Habits of Mind: These Do Not Include Rote Memorization, Studying To The Test, or Worrying About Funding

If you are traveling in the realm of arts education today, you will likely hear reference to Habits of Mind. This is a good term to familiarize yourself with if you are interested in advocating for the arts in education.

Even the Obamas use it. The term, I mean. Last year Obama’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, of which Michele Obama is the Honorary Chair, released a report called Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools. It’s the first federal analysis of arts education data that has been done in more than a decade.

The report lists the following as one of the instrumental outcomes of the arts that should be emphasized:

“Development of habits of mind including problem solving, critical and creative thinking, dealing with ambiguity and complexity, integration of multiple skill sets, and working with others”

The report is referring to the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero research over the past decade that has sought to quantify and define what students gain from practicing the arts.