Thinking about your thinking (Metacognition) Archives

5 Strategies to Improve Students’ Listening Skills

By Daniel Vollrath Middle and high school students not listening is a common complaint, but listening is a skill like any other—it can be improved with practice. It often ends with a sigh of relief. The feeling of knowing—they got it. You explained it, offered time to process, and asked for clarification—you know the cliché […]

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 […]

De-escalation with Habits of Mind

Many situations in life can be overwhelming and overstimulate your brain. When this occurs it is a sign that your brain needs a rest. This video will help you learn more about getting from your downstairs brain to your upstairs brain through the use of five Habits of Mind. And, giving your body and […]

It’s Time to Hyperfocus!

Getting started on any assignment can be a struggle. The mind wanders and you are constantly redirecting your focus back to the task at hand. In this video, you will learn how to become more intentional, focused, and efficient in completing a task. And, when that path of concentration gets lost, how to bring […]

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 […]

Harnessing the Power of Metacognition in Fragile Times

By Art Costa, Bena Kallick, and Allison Zmuda As we are increasingly inundated with “great ideas,” free offers to use subscriptions to new tools, and mixed messages at the local, state, and national levels, how do we keep our head above water? We are getting seasick and need to find some moments of safe […]

Stepping to the Upstairs Brain with Habits of Mind

So often we find students in an over-stimulated state of mind. Some of the most telltale signs and symptoms show up via inappropriate behaviors, outbursts, negative comments, and anxiety-ridden stares and actions – such as fidgety body movements, leg shaking, and clenching of fists. These visuals should raise concern and worry, putting educators in […]

What have you failed today?: Strategies on how to deal with our bad days

By Lory Walker Peroff It had been a tough day. After the bell rang, I collapsed into my chair and reflected on the failures of the day. The list was long. I had failed to communicate effectively with a student resulting in his mother telling me he thought I didn’t like him. I failed […]

The 9 Habits of Mind for Powerful Writing

For many individuals the ability to select a topic, conjure up ideas, and then write about it is a tough process. Even more arduous is the action of physically building focused behaviors to continue writing with reader appeal in mind. It takes persistence, focus, pacing, planning, questioning yourself, developing your senses, and thinking outside the […]

Building a “Noticing Notebook”

By Scott Wright Keeping a notebook is the single best way I know to capture and develop the habit of responding to the wonderment and awe of everyday, seeming ordinary, life. It encourages you to pay attention to your world, both your internal world and the external world. A notebook can work as a […]

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 […]

Hurdling Resilience through Habits of Mind

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 […]

Metacognition: Monitoring Your Thinking

By Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick “When the mind is thinking it is talking to itself” Plato Game play can be a great time to strengthen your mind. Most games require strategic thinking. The problem is posed; the solution has multiple possibilities; the aim is to strategically either get to the direction most […]

Small Wins for Growing Habits and Skills with Diverse Learners

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. Daniel will be presenting on select topics in Special Education, Executive Functioning, & Habits of Mind. Please feel free to email any questions […]

The Power of Reflection – Metacognitive Awareness

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 […]

Individuals First, Learners Second