Here we go....The beginning of a journey
I SEE
This is my very first assignment on this course. For this assigment we were asked to read: Habits of Mind by Arthur Costa & Bena Kallick and Thinking Dispositions by Tishman & Andrade. The purpose of this course as far as I have been able to figure out from the book and article titles is metacognition, thinking about our own thinking. Although I am not fully aware where this course is going to take me, I am excited to be learning more about how to become a better teacher. For this course, the instructor has asked us to use an adapted See(Say)-Think-Wonder. She incorporates a 3-2-1 Bridge in which we find 3 sentences, 2 (in this case 3) phrases, and one word that we found interesting. All of these are routines developed by Ron Richart to help Make Thinking Visible (MTV).
I THINK
The first thing that I found interesting in reading Habits of Mind is that it focused on the problems that it couldn’t solve and not the one that were easily solvable. It made me consider my own students and their reaction when faced with obstacles.I chose this sentence because it is a hard skill to learn that I believe is essential in and out of the academic field.
Habit of the Mind (H.O.M) focus goes beyond learning, as it also includes how to become open to new ideas. I feel this is an important addition because we depend on each other to grow and succeed. It highlights our need to listen with respect. As teachers we are asked to reflect on our own lessons to make improvements, but we are so overly overworked that there is hardly any time to reflect in-depth. Just like teachers, students need time to reflect on their choices, etc. It is a process that aids in the internalization of the information and how the students build their schema. Unfortunately, by rushing the process, we sacrifice the depth of understanding.
Some important phrases I picked up as I read along where: “A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it is committing another mistake.” Confucius. This phrase speaks to me about the process of learning and summarizes the process of reflection. I always tell my students that we are not here to sulk on our mistakes, but instead to figure out how to solve them.
“The most beautiful experience in the world is the experience of the mysterious." Albert Einstein. This phrase because it highlights the importance of curiosity. Here is one of the most important and influential men of his decade, and he is advocating for us to allow ourselves to feel curious. I feel this goes back to the purpose of Habits of Mind in that it reinforces the power of efficient thinking when the solution is not available immediately.
“The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating.” John Schaar. This phrase because it reminds me of my own role in the future of our community and how each of us are going to influence our future leaders, husbands, mothers, workers, etc
For this first assignment I chose 1 word: Specificity. I selected "specificity" because in Habits of Mind, the author speaks about the importance of being able to put the thinking process into words. According to Costa, “Enriching the complexity and specificity of language simultaneously produces effective thinking.” Specificity takes understanding and reflection. One must contemplate many words and decide on one that says exactly what you want. This process of analyzing and discriminating helps us become more observant and knowledgeable about ourselves and our areas of strength and concerns.
REFLECTION:
H.O.M: Thinking about our Thinking.
As I was working on this assignment, I was thinking and reflecting about my own thinking process. The reading assignment made me look at my own process and analyze the way I view problems and how I react to them. I reflected on how to improve my thinking process to make it more efficient. I thought about myself outside of myself and it was quite interesting. It made me consider some of the habits that they considered effective and evaluate how they had influenced my own life. I thought about the validity of the statements in my own experience and in other’s lives. Thinking about my own thinking process and my own role as a teacher also made me aware of the important role we have as teacher to model effective thinking and problem-solving strategies to our young students.
I WONDER
As I consider my action project for the next semester, I wonder what kind of impact will teaching Habits of Mind and using Costa’s Level of questions have on my students’ comprehension levels and math solving skills? I also wonder, what would be a good tool to measure the effects of integrating Habits of Mind and Costa’s Level of questions to the kindergarten curriculum, as they pertain to the students’ comprehension levels and math solving skills? How can we assess the students disposition to address their needs? I also wonder if dispositions follow developmental stages similar to the ones described by Piaget, or if age is a significant factor affecting the disposition of children?
How am I doing?
After my own self reflection and reviewing my professor's feedback, here is somethings I have learned about myself:
I still need to work on the following H.O.M.:
Striving for Accuracy
Questioning and Solving Problems
Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
Creating, Imagining, and Innovating
Taking Responsible Risks
My feedback from the professor was mostly positive. I was told to work on my questions so that they are level 3 by Costa. This means I must work at understanding what level 3 really means and how my questions are not challenging my students with enough rigor.