Our teaching of intelligent behaviors went beyond being a strategy or a new
methodology. For Queen Elizabeth School, Habits of Mind became a way of
looking at what was going on in our school. They empowered individuals as
responsible problem solvers. They moved the emphasis in teaching and learning
away from teachers and allowed students the chance to grow and learn through
their own initiative. On a surface level, we recognized that the bulletin boards, the
at-home projects and the relevant children’s literature all contributed to the
development of the students’ understanding. We also acknowledged the power of
common vocabulary in enhancing our supervision strategies that gave a structure
to our lessons and empowering students with what they considered “adult”
words. However, the effect that was least expected and most appreciated was the