Expressing Gratitude for the Habits of Mind
By Lory Peroff and Fourth Grade Students November is a month for gratitude. We often express our thankfulness for people we love or special things we have in our lives. I wondered, in addition to people and things, what else do we have to be thankful for here in our Waikiki school community? What […]
With an Attitude of Gratitude
By Wendy Baron, MA “Gratefulness not only changes your life, but also extends beyond your intimate sphere. It gives rise to compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and empathy, and thus informs how we treat others and how we act in the larger world.” ~ Kristi Nelson What is Gratitude? Grat·i·tude /ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/ noun a feeling of […]
“We are Better Together Than Apart” — An Interview with Superintendent Greg Hutchings
Dr. Gregory Hutchings has been unapologetic about his stance when it comes to combatting issues of racial inequities. In this interview, he talks about racial equity being at the heart of his work and decision-making as exhibited by the school reopening plan that he proposed known as the Virtual PLUS+ model. Dr. Hutchings was […]
Three Interrelated Keys to Greater Student Engagement and Deeper Learning
By Liz Locatelli, Ed. D. I have left most recent conversations with educators and students feeling very sad. Leaders are overwhelmed, teachers are exhausted and frustrated and students are bored. I couldn’t get my head around how we could make a difference until I had the opportunity to read a draft of Kallick and […]
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 […]
After the Conference: Developing Personal and Practical Knowledge
“Learning can’t exist in a vacuum or silo. It needs to be connected both to why you do what you do and how you go about getting things done in your everyday work.” —Tanveer Naseer Why is it that teachers go to conferences or have school seminars, yet no matter how polished the presenters […]
The Habits of Mind Strengths Map at Mason City Schools
By Aaron Roberts This school year, Mason City Schools has been exploring Personalized Learning. We’re growing our approach using a team of Learning Experience Designers working directly with teachers. Our design team spent time studying different thoughts on the matter, we knew that we didn’t want our PL approach to be about computers and […]
Break the Humour Code: Laugh and the Class Learns With You
“A good laugh is rather too scarce.” —Herman Melville Humour lightens up the classroom and energises learning in at least four major teaching and learning areas. Humour Primes Students’ Brains to Learn The best high school science teacher I ever came across claimed that his success was partly because he constantly judged the work level […]
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 […]
Infusing Robotics Curriculum with Essential Life Skills
By Robert E. Walker, Robotics Teacher, Moanalua High School, Honolulu, Hawaii and Arthur L. Costa, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Sacramento Robotics courses must be more than learning about how machines perform human functions. The ever-changing technological advances require employees to possess a vast knowledge base. Well-prepared students who seek a career in engineering, […]
