It can be argued that each of the sixteen Habits of Mind is informed by Cognitive Style
theory, but Managing Impulsivity, Striving for Accuracy, Metacognition, Responding
with Wonderment and Awe, Questioning and Posing Problems, Applying Past Knowledge
to New Situations, and Thinking Interdependently are more explicitly informed by work
in this area.
Cognitive style refers to a learnerís characteristic preferences for thinking, perceiving,
processing and remembering information (Sternberg, 2001; Ferrari & Sternberg, 1998).
Each learner possesses learning style tendencies (eg. visual attention as compared to
auditory attention) and makes cognitive choices in relation to how they perceive and
perform learning tasks.
Considerable research (Kagan, 1958, 1966; Entwistle, 1991) has surrounded the relative
speed of learnerís responses to set learning tasks, with some students reacting quickly
(impulsively) and other students responding more slowly (reflectively). Reflective
students generally take longer to complete tasks but are mostly more accurate than their
impulsive peers (Entwistle, 1991). Clear connections can be made here to Managing
Impulsivity, Metacognition and Striving for Accuracy. Managing Impulsivity involves
thoughtful and deliberate planning before deciding upon our actions, and Striving for
Accuracy includes the concepts of checking our work and setting high standards for its
completion. Reflective thinking is generally regarded as being synonymous with
metacognitive strategies.
Other studies have focussed on the concepts of ëdeepí and ësurfaceí approaches to
learning (Zimmerman, 1998). Some students have been perceived as intrinsically
motivated, possessing a curiosity for the learning tasks and using ëdeepí approaches such
as questioning, planning and evaluating. These students also try to relate past knowledge