Educators' most important work is to help students develop the intellectual and social strength of character necessary to live well in the world. The way to do this, argue authors Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda, is to increase the say students have in their own learning and prepare them to navigate complexities they face both inside and beyond school. This means rethinking traditional teacher and student roles and re-examining goal setting, lesson planning, assessment, and feedback practices. It means establishing classrooms that prioritize: Voice-Involving students in "the what" and "the how" of learning and equipping them to be stewards of their own education. Co-creation-Guiding students to identify the challenges and concepts they want to explore and outline the actions they will take. Social construction-Having students work with others to theorize, pursue common goals, build products, and generate performances. Self-discovery-Teaching students to reflect on their own developing skills and knowledge so that they will acquire new understandings of themselves and how they learn. Based on their exciting work in the field, Kallick and Zmuda map out a transformative model of personalization that puts students at the center and asks them to employ the set of dispositions for engagement and learning known as the Habits of Mind. They share the perspectives of educators engaged in this work; highlight the habits that empower students to pursue aspirations, investigate problems, design solutions, chase curiosities, and create performances; and provide tools and recommendations for adjusting classroom practices to facilitate learning that is self-directed, dynamic, sometimes messy, and always meaningful.

In Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind, noted educators Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick present a comprehensive guide to shaping schools around Habits of Mind. The habits are a repertoire of behaviors that help both students and teachers successfully navigate the various challenges and problems they encounter in the classroom and in everyday life. The Habits of Mind include: Persisting. Managing impulsivity. Listening with understanding and empathy. Thinking flexibly. Thinking about thinking (metacognition). Striving for accuracy. Questioning and posing problems. Applying past knowledge to new situations. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. Gathering data through all senses. Creating, imagining, innovating. Responding with wonderment and awe. Taking responsible risks. Finding humor. Thinking interdependently. Remaining open to continuous learning. This volume brings together-in a revised and expanded format-concepts from the four books in Costa and Kallick's earlier work Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series. Along with other highly respected scholars and practitioners, the authors explain how the 16 Habits of Mind dovetail with up-to-date concepts of what constitutes intelligence; present instructional strategies for activating the habits and creating a ""thought-full"" classroom environment; offer assessment and reporting strategies that incorporate the habits; and provide real-life examples of how communities, school districts, building administrators, and teachers can integrate the habits into their school culture. Drawing upon their research and work over many years, in many countries, Costa and Kallick present a compelling rationale for using the Habits of Mind as a foundation for leading, teaching, learning, and living well in a complex world.

In the first years of life, as children observe, imitate, and interact with people and their environment, the brain is structuring a foundation for vocabulary, values, cognitive processes, and social skills. Educators, you can help influence that development by teaching the skills and dispositions of intelligent, creative, effective decision makers and problem solvers. Within these pages, Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick share the authentic stories and experiences of teachers who have taught these Habits of Mind (HOM) to young children: Persisting. Managing impulsivity Listening with understanding and empathy. Thinking flexibly. Thinking about thinking. Striving for accuracy. Questioning and posing problem. Applying past knowledge to new situations. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. Gathering data through all senses. Creating, imagining, and innovating. Responding with wonderment and awe. Taking responsible risks. Finding humor. Thinking interdependently. Remaining open to continuous learning. The practical examples in this book show how anybody who works with young children can introduce the Habits of Mind in entertaining and concrete ways that are developmentally appropriate. By designing learning experiences that reflect the situations and challenges children face in their lives, educators can help our youngest citizens begin to develop the habits of mind that feed a lifetime of learning.

Are your students poised for success?

Need a clear roadmap for achieving the college and career readiness goals of the Common Core and 21st century learning? Grounded in Costa and Kallick's groundbreaking habits of mind work, and informed by current research, this book helps educators: Build consensus around what attributes and abilities all students should possess by the time they graduate Develop a common language around these dispositions so that students will encounter them daily Integrate these dispositions into curriculum design, instruction, and assessment Create school cultures that value dispositional learning