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Habits of the Mind

From Students in Nebraska

by Judi Roach

03/14/2008

Iditarod Central: Iditarod and Habits of Mind Quest Project

The kids at Central Elementary, also known as, -Iditarod Central; have been learning and using the Habits of the Mind. The Habits of Mind are 16 ways of thinking that help people be successful. The teachers taught us what each habit means and we wrote the habit, its definition, and an example of the habit on an index card. We watched Iditarod Insider video clips for examples of how mushers use the Habits. We each have a worksheet with a sled, which represents us, and 16 dogs, one for each of the Habits of Mind. After we write how, when, where, and why we used a Habit, we get to color the dog labeled with that Habit. We also can earn musher cards for really good examples. The card has a picture of a musher, a clip from Iditarod Insider and explains the Habit that is demonstrated in the clip. Our goal is to have our entire dog sled team colored and complete our Iditarod/Habit of Mind Quest.

 After we have completed our Quest, we each earn a certificate and an Iditarod pencil. Mushers use thinking interdependently to work well with their dogs.   The students at Central use it to get a goal done.  Using Habits of the Mind really works, so we use them all the time. We have learned a lot from the Iditarod mushers and how they use the Habits of Mind