Habits of Mind

16 habits which help us approach problems better (and be better professionals) - which of them are YOU strongest and weakest at? 

While 'Habits of Mind' has been used in US schools for 25+ years and was developed over decades, I only recently came across the concept thanks to research by Tokuhama-Espinosa and others looking into mental frameworks across education/learning, psychology and neuroscience. The 16 habits were developed by Costa and Kallick, and paraphrased are: 

(1) Persistence
(2) Self-regulation 
(3) Understanding, empathy & considering others' perspectives 
(4) Thinking flexibly / adaptability 
(5) Metacognition i.e. thinking about our thinking 
(6) Striving for the best 
(7) Questioning and problem posing i.e. seeking improved information 
(8) Applying past knowledge to new situations
(9) Thinking & communicating clearly, including sharing ideas 
(10) Gathering data through ALL our senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing
(11) Creating, imagining and improving  
(12) Responding with wonderment and awe / finding joy
(13) Taking calculated risks
(14) Not taking things too seriously / finding humour 
(15) Working interdependently and collaboratively 
(16) Being open to continuous learning 

On average, technical professionals tend to be much better at some of these 16 than others, especially when the route to qualification itself requires a lot of (1). And, sometimes our circumstances can encourage us to stretch ourselves and/or dampen our natural tendencies. Costa and Kallick suggest that the habits are constantly refined throughout our lifespans. 

As you reflect on YOUR relative strengths, please consider each deeply, rather than glibly - no matter how experienced we are, we can all still learn, sometimes from surprising sources! In my case, (3), (9) and (15) have taken deliberate practice (and I learn so much from others). I'm not (yet) good at (10) or (12). I love (11) though! 

I'd love to hear your reflections too - please do leave a comment below!