Nurturing Habits of Mind in Early Childhood: Success Stories from Classrooms Around the World

In the first years of life, as children observe, imitate, and interact with people and their environment, the brain is structuring a foundation for vocabulary, values, cognitive processes, and social skills. Educators, you can help influence that development by teaching the skills and dispositions of intelligent, creative, effective decision makers and problem solvers.

Within these pages, Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick share the authentic stories and experiences of teachers who have taught these Habits of Mind (HOM) to young children:

- Persisting
- Managing impulsivity
- Listening with understanding and empathy
- Thinking flexibly
- Thinking about thinking
- Striving for accuracy
- Questioning and posing problems
- Applying past knowledge to new situations
- Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision
- Gathering data through all senses
- Creating, imagining, and innovating
- Responding with wonderment and awe
- Taking responsible risks
- Finding humor
- Thinking interdependently
- Remaining open to continuous learning

The practical examples in this book show how anybody who works with young children can introduce the Habits of Mind in entertaining and concrete ways that are developmentally appropriate. By designing learning experiences that reflect the situations and challenges children face in their lives, educators can help our youngest citizens begin to develop the habits of mind that feed a lifetime of learning.

About the Author
Costa, Arthur L.: -

Arthur L. Costa is emeritus professor of education at California State University, Sacramento. He is cofounder of the Institute for Habits of Mind and of the Center for Cognitive Coaching. He has served as a classroom teacher, a curriculum consultant, an assistant superintendent for instruction in the Office of the Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools, and the director of educational programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Costa has made presentations and conducted workshops in all 50 states as well as Mexico, Central and South America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the islands of the South Pacific.

Kallick, Bena: -

Bena Kallick is a private consultant providing services to school districts, state departments of education, professional organizations, and public agencies throughout the United States and around the world. She received a doctorate in educational evaluation at Union Graduate School. Kallick's areas of focus include group dynamics, creative and critical thinking, and alternative assessment strategies for the classroom. She is the coauthor of Using Curriculum Mapping and Assessment Data to Improve Student Learning (with Jeff Colosimo), Assessment Strategies for Self-Directed Learning (with Art Costa), and Students at the Center (with Allison Zmuda); and coeditor with Art Costa of Assessment in the Learning Organization, the Habits of Mind series, Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind, and Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum.