Spotlight on HOM 

Spotlight on Habits of Mind

The Wellbeing Team have been collaborating with the Thinking Team over the holidays to design a program that will help develop a consistent approach to building resilience and wellbeing in the students using the initiatives we already have in place in Kingswood Primary School.  The result is the Spotlight on Habits of Mind.  There are several components to this approach:

• In consultation with our Habits of Mind Coach, Karen Boyes, we have identified four Habits of Mind that lend themselves particularly well to developing wellbeing and resilience in our students.  Each term, we will put a ‘spotlight’ on one of the four.
• The Spotlight Habit will be launched at the first assembly and first newsletter of every term.
• Habits of Mind Awards will continue as normal except that students will be encouraged to nominate their peers for demonstrating the Spotlight Habit.  We will devote two assemblies per term for our Spotlight Habit.  In preparation for these assemblies, each class will discuss the nominations collected and will choose their winner.  All awards at assembly on those weeks will be for demonstrating that Spotlight Habit.
• Each team in the school will prepare one article for the school newsletter each semester.  The article will showcase evidence that the team has seen around the school by students, staff, parents and visitors demonstrating the Spotlight Habit.

We are excited about this new initiative and look forward to building upon our ideas as time progresses.  If any parents are interested in working with us to develop our Spotlight Habits further, please contact Mr Halpin by email or pop into the school to see me. 

Term 1: Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision

At this time of the year, every class will be revising their rules, processes and protocols.  It is important that these details are carefully thought out and communicated effectively – we are thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. 

This Habit of Mind involves using precise language in order to make sure your message is specific and understood clearly.  This video shows the experts and developers of Habits of Mind, Dr. Bena Kallick and Dr. Art Costa, talking about the rationale.  

If you would like to work on this Habit of Mind at home, you could remind your child to avoid the vagueness and abstraction -- and imprecision -- of terms like always, never, all, everybody, teachers, celebrities, technology, they, we, should and must. Post these kinds of words or phrases where your child can be reminded of them -- and know to avoid them. And hopefully know why they should avoid them.

Watch out for updates from your child’s teacher regarding what’s happening in class to promote the Spotlight Habit and make sure you check the newsletter every fortnight to see the evidence from around the rest of the school.  If you or your child would like to nominate somebody for thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, speak to your child’s teacher.