This is a document with bullet points describing each Habit of Mind in a way that older primary students could understand. The bullet points where written to one side of the page to allow students to record their own activities against these habits in a form of HOM diary.

1. Persisting
People who do this:
Stick to a task until it is
finished.
Don’t give up easily
Think hard about a problem
and think of a way to try and
attack it. They know where to
begin, and what steps to
perform.
Have a range of ways to try
and solve a problem. They will
gather evidence to see if their
first idea is working and if it
isn’t they will try out another
one.
Can deal with situations
when the answers aren’t always
obvious.

2. Managing Impulsivity
People who do this:
Think before they act.
Imagine how they are going to get to a goal before starting.
Try to make sure they really understand all the directions and
have a good strategy for solving the problem before starting.
Don’t make instant judgements about an idea despite their
own personal views.
Consider alternatives and consequences to their ideas before
beginning.
Take time to reflect on an answer before giving it.
Listen to other points of view

3. Listening to Others
with Understanding
and Empathy
People who do this:
Listen to others without
interrupting with other
information.
Can reword what the person
has said in their own words.
Detect how other people are
feeling by the way they speak
and behave and respond
appropriately.
Can ask sensible questions to
try and get a better
understanding of what the
person is saying.
Can see the situation through
the other person’s eyes despite
how they personally feel.

4. Thinking Flexibly
People who do this:
Can change their mind
when they receive new
information.
Can work on more than
one activity at a time flicking
from one to the other.
Can change the way they
approach a problem to suit
the purpose.
Try to think of original
ways to solve problems.
Have a good sense of
humour.
Can approach a problem
from new angles.
Can see things from many
points of view.
Can see the big picture as
well as the smaller details.

5. Thinking about
Thinking
People who do this:
Know what they know and
what they don’t know.
Can plan a strategy to
produce the needed result.
Are aware of the process they
are going through to solve a
problem, and keep track of the
process and the steps they are
going through.
Reflect on the process they
went through judging how
effective they were.
Aware of the effect their
actions have on themselves,
others and the environment.
Judge what changes they
would make if they were to do a
similar activity again.

6. Striving for Accuracy
and Precision
People who do this:
Take time to check their
work to get the best possible
results.
They are very aware of the
expectations on them and the
standards they need to meet.
Confirm that their work
exactly meets the criteria they
were given.
Take pride in their work.
Rework projects they decide
do not meet the required
standard.
Don’t go for the quickest
answer but instead go for the
best.

7. Questioning and
Posing Problems.
People who do this:
Know what questions to ask
to find out the information they
need.
Ask a range of questions to
get a more complete picture of
their topic.
Don’t accept everything they
are told by asking how the
information was gained.
Ask what point of view the
information is coming from.
Ask how the information
relates to other information.
Ask hypothetical questions
eg what might happen if…
Look for things they can’t
explain and then explore them.

8. Applying Past
Knowledge to New
Situations
People who do this:
Think about what they have
learned in the past to help them
solve a new problem.
Use information gained in
the past to justify and explain
their actions in the present.
Can take concepts they have
used in the past and apply them
to a completely different type of
problem.
Use knowledge from the past
and make connections with new
concepts they are learning in the
present.

9. Thinking and
Communicating with
Clarity and Precision
People who do this:
Speak about their ideas in a
way that is very easy to
understand and straight to the
point.
Use the correct names and
terms for things.
They do not overgeneralise
(Teachers never understand
me), delete (I was told to) or
distort (we can play games
during wet play)sections of
information.
Justify clearly why they think
a certain way.

10. Gathering Data
through All the
Senses
People who do this:
Know that all information
gets into their brain through
their senses.
Are alert and open to
information that is around them
to be gathered through the
senses.
Are willing to use all their
senses to experience something
– not just one or two.

11. Creating, Imagining
and Innovating
People who do this:
Try to solve problems in a
new and inventive way.
Examine problems from
many angles and think of
alternatives.
Think of where they want to
end up and work backwards.
Take risks and push
themselves.
Work on tasks because they
enjoy it not because they might
get a reward.
Are open to criticism – they
want to know what other people
think.
Know that being creative is
something you work at, not
something you are born with.

12. Responding with
Wonderment and
Awe
People who do this:
Look for interesting
problems to solve because
they enjoy it.
Enjoy making up their
own problems.
Love learning!
Can see beauty in
everything around them.
Are curious about the
world.

13. Taking Responsible
Risks
People who do this:
Push themselves past
where they feel comfortable
to achieve goals.
Challenge themselves by
trying situations which are
unpredictable.
Accept that failure is part
of learning and will give
things a go despite the
chance of failing.
View setbacks as an
interesting challenge that
helps them to find out more
about the way they learn.
Are aware of the
consequences of taking the
risk and know which ones are
not worth taking.

14. Finding humour
People who do this:
Can look at situations
from original and interesting
angles.
Look for humour in
appropriate situations.
Appreciate the humour of
others.
Play with words to find
humour.
Can see the absurdness of
situations.
Are able to laugh at
themselves.

15. Thinking
Interdependently
People who do this:
Know that a group can
achieve more than an
individual.
Are sensitive to the needs
and feelings of others.
Know that no one person
has all the answers.
Can justify their ideas but
are willing to change their
ideas after listening to others.
Are willing to receive
positive and constructive
feedback from others.
Can listen carefully to
others and work to reach
agreement with the group.
Support others in the
group.

16. Learning
Continuously
People who do this:
Constantly search for new
and better ways to do things.
Try to improve them.
Treat all experiences as
learning opportunities.
Realise that there is
always more to learn so are
not closed to new learning
situations.
Know that asking new
questions is more valuable
than knowing answers.