Thinking is an activity that one does subconsciously on a second by second basis. But is all thinking effective thinking? Does it lead us to the best solution to a problem? . When exploring those questions yet another question arises as to whether ones thinking has any logical outcome or is this thinking counterproductive to effective problem solving? People, by habit, use their mind automatically, but through that process does that mean that the best decisions, or solutions are formulated? The incongruity that exists between the terms mind and habit and the processing that ensues, as a result of a redefining of the mind/habit correlation is the topic of this book. Activating and Engaging Habits of Mind, the second book in a developmental series, deals with the concept of gaining automaticity in thinking effectively, and using ones mind in such a way that effective thinking and problem solving becomes as routine as any other habit that one possesses or exhibits. The book serves to reverse the oxymoronical status between the words, habit and mind, and elevate them to a status of equanimity.

The authors, Arthur L. Costa, and Bena Kallick, are educators with a combined set of teaching experiences that span positions within the classroom, administration, school district, university settings, and also include positions related to consultation with state departments of education, and curriculum specialization. Both authors are also authors of multiple texts dealing with topics on alternative assessment, learning communities, literature and thinking, cognitive coaching, renaissance schools, teaching thinking, and process instruction. Their joint experiences and the noteworthy universities in which they have and still hold positions is indicative of their expertise in the field. In reading other reviews about this book, Costa and Kallick are regarded by other educators to be outstanding in their field of research. Comments that have been bestowed upon their research include the words dynamic, comprehensive and ambitious.

Regardless of their expertise in the field, they have relied on other experts to add a multifaceted dimension to this book rather than one that is purely of their own philosophy and creation. The book addresses the dynamics involved in mind activation and then the engagement through content instruction. The chapters deal with encompassing and utilization of the 16 Habits presented. In reading the book, it reminded me of the Stephen Covey book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, with the correlation being that persisting was equal to habit one, being proactive, listening to others, habit five to seek first to understand then to be understood, striving for accuracy, habit 7 sharpen the saw, taking responsible risk, habit 4 think win-win, thinking interdependently, habit 6 synergize, managing impulsivity, habit three, putting first things first.

The book is formatted with a preface to the series giving the reader a little background on the other books and their content, a preface to the book, explaining that with this book they will demonstrate how the theories of looking for shortfalls in thinking can be put into practical application in the classroom, a chapter by chapter how-to and a specific definition of use within content area classrooms. The introduction sets the stage for what the reader will encounter during the journey through the book.

I was so enthralled with this book that I have ordered the other three components of the series because I feel it will be an invaluable tool to use with my university students in the future. We have spent a lifetime teaching students what they need to know in light of content, but we have failed to instruct them in what is of far greater importance, that being the tools to root-out, for themselves, the crux of material identifying problems and thinking critically about their solutions. We all espouse critical thinking and higher order thinking skills because it is the buzzword in education since Benjamin Bloom and his hierarchy of thinking skills. However, many of us as educators were not taught in the manner that employed problem solving and we are in a quandary as to how to broach that subject. This book’s purpose is to present evidence and application in plain language, not laden with technical jargon that becomes counter-productive to thinking about thinking, for the use of mind habits as an effective and practical tool. I believe that the book accomplishes that task by the plethora of ideas illustrated. The text gives us practical, real life ideas about how to go about teaching the process of metacognition and thinking about the process involved in the attack of a problem rather than just the product of problem solving, that has for too long been the expectation or outcome. The text is short enough that it holds the attention of the intended teaching audience but yet effectively exemplifies its points.

Chapter One ~ The premise that is espoused in this chapter is that the appropriate environment for activating and engaging habits of mind is one that fosters risk taking, trust, and warmth. With these ingredients learning environments can be the vehicles for "thoughtful behavior".

Chapter Two~Word splashes are introduced as semantic map of sorts for talking about thinking, using words that define the concepts contained within the body of the book.

Chapter Three~ deals with effective questioning strategies and the facilitator’s role in the activation and engagement process. In posing effective questions, the facilitator is serving as a catalyst to involve students in the identification of problems. An example of the Three-Story Intellect Model, dealing with Input, Process and Output is offered as a graphically represented strategy for generating effective questioning techniques.

Chapter Four~ written by David Hyerle, who provides examples of graphic organizers and visual representations for accessing students’ awareness of "thoughtful behavior" necessary for effective problem solving and mind activation.

Chapter Five~ also written by David Hyerle, deals with the actual practical application tools instrumental in incorporating the Habits into lesson and unit planning and along with a task designer delineating each of the 16 habits applying to the performance of those tasks.

Chapter Six~ deals with the direct teach of the habits as habits that the students can begin to self-identify. Teaching the habits is not a secret, the students are openly and actively processing the use of these habits for more effective understanding. The chapter also discusses the management of distracters that preclude the student’s ability to focus on the problem activity. Strategy formulation for dealing with distracter management is part of the information contained within this chapter.

Chapter Seven~ Thirteen- relate to the different disciplines and content area subjects and how the habits can be integrated into use within those subjects with real –life situations relevant to the student’s learning.

Chapter Fourteen~ deals with how the educator can use the Habits of Mind within the scope of classroom curriculum and provides examples for that use.

The authors utilize simple, straightforward language, through example with logical but not heavily powerful persuasive characteristics, not to mean that the book is not effective but that it is not preachy. Their intent is to teach activation and then to present ideas for incorporating the Habits into classroom use and evidence in support of the adoption of the Habits. Because the content of the book actively purports a positive model of instruction, where caring, warmth, and risk taking is upheld, it is a very effective model because it supports brain research that indicates that the affective filter must be lowered in order to promote positive response within a classroom. The organization of the text systematically sets out to introduce, discuss, exemplify, and narrow its focus and is effective in its structure methodology as the book is never confusing or wandering from topic to topic without explanation.

As evidence in support of the philosophies that Costa and Kallick purport within the exploration of metacognitive strategies and interpersonal relationships, a quick comparison can be drawn between their philosophies and Gardner’s interpersonal intelligence, involving understanding, motivation, and intentions of others and consequently utilizing the Habits to work effectively within that framework. Employing habits of mind is not always an activity that occurs in isolation, it often comes into play in interactions with others. Problem solving models must bear strategies that fulfill the goals with that intent in mind. No man is an island, no employee is unto himself, no student is learning independently. Learning occurs during the transaction between learner, senvironment, facilitator, and/or group participants. The premises espoused deal with not only individual strategies but discuss group interactions and interpersonal relationships and group dynamics in order to set a solutions to problems in motion. The old adage that two heads are better than one, comes into play in the orchestration of thought processes involved in group settings. These heads are better utilized when employing the Habits of Mind in the interpersonal sense. ( Ch 6)

Another example of evidence used to support the ideas in the book came in the form of graphic organizers, charts, and visual representations (Ch 4)along with a myriad of examples of how to put these habits directly into practice with reflections from the users. References were made to resources on metacognition, critical thinking, and taxonomies of learning, written by noteworthy authors in these fields of learning which lent validity to the claims in the books. Costa and Kallick were basing their theories on learning theories of scores of learning theorists. It was their attempt with this book to synthesize that information, and put it into a simple format with ideas for practical application.

The use of different authors in the text dealing with different disciplines all integrating the techniques within the scope of the book served to solidify the points brought forth by Costa and Kallick in this dynamically useful text, intended for classroom teachers but beneficial to district personnel, curriculum specialists, university professors, and parents as the target groups that aid in the holistic approach that must be taken in order to support a learner’s growth.

Awareness building is a concept that is explored in teaching the Habits directly. The teacher needs to set the stage for the expectations of what the student must think about and the activation comes through the use of the self-questioning strategies. (Ch6) The strategies presented within the book arm learners with ideas to persist when a solution is not evident, picking problems apart and listening effectively to ascertain what is the real information needed in problem attack skills. The book also provides strategies for screening extraneous information and getting to the real heart of the problem.

After reading this text from the mindset of an educator, I began to envision the concepts presented, on a more global level, as more of a life lesson, than an academic text about learning. The mind has vast capabilities and it is within the realm of possibilities to unleash its powers if systematically trained to do so. Looking for hidden nuances in problem identification is a lesson that can be learned for personal as well as academic situations. Taking a look at information with a flexible mind, one that is receptive to different mind-sets enables the learner to take a step back and analyze before acting. The information contained within this text just made plain good sense.

Using real examples of each concept put into practical application lends validity to the claims that these theories work. Using student comments also gives us an idea that students are accurately reflecting on the problems and seeking solutions. Using graphic organizers to involve the terms necessary for comprehension of the habits lends itself to brain research that indicates that learners retain more information if logically organized, relevant to the learner, and visual in nature. Everything in the text tied other research I have studied together in one package.

The evidence presented is very compelling because it parallels brain research studies. The concepts of mind training can be compared to circuit training in the area of muscular development. If a muscle is not used then it is left to atrophy over time. The same corollary can be used with the mind. The book provides evidence that mental exercises can strengthen the mind with a bi-product of creative thinking and strategy formulation for problem solving.

We, as educators, have been faced with the need to provide students with opportunities in problem solving but have been given little in the way of tools to successfully achieve those goals. Habits of Mind is an attempt to offer the necessary tools so that students know how and where to begin in the arena of problem solving and then taking past and present situations and relating them to each other to problems that they explore today. Individuals are more comfortable with information that relates to things that are familiar and one situation feeds the next. Utilizing the concepts provided within the scope of this book makes problem solving an integrated process, where interrelated facts and information impact other related facts and information.

From beginning to end this text was an easy read, it was enjoyable and it made sense. It was not dry material but rather thought provoking information that stimulated thinking about thinking. One of the many strengths of the book is that it poses situations and strategies to assist learning in recognition of relationships and bridge building techniques, enabling the learner to take one set of circumstances and apply it to another in order to gain a greater sense of the universal qualities of problems. It is presented that many problem-solving strategies and habits of mind pertain not only to an individual problem but applied to different kinds of problems. The book is replete with examples of ways to train the mind to work through these situation not only in the academic arena but rather in all problem solving situations in ones life.

I did not see any evidence that there were flaws in the facts that were presented or any viewpoints that the authors failed to consider. All in all I think that the text was very effective even if only introduced to students at one particular grade level because these skills are skills that the learner will carry with him from now on, but they must be practiced or as with anything else they will be lost.

The following quote from the books sums up the thrust of the book for me:

Good teachers are passionate about ideas, learning and their relationship with students…These teachers did more than teach to set standards or use approved techniques. "Their classroom relationships featured "interest, enthusiasm, inquiry, excitement, discovery, risk taking, and fun." Their cognitive scaffolding of concepts and teaching strategies was held together with emotional bonds.

This is at the heart of the subject of learning and mind training, and the thinking behavior. I believe that this statement pertains to more than just formal education but also to any setting where a child is learning. When a child takes his first step, that is safe risk taking, lap reading evokes a pleasurable feeling of safety and warmth, teaching a teenager about drug use is a learning situation where making wise choices based on logical and effective thinking, cemented by an emotional bond formed between the learner and the teacher yields positive results. Teaching and learning are ongoing processes integral to every facet of our daily life. Costa and Kallick have synthesized volumes of texts on brain research and presented the research as a practical guide to expanding ones capabilities by employing the practices set forth in Habits of the Mind. Using another trite cliché, the mind is a terrible thing to waste, is the essence of the discussion within this text. Costa and Kallick’s philosophies assert that we should unleash the powers of the mind rather than letting them lie dormant.

Costa, A.L & Kallick, B. (2000). Activating and engaging habits of mind.

Covey, S. (1998). The seven habits of highly effective families. Cambridge,MD: