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Running Head: MY HM JOURNEY PART TWO 1

My HM Journey:

Part Two

Elise Morgan

Johns Hopkins University



Running Head: MY HM JOURNEY PART TWO 2

One of the most powerful tools I implemented in my journey was the utilization of

the Habits and Mindsets vocabulary. I case manage students with more mild-to-

moderate disabilities who need supports to access the General Education curriculum,

and I was concerned about their ability to learn and recall some of this vocabulary. I was

tempted to translate the Habits and Mindsets to more student-friendly language.

However, research has shown that students will “utilize the terminology” constantly, so I

strove to try it with my students (Mindful by Design, 2012). I chose a new “word of

wisdom” once or twice per grading period to give students time to internalize it

completely (Laureate Education, 2010). During my one-on-one meetings, I modeled the

word of wisdom, and led students through direct instruction with a focus on generalizing

the concept both inside and outside of the classroom.

In my initial discussion of my HM Journey, I reflect on how my students often lack

persistence. My students often try one method, then easily give up rather than

continuing to “try multiple ways to solve problems” (Costa & Kallick, 2009, p. 39). I

decided to focus on problem-solving in a very direct way. In my first meeting with my

students, we studied a personal problem that students were facing, and throughout the

unit brainstormed various ways to solve it. One of my students was struggling with her

education class. She felt overwhelmed by the daily assignments, and did not complete

any of them. For a six week unit, we focused on this class through the lens of

persistence, and discussed ways she could problem-solve to get to her goal of being a

teacher.

At the beginning of each meeting, students and I reviewed the definition of

persistence, and examples of persistence we had seen inside and outside of the
Running Head: MY HM JOURNEY PART TWO 3

classroom, helping students to generalize this concept outside of the classroom. I asked

students “questions that cue students about and focus their attention on the importance

and use of one or more of the habits,” in this case persistence (Costa & Kallick, 2009,

p. 38). At the end of our meetings, I asked students to reflect on their use of

persistence, and acknowledge a time when they had seen someone else (a friend,

parent, teacher, etc.) use persistence(Costa & Kallick, 2009, p. 38).

In the future, I look forward to using this system to engage students in developing

more of their habits and mindsets. Although we may need to take longer to incorporate

each habit, my students are recognizing the habits in themselves and in each other.

They are coming to school with stories of how they used the habits of minds on the

weekends, or how their families and friends may have used the habits of mind. They are

telling me how they changed their actions based on remembering our “word of wisdom.”

I anticipate that with the addition of more of the habits of mind, students will begin to be

more introspective as they journey toward their transition to life outside of school. 

Running Head: MY HM JOURNEY PART TWO 4

References

Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B.(Eds.). (2009b). Habits of Mind across the curriculum: Practical

and creative strategies for teachers. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Hardiman, M.M. (2012). The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model for 21st-century schools

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Words of wisdom. Baltimore,

MD: Author.

Mindful by Design. (Producer). (2012). Art Costa—Summary of evidence supporting

Habits of Mind [Video file]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=0V13CPSNxeA&feature=BFa&list=UUmXu5kPdrfMxn4qKKZk4VaQQ

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