The Habits of Mind

16 Types of Intelligent Behaviors

These are thinking behaviors

To use in school

To use in your

activities

To use in your LIFE

Persisting Stick to it.

See a task through to completion

Remain focused

Managing Impulsivity

Take your time

Think before you act

Remain calm, thoughtful, and

deliberate

Manage your behavior

Listening with Understanding & Empathy

Try to understand others

Devote mental energy to another

person’s thoughts & ideas

Think of the other person’s point

of view

Thinking Flexibly Look at a situation another way

Find a way to change

perspectives, generate

alternatives, & consider options

Find more than one way to solve

the problem

Metacognition Think about your thinking

Be aware of your own thoughts,

strategies, feelings, & actions –

how they affect others

Striving for Accuracy

Check it again

Nurture a desire for exactness &

craftsmanship

Get it right

Don’t stop until you are sure it is

right!

Questioning & Posing Problems

How do you know?

Develop a questioning attitude

Find problems to solve

Be curious

Wonder about possibilities

Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations

Use what you learn

Access prior knowledge

Transfer old knowledge to new

situations

Make connections

Thinking and Communicating with Clarity & Precision

Be clear

Strive for accurate

communication (written & oral)

Avoid overgeneralizations

Think before you speak

Gather Data Through All Senses

Use your natural pathways

Gather data using all five senses

Be open to new information

Be ready for new information

Creating, Imagining, & Innovating

Try a different way

Generate new, novel ideas

Seek fluency & originality

Look for the creative solution

Responding With Wonderment & Awe

Let yourself be intrigued by the

world’s beauty

Find what is awesome and

mysterious in the world

Enjoy the beauty around you

Taking Responsible Risks

Venture out

Live on the edge of your

competence

Try something new

Don’t settle for the easy way

Finding Humor

Laugh a little

Look for the whimsical,

unexpected in life

Laugh at yourself when you can

Don’t take things too seriously

Thinking Interdependently

Work together

Truly work with and learn from

others

Be a good team member

Cooperate with others

Remaining Open to Continuous Learning

Learn from your experiences

Be proud (and humble enough) to

admit you don’t know

Resist complacency

Look for opportunities to learn

something new

Now What?

Use your knowledge of the habits of mind

to sort these cards

Work with a partner to discuss what they

mean

Be ready to explain your ideas!