I first came across the Habits of Mind while looking for ways to deepen the work we have been doing in the Good Citizens Club, a space where we help students grow in character, empathy, and self-awareness. As I began reading Leading and Learning with Habits of Mind by Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick, I was immediately drawn in. Their work, which was developed in the 1990s and grounded in decades of educational and cognitive research, offers a practical framework for cultivating the kinds of thoughtful behaviours that help people thrive, especially when faced with uncertainty or challenge.
To put it simply, the 16 Habits of Mind, such as persistence, managing impulsivity, and thinking flexibly, help students become better people. Schools around the world, in fact, including in the US, Australia, Singapore, and the UK, are using them to build more thoughtful and resilient school cultures.
In the age of artificial intelligence, I consider these habits to more important than ever. AI can handle information incredibly quickly, but it’s a tool that cannot feel or genuinely care. That’s why these habits will be particularly important in a future where emotional intelligence and ethical judgement can’t be outsourced to machines.
What I really like about Habits of Mind as a framework is that it gives both students and teachers a shared language for thinking and growing. In so doing, this helps us to build a positive environment, reflected in how we speak and listen to one another.
In other words, by making these habits part of our daily language and celebrating them when we see them, we can gradually shape a more thoughtful and caring school culture. It’s about deepening what we already do, and helping students grow as individuals of good character.
Here’s a snapshot of each habit, with the simplified explanations that I’ve been using with the children:
- Persisting – Keep going, even when things are hard.
- Managing impulsivity – Pause and think before acting or speaking.
- Listening with understanding and empathy – Really listen to how someone feels and what they mean.
- Thinking flexibly – Try different ways of looking at a situation.
- Thinking about your thinking (Metacognition) – Be aware of your thoughts and how they guide your actions.
- Striving for accuracy – Do your best work and check it carefully.
- Questioning and posing problems – Be curious. Ask thoughtful questions.
- Applying past knowledge to new situations – Use what you’ve learned before to help you now.
- Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision – Say and write exactly what you mean.
- Gathering data through all senses – Pay attention to what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.
- Creating, imagining, innovating – Think of new ideas and try them out.
- Responding with wonder and awe – Be amazed by the world and stay curious.
- Taking responsible risks – Be brave. Try something new even if you’re unsure.
- Finding humor – See the funny side of life and laugh at yourself sometimes.
- Thinking interdependently – Work well with others and learn from them.
- Remaining open to continuous learning – Never stop learning. Keep growing every day.
In the Good Citizens Club, these habits shape everything we do. We treat students as already intelligent because of their potential to grow.
One habit we focus on often is listening with empathy. Really listening to someone means holding back judgment, reflecting on their views, and showing understanding. When students listen this way, conversations become richer and relationships stronger. I love playing question games, for example, which gets everyone (myself included) both thinking and listening more deeply.
Once students understand the habits, we can look for them in stories, characters, films, on the playground or during school trips. We’ve had great conversations about how fictional characters or classmates show traits like flexible thinking or interdependence. Recognising the habits in others helps students understand their value in a wider context.
I’ve found assemblies to be a powerful way to bring the Habits of Mind to life. Each week, I focus on a different learner profile trait, using stories from history to show how key figures have embodied these habits in meaningful ways. It’s also a valuable moment for students to pause and reflect on how they’re developing these habits in their own lives.
As teachers and leaders, our role is to name and reinforce these habits as they show up. For example, I might say:
You really stuck with that task, well done, that shows great persistence.
What made you change your strategy? That shows flexible thinking.
How did working together help you succeed here?
This kind of feedback helps students reflect on their thinking and internalise the language of the habits. Over time, they begin to recognise not only when others are using the habits, but when they are applying them too. That’s when it starts to shape their mindset.
We should also ask reflective questions to build this awareness:
What does [Habit] mean to you?
Can you think of a time you used it?
What might it sound or look like when someone else uses it?
This ongoing dialogue helps students develop a kind of inner compass.
Assessment here is about metacognition. Students can note which habits they used (or didn’t), and consider how those choices affected outcomes. I would say it is this approach that helps them build genuine self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
But, as educators, perhaps the most powerful teaching tool is how we model the habits. If we want students to listen with empathy or manage impulsivity, we need to demonstrate it ourselves, through our responses, our reflections, and our presence.
Concluding thoughts…
Through the Good Citizens Club, I have seen firsthand how Habits of Mind are shaping how children think and respond. And in the process, these Habits of Mind have sharpened my own awareness of how I lead, how I listen, and how I grow. These habits are for anyone committed to building a school where values are visible, lived, and shared.