Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum: Practical and Creative Strategies for Teachers

by Arthur L. Costa, Bena Kallick (Editor)

Distinguished educators Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick present this collection of stories by educators around the world who have successfully implemented the habits in their day-to-day teaching in K-12 classrooms. The collective wisdom and experience of these thoughtful practitioners provide readers with insight into the transdisciplinary nature of the 16 Habits of Mind—intelligent behaviors that lead to success in school and the larger world—as well as model lessons and suggestions for weaving the habits into daily instruction in language arts, music, physical education, social studies, math, foreign language, and other content areas. Readers will come to understand that, far from an "add-on" to the curriculum, the habits are an essential element for helping students at all grade levels successfully deal with the challenges they face in school and beyond. As in all their books on the Habits of Mind, Costa and Kallick have a broad and worthwhile goal in mind. As they say in the concluding chapter of this volume, "If we want a future that is much more thoughtful, vastly more cooperative, greatly more compassionate, and a whole lot more loving, then we have to invent it. That future is in our homes, schools, and classrooms today. The Habits of Mind are the tools we all can use to invent our desired vision of the future."

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development

237 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2009

About the author

Arthur L. Costa is professor emeritus of education at California State University, Sacramento. He has served as a classroom teacher, a curriculum consultant, and assistant superintendent for instruction, and the direction of educational programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Reviews

[James Bittle]

Excellent overview of the Habits of Mind, but the book could use more examples of classroom implementation (especially for secondary schools).

[Carlyn Crow]

J*ff D*llon clearly did not actually read this book

[Karyn]

I picked up this book as part of a graduate class I'm taking on teaching advanced learners. It addresses engaging students in their own learning process, by helping them to become aware of how they learn through their interactions with others. This book is filled, not with theory, but with real life experiences of teachers who incorporated the Habits of Mind into their own instruction- complete with their own successes and regrets. It's a good read for any teacher who is looking for new ways to inspire his or her students.

[Stuart Macalpine]

A nice starting point for thinking about the Habits of Mind, and some good material for supporting curriculum and Workshop specifically. Lots of platitudes and not very good examples, but also some insights of genius. I love some of the partner work material (simple but sounds effective) and love the 'interactive notebook' idea - again, simple but powerful. Overall too full of fluff, but some chapters are very good indeed.

[Megan]

Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum is a quick read with a powerful message. It reminds us about what is important about teaching kids. The habits have been around for a long time, but this book gives practical strategies as well as examples from real classroom using the habits in the classroom. This is a definite must read before beginning a new school year!

[Regina Smith]

This is actually the first school textbook that I have read all the way through in my entire life. It actually taught me alot and gave me some great ideas and resources to use in my future classroom. :)

[Kami]

Excellent and thought-provoking. An effective touch-stone for creating a powerful curriculum.

[Joe]

Synthesizes familiar concepts like multiple intelligences and mindsets to provide some great examples of how (and why) to integrate and model good thinking habits in the classroom.