Entering a School with Music: A Place to Practice Habits of Mind
Growing up, music had a huge influence on my life. Let’s just say that I come from a family of music enthusiasts. My brother is a pianist and my mother was a dancer. Suffice to say, I grew up under the influence of melodies and beats. That’s why I’m in a perfect position to […]
The Depth Behind Icebreakers
By Shawna Parkinson Beginning school again after a year of teaching during a pandemic may leave school buildings and teachers looking for intentional moves that will unite and inspire students and staff in the first week. One approach could be to focus on building relationships through the implementation of icebreaker activities that teachers, from […]
Be a Thermostat Not a Thermometer
This is the first of three posts in a series. Our students are coming back to school whether in person or remotely with different experiences of social connection over the seventeen months (since March of 2020). As we prepare our lessons and physical spaces for students, let’s also attend to the social climate of […]
Empathy is Foundational During Our Current Uncertainty
By Allison Zmuda, Bena Kallick and Art Costa Empathy is a foundational part of healing from the political and social issues we are currently facing. Empathy can also be a response to a joyful experience. This newsletter focuses on the powerful experience people have experienced when they have been listened to with understanding and empathy. […]
Learning Empathy with Compassion Projects
By Jaime Crane and Lisa Bradley 1st-grade teachers, North Canaan Elementary School How do we grow the capacity of our young students for empathy? Last year, the first grade teachers focused on the Habit of Mind animation “Listening with Understanding and Empathy” in their classes. This was part of a larger regional project […]
Empathy in This Moment
By Jennifer Norman Empathy is an invitation to discover yourself by connecting with others in a symbiosis and bonding that heals us. Empathy is the recognition that the meaningful connection to others is where healing takes place, where we can find one another and resonate. Five years ago I met a remarkable young superintendent […]
How to Listen with Understanding and Empathy: Who Is the Spotlight Shining On?
By Arthur L. Costa, Bena Kallick, and Allison Zmuda “To listen fully means to pay close attention to what is being said beneath the words. You listen not only for what someone knows, but for what he or she is. Generative listening is the art of developing deeper silences in yourself, so you can […]
Leading With Habits of Mind in Mind: Positive Thoughts During Unprecedented Times
By Art Costa and Bena Kallick While we can all agree that the Habits of Mind pervade all subject areas and can be infused throughout most of all the activities in learning, we may never have thought of putting them to the test of being challenged during this COVID-19 crisis. Yet, the Habits of […]
New Rule: Navigate VUCA with Habits of Mind
By Bill Sommers So, as I sit here in my home under COVID19 stay at home restrictions, one question keeps reverberating with me in how to lead during this time: “How do we respond in a VUCA world that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon?” When I was a principal, a […]
Leveraging The Habits of Mind In The Midst of Disruption
By Craig Gastauer March 13, 2020 was the day we received the news that all districts in San Diego County were shutting down physical operations due to COVID-19. A week later, our teachers were directed to begin thinking in terms of what was essential for students to learn between now and the end of […]
