The key to success for this project was the formation of learning circles within the
staff. Each learning circle was comprised of grade-alike teachers who met once a
month for half a day. At an inservice at the end of September, all 16 Habits of Mind
were presented and the teachers chose the 8 that they thought the students needed
most. One Habit of Mind was assigned each month for the months of October to
May. The staff became familiar with each Habit of Mind using a jigsaw approach.
Each learning circle became an expert on 5 of the 16 Habits of Mind. Learning
circles met for half a day each month to determine how best to teach the Habit of
Mind, how best to reinforce it and how best to review previous Habits of Mind. The
ideas from the learning circles were shared with all the staff (see Appendix 2 for
sample ideas).
As well as being at the forefront in each classroom, the Habits of Mind were made
a part of the school culture. Each student received a door hanger that promoted
Habits of Mind with the slogan: QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL – THINKING
HAPPENS HERE! The students were also given a bookmark at the beginning of
each month that displayed the current habit. A bulletin board at the entrance to
the school displayed the Habit of Mind of the month. Often the students would be
challenged by an activity on the bulletin board. The teachers chose an animal that
displayed a certain habit and then used the animal as a mascot representing that
habit (e.g. the ant was used to demonstrate persistence). Teachers or students
could acknowledge when another student practised one of the Habits of Mind by
recording their observation of the incident on the appropriate animal. The various
observations were read out during announcements and then displayed on a
“Wild about Habits of Mind” bulletin board (see Appendix 3 for examples)