I keep coming back to the 16 Habits of Mind by Costa and Kallick, and even now, after 10+ years of being out of the traditional K-12 classroom, I find that they still apply.
I used to work these habits into my daily lessons with kids, to better prepare them for what lies ahead, and to kickstart their metacognition about what it means to be a student.
The Habits apply equally to adults. So, here’s a review of the Habits, and I’ll tackle each one in the next few (16 weeks).
Research on thinking and behavior reveals some identifiable characteristics of effective thinkers. It is not necessarily scientists, artists, mathematicians, or the wealthy who demonstrate these behaviors. They have been found in mechanics, teachers, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and parents – people in all walks of life.
The first one – about persisting.
Why? Because I’m in a session this morning with the Jennings Foundation focused on resilience and preventing burnout, and keeping our healthy emotions in check.
Resilience is similar to persisting, I think. So here we go…
Good problem solvers stick to a task until it is completed. They don’t give up easily. They are able to analyze a problem and develop a system, structure, or strategy to attack it. They have a repertoire and employ a range of alternative approaches. They collect evidence that their strategy is working; if one doesn’t work, they know how to back up and try another.
Persisting is the drive to keep going. Persisting is the ability to make it happen even when others say “no way” or “it can’t be done!”
But, those that are persistent aren’t dumb. They don’t keep pushing when data tells them otherwise. They know when to stop, rethink, review, and realign.
Persistence comes from experience and having the right support structures, and access to resources. Without those building blocks, you’ll just tread water until your head dips below, and you burn out, fail miserably, or quit for no reason.
And you know what? Quitting is okay. It’s always an option. Persistence is about leading smart, and knowing when to pull the plug, or when to add fuel.
The gap in between is the knowledge and experience that what you do will work, so it’s worth pushing forward, or it’s not, and let’s go do something else.
Are you persistent? And are you smart about it?