directed. Self-improvement in this dimension is recognized as learners become self-managing by setting goals for themselves, self-monitoring as they “observe themselves” in action, and more self-reflective as they evaluate themselves, modify their behaviors, and set new and increasingly higher standards for their own performance. Self-evaluation moves from being the quantitative recognition of the use of the Habits of Mind in them to being increasingly more descriptive and qualitative.

Getting into the Habit

Our experience with many schools and school districts both nationally and internationally leads us to the answer to the question, “ what is to be done about it?” We have found that the best way to develop these habits is through practice. It is not possible to learn the habits merely through rhetoric. Everything in the school needs to believe in the habits as significant to student learning.

The School Board needs to adopt the habits not only for the students but also for themselves. They need to evidence questioning and problem posing, listening with understanding and empathy, thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. The students will only behave as well as the adult models who are surrounding them.
The administrators need to adopt the habits. They need to be good role models of, for example, remaining open to continuous learning. The teachers will respond with greater belief in the long term sustaining of the habits when they observe and experience the administrators working on the same habits as they are hoping their students will embrace.
The teachers need to find the appropriate places in the curriculum—integrating the habits into the curriculum so that the unit designs include not only the authentic performances but the habits that are required to make certain that the students learn how to struggle with the issues of uncertainty and ambiguity embedded in the designs. For example, they need to be able to question and pose problems, think interdependently, and persist when the answers are not immediately apparent. In addition, teachers need to create a classroom that is open to continuous learning, making certain that there are many opportunities for coaching and formative assessment. It needs to be clear that taking responsible risks is valued and that discussions encourage students to think flexibly. Students need to have the opportunity to practice the habits or…they don’t become a habit!
Finally, the students need to become more self-directed in their learning. They need to take responsibility for managing, monitoring, and modifying their behavior as they learn. We have organized the habits around those key concepts in our book, Assessment Strategies for Self Directed Learning (2004).

While school staffs might lament the absence of these attributes in their students, it should be obvious that all of us—parents, teacher and administrators, can continue on this journey toward internalization. What gives a curriculum “dignity” is that it is as good for the adults in the school as it is for the students. Over time, as this vision becomes increasingly shared, the school takes on a culture where the Habits become the norms: “the way we do things around here.” One student, one classroom, one school at a time, the world is becoming a more thought-full place.

References
Anderson, J., Costa, A. and Kallick, B. (2009) Habits Of Mind: A . In Costa, A. and Kallick, B (Eds.) Leading and learning with Habits of Mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Costa, A. and Kallick, B. (2004) Assessment Strategies for Self-Directed Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Costa, A and Kallick, B. (2000) Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series:
Book I: Discovering and Exploring Habits of Mind
Book II: Activating and Engaging Habits of Mind
Book III: Assessing and Reporting on Habits of Mind
Book IV: Integrating and Sustaining Habits of Mind
Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

“Persist and you shall succeed” was a saying I heard early and often in my educational career, and this habit of the mind was of paramount importance to me. Whether it was my parents or teachers early in life or my colleagues later in life modeling the behavior, I became a disciple of persistence. This quality provided me with the ability to search for alternative solutions and not become flustered when the initial strategy was unsuccessful. I learned early on in education that you not only may need plan B, but C, D and sometimes E.

As I began focusing on this blog entry I realized that examples of persistence and the lack of it are everywhere. A good portion of my time during the summer involves creating the schedule for the middle and high schools. Persistence is required to deal with the multitude of elective choices, teacher preferences, and graduation requirements, all which play key roles in this endless puzzle. However, persistence guides me to the completion of this task each and every summer. On the other end of the spectrum, teachers who dismiss technology as something that isn’t necessary and couldn’t possibly enhance their instruction could be an example of a lack of persistence. They have tried it, encountered obstacles, and seem to have surrendered to mediocrity. Yet they expect their students to continue putting forth effort and to give it their best. Does the teacher work through daily problems or do they become disconcerted when obstacles to learning enter the classroom? Teachers, and parents, must continually model persistence for it to carry over to our students. [Read more →]

At the end of the school year, when many students have already begun their figurative summer vacation, and most seniors have mentally checked out of the classroom, my students (most of them seniors) begin their most difficult project of the year. For three weeks, in school, they will begin to assemble a newspaper based on the ideas of Civil and Human Rights. It is the culminating project of their Journalism class and they will show me what they are capable of doing on their own, without a teacher. My biggest contribution is to pick their editor (from the students who apply). Beyond that they are on their own.

The students must write their own copy, take their own pictures, create the art work, and do everything else associated with the paper. They must also raise the money to print it. I’ve been asked why I don’t just ask my administration or someone else for the funding. I don’t because finding out how to acquire that money and the actual work that they will put into earning it are a key part of the process.
[Read more →]

If I had to choose one habit of mind that I think today’s students are lacking, I would have to say study skills. Under this large umbrella, I include note-taking skills, reading for school, and studying. I don’t think most of my students come in as ninth graders knowing how to take notes or what note-taking system works best for them. Additionally, think their methods of studying for tests (mainly cramming) are not useful. They tend not to take notes as they read and therefore do not retain as much of their reading as they might. Finally, students tend to cram or use other ineffective study methods for tests and other assessments.

I think students need to be explicitly taught how to take notes, and they should be taught different styles so they can experiment and see what works best. If students write down anything at all, they write down what the teacher does. I teach note-taking to incoming ninth graders at my school, and I emphasize the importance of writing down anything the teacher writes down, but also anything the teacher emphasizes. I tell them to watch for body language and pauses. If a teacher punctuates a point with gestures or pauses, it’s a cue that it’s important. I teach students several note-taking methods, including jot lists, webbing, Cornell notes (also known as T-notes or two-column notes), and outlining. In addition, I teach note-taking methods for reading such as SQ3R. It’s not a magic bullet, but we have to start somewhere, and I think introduction to different note-taking methods is a step in the right direction. I ask student

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December 20th, 2008
by Grant
· Comments Off

The Faculty Room is open - again

December 12th, 2008
by Grant
· Comments Off

After a brief sabbatical, the Faculty Room is open again. So, what’s on your mind?

Malcolm Gladwell

December 12th, 2008
by Grant
· 3 Comments

Quiet Please

August 7th, 2008
by Michael Ashton
http://wyoarea.org/WyomissingArea.cfm
· 11 Comments

Costa and Kallick Weigh In

August 5th, 2008
by Arthur L. Costa Ed. D. and Bena Kallick, Ph.D.
http://www.habits-of-mind.net/
· 4 Comments

Be a Solutionist

August 1st, 2008
by Gerry
http://tsaplu.edublogs.org/
· 10 Comments

Great Expectations

July 31st, 2008
by Joe Scotese
http://www.awaytoteach.net
· 7 Comments

Start with Study Skills

July 30th, 2008
by Dana Huff
http://www.huffenglish.com
· 15 Comments

Exploring the essential questions of education…

The AE BLOG

Archives

Past Bloggers

Guest Contributors

Shop Our Bookstore

December 20th, 2008by Grant · Comments Off

December 12th, 2008by Grant · Comments Off

After a brief sabbatical, the Faculty Room is open again. So, what’s on your mind?

December 12th, 2008by Grant · 3 Comments

August 7th, 2008by Michael Ashton http://wyoarea.org/WyomissingArea.cfm · 11 Comments

August 5th, 2008by Arthur L. Costa Ed. D. and Bena Kallick, Ph.D. http://www.habits-of-mind.net/ · 4 Comments

August 1st, 2008by Gerry http://tsaplu.edublogs.org/ · 10 Comments

July 31st, 2008by Joe Scotese http://www.awaytoteach.net · 7 Comments

July 30th, 2008by Dana Huff http://www.huffenglish.com · 15 Comments

December 20th, 2008
by Grant
· Comments Off

December 12th, 2008
by Grant
· Comments Off

December 12th, 2008
by Grant
· 3 Comments

August 7th, 2008
by Michael Ashton
http://wyoarea.org/WyomissingArea.cfm
· 11 Comments

August 5th, 2008
by Arthur L. Costa Ed. D. and Bena Kallick, Ph.D.
http://www.habits-of-mind.net/
· 4 Comments

August 1st, 2008
by Gerry
http://tsaplu.edublogs.org/
· 10 Comments

July 31st, 2008
by Joe Scotese
http://www.awaytoteach.net
· 7 Comments

July 30th, 2008
by Dana Huff
http://www.huffenglish.com
· 15 Comments