THE BEST 16 HABITS OF MIND

The Habits  of Mind are  an identified set of 16  problem solving, life related skills, necessary to effectively  operate in  society and promote strategic reasoning, insightfulness, perseverance, creativity and craftsmanship.   The understanding and  application of these 16 Habits of  Mind serve  to provide the  individual  with skills to  work through real  life situations that equip  that person to respond using awareness (cues), thought,  and intentional  strategy in order to gain a  positive outcome.

1.  Persisting:  Sticking to  task at  hand; Follow through to  completion; Can and  do remain  focused.
2.  Managing Impulsivity:  Take time to consider options; Think before speaking  or acting;  Remain calm when  stressed or challenged; Thoughtful  and considerate of others; Proceed carefully.
3.  Listening with  Understanding and  Empathy:  Pay attention to and do not  dismiss another person's thoughts, feeling and ideas; Seek to put  myself in the other person's shoes; Tell others when I can relate to what they are expressing; Hold thoughts at a  distance in  order to respect another person's point of  view and feelings.
4.  Thinking Flexibly:  Able to change perspective; Consider the input of others; Generate alternatives; Weigh options.
  
5.  Thinking  about Thinking (Metacognition):  Being aware of own thoughts, feelings, intentions and actions; Knowing what I do  and say affects others; Willing to consider the impact of  choices on myself  and others.
6.  Striving for Accuracy:  Check for errors;  Measure at least twice; Nurture  a desire for  exactness, fidelity & craftsmanship.
7.  Questioning and Posing Problems:  Ask  myself, “How  do I  know?”; develop a questioning attitude; Consider what information is needed, choose strategies to get that information; Consider the obstacles needed to resolve.
8.  Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations:  Use what is learned; Consider prior  knowledge and experience; Apply knowledge beyond the situation in which it  was learned.
9.  Thinking  and Communicating with Clarity and Precision:  Strive to  be clear when speaking and writing;  Strive be  accurate to when speaking  and  writing; Avoid generalizations, distortions, minimizations and deletions when  speaking, and writing.
10. Gathering  Data through All Senses:  Stop to observe  what I see; Listen to what I  hear; Take note of what I smell;  Taste what I am eating; Feel what I am touching.  
11. Creating, Imagining,  Innovating:  Think  about how  something might be done differently  from the “norm”; Propose new ideas;  Strive  for originality;  Consider novel suggestions others might make.
12. Responding with Wonderment and Awe:  Intrigued  by the world's beauty, nature's power and vastness for the  universe; Have regard for what is  awe-inspiring and can touch my  heart; Open to the little and big surprises in  life  I see others and myself.
13. Taking Responsible Risks:  Willing to try something new and different; Consider doing things that are safe and sane  even though new to  me; Face fear of making mistakes or of coming up short and don’t let this  stop me.
14. Finding Humor:  Willing to laugh appropriately; Look for the whimsical, absurd, ironic  and unexpected in life; Laugh at myself when  I can.
15. Thinking Interdependently:  Willing to work with others and welcome their input and perspective; Abide by  decisions the work group  makes  even if I disagree somewhat; Willing to learn from  others in  reciprocal situations.
16. Remaining Open to  Continuous  Learning:  Open to new experiences to learn from; Proud and humble enough to admit when don't know;  Welcome new information on all  subjects.

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