• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • Project-Based Learning
  • Critical Thinking
  • Teaching
  • Literacy
  • Learning Models
  • The Future Of Learning
Thinking Habits

7 Thinking Habits That Grow Strong Teachers

December 10, 2017
10 Things Every Teacher Needs To Survive

10 Things Every Teacher Needs To Survive

February 15, 2019
Why Technology Hasn’t Already Transformed Education

Why Technology Hasn’t Already Transformed Education

February 8, 2019
6 Powerful Strategies For Deeper Learning In Your Classroom

6 Powerful Strategies For Deeper Learning In Your Classroom

February 10, 2019
The TeachThought Podcast Ep. 145 Project-Based Learning in the Math Classroom

The TeachThought Podcast Ep. 153 Communicating Effectively About Sexuality Education

February 12, 2019
16 Questions To Help Students Brainstorm Project-Based Learning

16 Questions To Help Students Brainstorm Project-Based Learning

February 6, 2019
Where Has The Joy Of Learning Gone?

Where Has The Joy Of Learning Gone?

February 6, 2019
50 Ways To Challenge Yourself As A Teacher

50 Ways To Challenge Yourself As A Teacher

February 12, 2019
12 Barriers To Innovation In Education

12 Barriers To Innovation In Education

February 5, 2019
What An Episode Of King Of The Hill Taught Me About Good Teaching

What An Episode Of King Of The Hill Taught Me About Good Teaching

February 8, 2019
The TeachThought Podcast Ep. 145 Project-Based Learning in the Math Classroom

The TeachThought Podcast Ep. 152 Reading Lessons Learned From A Child Left Behind

February 8, 2019
You Can Now Drag And Drop To Organize Your Google Classwork Page

You Can Now Drag And Drop To Organize Your Google Classwork Page

February 7, 2019
Learning Theories: Adaptive Control Of Thought

Learning Theories: Adaptive Control Of Thought

February 6, 2019
  • About
  • Contact Us
    • Report Issue
    • Advertise
  • Policies
    • Terms Of Use
    • Disclosure Page
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
Monday, February 18, 2019
teachthought
  • Professional Development
    • TeachThought PD
    • Project-Based Learning
      • PBL Grow 19
    • Inquiry
    • Growth Mindset
    • Differentiation
    • Assessment
    • Literacy
    • Tech Integration
    • Maker Ed
    • Design Thinking
    • Leadership
  • Categories
    • Critical Thinking
    • Learning
    • Teaching
    • Technology
    • Future Of Learning
  • Resources
  • How-To
No Result
View All Result

7 Thinking Habits That Grow Strong Teachers

by TeachThought Staff
December 10, 2017
in Teaching
3
306
SHARES
206
VIEWS
PinShareTweet

Read

10 Things Every Teacher Needs To Survive

50 Ways To Challenge Yourself As A Teacher

What An Episode Of King Of The Hill Taught Me About Good Teaching

us-department-of-education

7 Thinking Habits That Grow Strong Teachers

by Art Costa and Bena Kallick, Institute for Habits of Mind

When considering teacher quality, we are concerned not just for what we observe in the moment.

We are also concerned about whether the teacher has the more enduring habits that will serve them well as they continue to learn, grow and respond positively to change.

Attending to the whole teacher, we suggest evidence of the growth and development of these habits can be collected by triangulating data between self-observation, peer observation, and administrator observation.  Many schools have developed surveys, group process observation tools, and journals to offer data regarding the habits.

This data–which can reflect and promote teacher capacity–should be weighed as significantly as that of student performance. It is data about how effectively teachers are continuous learners who can both give and receive feedback to further their own growth as well as the growth of the professional community.

After all, isn’t evaluation about improving and growing–not punishing?

5 Categories Of Teacher Needs

  1. Cognitive: Teachers must be cognitively and emotionally challenged, continually planning for, engaging in and reflecting on learning experiences
  2. Physical: Teachers must feel safe, secure, healthy, fit, resilient and strong
  3. Emotional: Teachers must be stress free, in a trustful, non-evaluative environment
  4. Social: Teachers must be in collaborative, interdependent, reciprocal, relationships
  5. Spiritual: Teachers must transcend the trivial in curriculum and be dedicated and committed to achieving the larger value of what they do as purposefully leading to a better, more beautiful and harmonious world

Building Teacher Capacity: 7 Thinking Habits That Grow Strong Teachers

Thinking Habits: As educators, we need to understand that while observing the teacher instructing content, we must also observe–and help teachers to self-observe–their dispositions.  It is that very subtle concept of being a teacher. People who are concerned with this question look for evidence of the Habits of Mind.

For example, are teachers observed:

1. Remaining open to continuous learning – Having the humility to say,  “I have so much more to learn,” and wanting to find out.

2. Thinking about thinking – Regularly planning, monitoring, and reflecting upon actions and tasks and Being aware of your own thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions, and their effects on others.

3. Problem solving – Clarifying issues, data gathering, and rechecking information, such as:

  • Gathering data through all senses
  • Questioning and posing problems
  • Striving for accuracy

4. Communicating effectively–both orally and in writing by:

  • Listening with understanding and empathy
  • Communicating with clarity and precision
  • Thinking interdependently

5. Creating, imagining and innovating — Generating new and novel solutions and strategies, inventing new ideas and alternatives.

6. Taking responsible risks – Trying new and different ways, even if there is a chance for failure. It is as if you are living on the edge of your incompetence and you need to take a chance on jumping off the edge and try some new learning venture.

7. Persisting – Persevering in a task through its completion. Looking for ways to reach your goal when stuck; not giving up.

Conclusion

As teachers incorporate Habits of Mind into their thinking and behaviors, they say, “I need more practice with…” or “I am so excited by how much I have learned about…” or “I need to go deeper into this material…” They have developed the desire to continuously improve and learn.

Such dispositions must be developed, nurtured, supported and practiced on a regular basis. The environment and culture of the school must honor and encourage these dispositions. Schools with supportive cultures are more likely to foster significant growth among its teachers.

Like the whole child, whole teachers are a composite of human motivations and developmental drives.

Image attribution flickr user usdepartmentofeducation; Building Teacher Capacity

Tags: AdminVeteran Teacher

TeachThought Staff

TeachThought is an organization dedicated to innovation in education through the growth of outstanding teachers.

Related Posts

10 Things Every Teacher Needs To Survive

10 Things Every Teacher Needs To Survive

by Terry Heick
February 15, 2019
1

10 Things Every Teacher Needs To Survive by Terry Heick What a teacher needs depends on the teacher. Emerging learning...

50 Ways To Challenge Yourself As A Teacher

50 Ways To Challenge Yourself As A Teacher

by TeachThought Staff
February 12, 2019
10

50 Ways To Challenge Yourself As Teacher by TeachThought Staff Growing as a teacher is all about challenging yourself--moving out...

Load More
Please Login to comment
3 Comment authors
  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
Terry Heick

James Anderson wrote: Art and Bena make a great underlying point here – Successful people (including teachers) – by definition – have well developed Habits of Mind. Therefor if we are trying to evaluate teacher growth and effectiveness we should be looking for growth in their Habits of Mind to ensure they are engaging in them in increasingly effective, mature ways. I couldn’t agree more! However, I would like to add a point of clarity here. In the article Art and Bena write: “People who are concerned with this question look for evidence of the Habits of Mind. For example,… Read more »

Vote Up0Vote Down 
6 years ago
Ragavi Roy

Nice post. Very Interesting and informative. Thank you for sharing

Ragavi Roy
Edubilla

Vote Up0Vote Down 
3 years ago
Will Minton

This kind of bullet point strategizing is useful but also limited. It’s one thing to know about all the things teachers need and quite another to actually provide them, especially in the United States where teachers are required to be actively teaching more than any other OECD country. /If we’re going to be serious about meeting teachers social-emotional needs as well as cognitive, physical and spiritual, we need to seriously restructure our daily calendars to decrease the amount of time with students and give teachers ample time for professional collaboration. It’s hard to be excited about collaborating when you only… Read more »

Vote Up0Vote Down 
3 years ago




No Result
View All Result

Popular

  • A Visual Summary: 32 Learning Theories Every Teacher Should Know

    A Visual Summary: 32 Learning Theories Every Teacher Should Know

    32520 shares
    Share 32518 Tweet 0
  • What Is Bloom’s Taxonomy? A Definition For Teachers

    1484 shares
    Share 1484 Tweet 0
  • 10 Team-Building Games That Promote Critical Thinking

    396 shares
    Share 396 Tweet 0
  • 6 Types Of Assessment Of Learning

    593 shares
    Share 593 Tweet 0
  • 20 Ways To Provide Effective Feedback For Learning

    1998 shares
    Share 1998 Tweet 0
  • 21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation

    865 shares
    Share 865 Tweet 0




TeachThought

Copyright © 2019 TeachThought, LLC | Kentucky | United States | Global

TeachThought Publishing

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Policies

Social Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Search
  • Critical Thinking
  • Teaching
  • Technology
  • Learning
  • The Future Of Learning
  • Literacy
  • Education
  • Podcast

Copyright © 2019 TeachThought, LLC | Kentucky | United States | Global

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
wpDiscuz
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
You are going to send email to

Move Comment