As a literacy teacher and lover of all things related to literacy (especially as it relates to technology), the habits of mind we have been working with have so many connections to the skills I want my students to develop as readers and writers. Reading through the article, Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind by Arthur Costa, I noted two habits that directly connect to what research tells us effective readers and writers use.
Questioning and Posing Problems
Asking questions is essential to understanding because it helps us process what we are engaged with, such as a text, and actively participate in understanding it. To me, I think asking questions and posing problems not only helps me comprehend information I’m receiving (such as when I’m reading, listening to someone, or viewing a movie) but it also helps me think critically about that information. Here’s how I’m making that connection.
I moved to NYC in 2016 from the warm, sunny (well sometimes) lands of Florida. I was born and raised in Florida and had no idea about winter weather. I used to freeze when it was in the 50’s/60’s because the temperature rarely dipped below that! My husband was born and raised in Massachusetts, so luckily I had a cold weather expert in my midst. Along with reading about wintry weather, I asked so many questions to my husband about snow, driving on icy roads, and even what kind of clothes to get! I also posed problems, like what do I do if the plow comes in and buries the car and what happens if the snow gets so high we can’t open the door outside? He was sick and tired of me to be honest. However, asking questions and posing problems helped me learn more about the wintry weather I was so fascinated with my first couple of years in NYC. I’ve since learned it’s not that big a deal to my relief because it really doesn’t snow that much or get that high here in the city. =) Now driving in it?! Well, I just avoid that at all costs!
Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
And here, again, we have another strategy that effective readers use to comprehend text. Being able to recall important prior knowledge and use it to understand a text is another high-impact reading strategy. Research is so strong on the importance of applying prior knowledge that some say it is the single most important factor in determining how much readers will comprehend about a given topic is their level of prior knowledge about that topic (Cunningham, 2006). This habit of mind extends that research noting that you need to apply it to new situations.
Another thing you can learn about me from reading my bio is that I’m an animal lover. I’ve had pets of all sorts including a leopard gecko, beta fish, bunnies, turtles, guinea pigs, cat, and am now a proud parent of a puppy. This all stemmed from the toy poodle that we owned when I was a child. From my parents, I learned that animals need basic things such as food, water, and shelter, but should also have other things that aren’t essential such as walk, play time, and treats that enrich their lives. I applied this knowledge to all of the pets that I’ve owned but had to extend that knowledge to learn the specific needs of different species of animals. Did you know that bunnies make two different kinds of poops and actually eat their own poop? One is a special poop after they eat called cecotropes. Because their diet is so fibrous, their intestines can’t process all of it and much of it comes out in their poop. They eat this special poop which is soft and looks almost like blackberries to get the nutrients that they need from their food.
Responding with Wonderment and Awe
So while those two habits of mind relate closely to my current work, another habit that I’ve developed as a lifelong learner is to responding with wonderment and awe. As a literacy teacher, I was struck with this habit of mind since it is one of the strategies that successful readers use to comprehend text. It seems that it’s not just about what you read, but being curious and wondering are habits of influential thinkers as well!
I wonder how technology adds to these habits of mind? Does our reliance on technology expand the list or add new habits we need to develop? I’m a bit of a technology nerd in that I love all things dealing with digital tools. I love tinkering with new platforms, such as Kumospace and YouthVoices, and experiencing awe at the way technology is changing our lives, frankly! Thus, I think that this habit of mind truly explains my own perspective on life. To be a lifelong learner, you must marvel at new information, tools, and experiences and wonder what other possibilities are!
I look forward to connecting with you all!
Dear Jennifer,
I am impressed by your post, “Three Habits Important to Me!,” because I think it is nice how you connected these habits to your everyday life. For instance, the way you constantly asked questions to learn more about the NYC snow. This is very significant because asking questions is one of the most helpful ways to gain an understanding of things we don’t fully comprehend. Asking questions is also a good way to improve in certain areas by allowing us to gain knowledge from outside sources/perspectives.
One sentence you wrote that stood out to me is: “Being able to recall important prior knowledge and use it to understand a text is another high-impact reading strategy.” I think this is very true because we are able to better acknowledge texts if we are able to understand the broader scope of what we are reading.
Thank you for your writing! I look forward to seeing what you write next because I like the way you brought up the idea that past knowledge can assist us in new situations. I find it interesting how we are constantly learning from former experiences.
Nicole
Dear Jennifer,
I really enjoyed reading your post. “Three Habits Important to Me!” One sentence that stands out to me is, “Asking questions is essential to understanding because it helps us process what we are engaged with, such as a text, and actively participate in understanding it.” Which I agree with you: “I think asking questions and posing problems not only helps me comprehend information I’m receiving.” Asking questions is the way we get answers to any doubt we have when learning new concepts.
Another sentence you wrote is: “Being able to recall important prior knowledge and use it to understand a text is another high-impact reading strategy.” This stood out for me because you brought up one concept that I use in my classroom with my students: “prior knowledge.” Using the students prior knowledge helps them to connect with learning they have in other classes or home/community experience.
I liked how your experience connected to my experience somehow. As you, I was born in tropical weather and moving to New York was stressful for me. As you said, “born and raised in Florida and had no idea about winter weather. I can put myself in your shoes and know how you felt. But I do not regret it because. Even though I had to go through a lot of challenges in personal and professional life; today when I look back, I feel that moving to a new city was worth it because this change transformed me into the person who I am today.
Regina
Jennifer:
It is so good to have you as a “fellow traveler” on this LUTE STEM journey. Like you, I am first and foremost a literacy teacher-scholar. I am always full of wonderment and awe when I see a child move from pretend reading to reading the words on the page of a children’s book. I put all of my prior knowledge to the test when I run across a child who does not move from non-reading to reading “naturally.” Reading diagnosis and prescription is a problem-solving process. I have had to learn to move beyond test results and truly listen to the child- how they read, what they read, and what they think as they read.
Technology is very challenging for me. However, the notion of multimodal literacy is intriguing. I find that I can apply some of my prior knowledge about reading and writing to the world of multimodal literacy. However, I also find that there is uncharted territory I need to explore.