Habits of Mind Activity 

This activity might work as an ice breaker early in the semester.

Provide students with an overview of a strength,  then introduce students to  Habits of Mind. You may also provide student with a visual chart. You can access a  Habits of Mind Chart Here. 

According to CliftonStrengths (Gallup’s assessment tool to measure talent themes),  “A strength is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity. The key to building a strength is to identify your dominant talents, then complement them by acquiring knowledge and skills pertinent to the activity.” Ultimately, a strength is an activity/habit that makes a person feel strong and empowered.

Students can then walk around the room—charts/sign up sheets labeled with each of the Habits should be  provided— and sign up for two Habits of Mind that they consider strengths and two Habits of Mind that they’d like to develop.  

Students then need to connect with at least two other students who have identified the same Habits of Mind (as strengths) to work in groups of 3-4.  This will be done for two rotations. Each rotation allows for 15-20 minutes of group discussion. It might be a good idea to monitor which Habits of Mind are being overlooked and adjust accordingly based on the number of students in the class.

In groups, students will generate ideas for an infographic describing the Habit of Mind and illustrating the relevance of the trait. Students can complete the infographic for homework using Canva (canva.com) or a short PowerPoint presentation to submit. Students can share their work with the entire class at a time of your choosing.

Finally, assign a journal/blog entry where students discuss the relevance of the two Habits of Mind that would like to develop. Here you can check in with students periodically throughout the semester which leaves room for assessment at the end.