Are some people born naturally more intelligent than others? Or, is intelligence a characteristic that can be nurtured?
The nature vs nurture debate on intelligence is contentious. While it is generally agreed that both hereditary and environment account for a person’s intelligence, the jury’s still out on the side that has a stronger influence.
At Five Tuition, we prefer to think of intelligence as an adjective to describe an action instead of a person. As an organisation with a mission to help students succeed in school and in life, it is far more helpful to identify actions that lead to successful outcomes. It would then be possible to teach these intelligent actions, for students to practise them and, eventually personalise in their given contexts.
This is the reason why the work of Dr. Arthur Costa and Dr. Bena Kallick’s appeals to us. From observations of “high performers and effective thinkers”, Costa and Kallick identified a list of behaviours that made ‘intelligent’ people seem “intelligent”. Initially labelled as “Intelligent Behaviours”, they were renamed to “Habits of Mind” after Costa and Kallick encountered this statement by Psychologist Lauren Resnick on an opinion piece for EducationWeek: “…one’s intelligence is the sum of one’s habits of mind” (Costa & Kallick, 2008; Resnick, 1999).
We define a habit of mind as a way of thinking / recurrent action that demonstrates intellectual or cognitive intelligence. We join Costa and Kallick in arguing that these habits of mind have the potential to lead to positive outcomes in school and in life.
On 15 January 2021, a Tutor Development workshop was facilitated to introduce tutors to the 16 Habits of Mind and for them to brainstorm strategies to help students practise these habits. Moving forward, Habits of Mind will continue to be emphasized as a tool to support students in achieving their personal and academic goals.
The 16 Habits of Mind are listed and briefly explained below. It must be noted that these habits are by no means the only set of habits students are encouraged to embrace. It is our hope that tutors and tutors will continue to identify actions that have led to successful outcomes and explore ways to contextualise them in their lives.
The 16 Habits
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What does it sound / not sound like?
I have not encountered this challenge before, but I am sure I’ll be able to find a way to do this.
What does it look / not look like?
People who appear to give up too easily have a limited repertoire of strategies to solve a complex problem or complete an ill-structured task. On the other hand, people who persist, set goals, break larger items of work into smaller parts, set timelines, seek input from others and monitor their progress.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
This is easy! I have done this so many times! But, let’s take it slow and try to do it better.
What does it look / not look like?
People who demonstrate impulsivity may blurt the first answer that comes to mind, praise or criticise an idea without fully understanding it or jump straight into a task without a plan. People who manage their impulsivity well are usually deliberate, think before they act / speak and are not controlled by their emotions.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
I hear you and I feel you..
What does it look / not look like?
People who do not demonstrate this habit tend interrupt others or spend more time rehearsing what to say next rather than listen actively. On the other hand, people who listen with understanding and empathy demonstrate this by paraphrasing accurately what has been said, build on it, seek clarification and extend it with examples.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
This is the only way to do this / It’s my way or the highway!
What does it look / not look like?
People who do not demonstrate this habit often insist on one (their) way of doing something, ‘switch off’ when their ideas are not taken onboard or use absolutes when expressing views. People who demonstrate this habit often generate multiple alternatives, are able to view a situation from multiple perspectives and through a variety of lenses.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
When I encounter this situation, the first thing that goes through my mind is…
What does it look / not look like?
People who do not demonstrate this habit often do not question why they are doing something, consume information without questioning the validity or credibility of sources. On the other hand, people who demonstrate this habit are acutely aware of their inner ‘voice’. They plan before attempting a task, track their actions against initial plans, assess the effectiveness of these actions in achieving their objectives and constantly ‘test’ their thinking.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
Submitting this on time is important, but I also want to ensure my submission meets the criteria.
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we set low standards, accept work that is below expectations, aim to just ‘clear the bar’, or do not check our work for careless mistakes. We demonstrate this habit when we set high standards and constantly review our ‘craft’ to recognise strengths and identify areas for improvement.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
Is there any empirical evidence that suggests…
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we do ask questions or when we ask questions for the sake of asking them. On the other hand, we demonstrate this habit when we ask hypothetical, connecting & alternative viewpoint questions to fill the gaps between what we know and what we don’t know.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
“This is similar to the time when I...”
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we approach a task ‘tabla rasa’ i.e. as if we are approaching it for the first time. We demonstrate this habit when we draw on our personal ‘databases’ of theories, experiences, knowledge to inform our approaches to a new challenge.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
Thingy-ma-bob, stuff / all adults like to / no student likes to
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we overgeneralise, over-exaggerate, distort the truth or use ambiguous language. On the other hand, we demonstrate this habit when we use the correct terms, universal labels and support our statements with explanations, evidence and quantification.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
“This is really good information. What other data is there?”
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we only look at one source or type of data when approaching a problem. We demonstrate this habit when we show awareness of both quantitative and qualitative data coming from a variety of different sources for example, personal experiences, observations, statistics, and academic journals.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
I am not the creative sort of person.
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we believe in preserving the status quo, playing it safe and performing tasks the way they have always been done. On the other hand, we demonstrate this habit when we dream big, take risks, push boundaries, constantly try new ways of doing things and are open to feedback.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
“Wow!”
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we adopt a narrow view of learning for example, to ace an exam, and approach tasks with a sense of drudgery. On the other hand, we demonstrate this habit when we are curious, perplexed, perhaps even shocked and, proactively search for the intrinsic value in almost any task.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
I always go with what I know and can do rather than try something new.
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we do not try something because we are afraid of failing or ‘looking silly”. On the other hand, we demonstrate this habit when we take educated risks, able to regard setbacks as lessons, and embrace uncertainty.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
“Do I need to lighten up?”
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we either find it difficult to laugh at ourselves or we find humour in the ‘wrong’ places. On the other hand, we demonstrate this habit when we appreciate the value of tasteful humour and are verbally ‘playful’ when interacting with others (analogies, ironies, satires, riddles).
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What does it sound / not sound like?
“I work better alone.”
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we choose to always do tasks alone, are resistant to feedback and/or hold back on sharing our views. On the other hand, we demonstrate this habit when we proactively seek feedback, find ways to incorporate the ideas of others and recognise, value the wisdom of the crowd while avoiding groupthink.
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What does it sound / not sound like?
Heraclitus: “You can never stand in the same river twice.”
What does it look / not look like?
We do not demonstrate this habit when we value certainty, are quick to defend our biases and opinions or claim to know it all because we’ve done ‘it’ before. We demonstrate this habit when we recognise there is always more to learn, and can always improve.
For more information, please refer to the following resources:
Costa, A. L. (n.d.). Habits of Mind. Retrieved from: http://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Habits-of-Mind-w-icons-and-eduplanet.pdf
Habits of Mind website: http://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/
References
Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (Eds.). (2008). Learning and leading with habits of mind: 16 essential characteristics for success. ASCD.
Resnick, L. B., (1999, June 16). Making America smarter. Education Week, pp. 38–40.