Tag: community

Gratitude for Leadership and a Cohesive Community

  By Lauren Wells In the midst of two uncontrolled pandemics, COVID-19 and racial injustice, Newark, New Jersey, is unique as a place where Black lives matter and everyone belongs. I chose to live in Newark a decade ago because of this. Now, as COVID-19 cases surge around the world for a second time, Newark […]

Your Whole School Approach To Habits of Mind

  By James Anderson It’s been more than 25 years since Art Costa and Bena Kallick introduced the world to the Habits of Mind. In that time, the Habits have become a classic in education, transforming teaching, learning and school cultures around the world. Unfortunately, not all schools that started their Habits of Mind journey […]

Integrating SEL into Our New Normal

  By Wendy Baron, MA   Yesterday, a colleague shared that a 5th grade student began to cry during their synchronous distance learning session. “I HATE Coronavirus!!! I miss my friends! I need a hug!” At that moment, the teacher and other students in the class offered comfort. “I’m hugging you,” said one student. Others […]

Broadening our Coaching Model

  By Jeanne Tribuzzi   In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Einstein If there has ever been a time for thinking interdependently as educators within a school, it’s now! Never has there been a more important time than now when teachers, in collaboration with leadership, must work together to support students and families in […]

Teaching Habits of Mind Through a Picture Book

  By Robyn Ackerman One of my most favorite ways to teach children curriculum is through the pages of an engaging picture book! M is for Mindful is an extraordinary example! Author Robin L. Flanigan uses beautiful prose to describe each letter of the alphabet in such a thought-provoking way, you can’t help but see […]

Curriculum Triage: How do we manage the instructional challenge right now?

  By Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda Stories are pouring in from all over the world — each rich with curricular ideas that resonate not only for the moment but also for the future. This is a time when our dispositions really matter. Each of these contributions shows how the authors are thinking flexibly and […]

Turning to the Habits of Mind in a Time of Crisis

  By Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda As we continue to scroll through our social media feeds and hear from you via email and video conferences, what is so heartwarming to see is how the dispositions have become a touchstone as we navigate personal and professional challenges. We always suggest that the habits are “what […]

Featuring Communication with Schools and Families

  By Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda As we read through these examples, we were struck by not only what they were saying but the ways in which each was presented. The tone was invitational, honest, and resilient. They ask their communities to read these with some creative possibilities for the present and a mind […]

Habits of Mind and Resiliency: Tools for Success

  Hello Habits of Mind community! Welcome back to this new school year. I hope that the summer gave you time to ponder and to find wonderment and awe in just relaxing, managing your impulsivity by basking in the summer sun, remaining open to continuous learning by taking adventurous trips, thinking flexibly in creating summer time […]

Building Community with the Habits of Mind

  Daniel Vollrath (@HabitsofMindInc) is a special education teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey, and a United States Professional Development Trainer for the Habits of Mind Institute, with a strong passion for developing curriculum, classroom culture, and mindfulness based on the Habits of Mind. Over the past five years, Daniel has […]

Success with Habits of Mind: Three Important Lessons

  By James Anderson   What have I learnt over the past 20 years working with Habits of Mind? In the early days, as I worked with hundreds of schools around Australia, it became clear that although schools could easily see the potential of the Habits of Mind, not all of them could translate and […]

Why Habits of Mind and Special Education?

  Daniel Vollrath, Ed.D. (@HabitsofMindInc) is a special education teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey, and a United States Professional Development Trainer for the Habits of Mind Institute. As a current educational leader within the classroom, Daniel’s best practices, strategies, goals, classroom culture, and interactions with students with a learning disability […]

Is 16 Habits Too Many?

  By Nick Bruski, first in a series. In an educational landscape of rigorous Common Core Standards, NGSS, new curricula, mindfulness, and a never­ending stream of local initiatives, one might ask, “where the heck do I find time to teach Habits of Mind, and how in the heck am I going to get to all […]

Creating a Symbolic Heart for the Habits of Mind on Your Campus

  By Nick Bruski, second in a series. Ron Ritchhart of Harvard University says that everything you do sends messages about what you value. As you begin to think about the Habits of Mind and your environment, a community should ask itself, “What messages are we sending?” and “What messages do we want to send?” […]

When Communities are Struck by Disaster, Habits of Mind are More Important than Ever

  By Dr. Nick Bruski, Principal at Montecito Union School. Third in a series. Ignited in December of 2017,  the largest wildfire in California history ravaged nearly 300,000 acres of hillsides and homes, leaving a charred and barren landscape. This damage, combined with incredibly intense rainfalls in the early morning hours of January 9th, caused […]

Leading Personalizing Learning: ASCD CEL 2016 Reflection

  By Allison Zmuda Bena Kallick and I presented to a few hundred educators on leading personalized learning with Habits of Mind (HOM). As we canvased the room to find out who was there, I was thrilled to see a group of educators from Newtown, Conn. where I started my teaching career. The opportunities I […]

DECLARATION ON EDUCATION FOR LIFE: Creating a Global Groundswell for Real Learning

  Education should prepare all young people to deal well with the real challenges of life. It should enable them to deal with tricky situations, learn difficult things, and think clearly and ethically about what matters. Schools should be models of places where students learn how to live together with civility and respect for differences […]