Preview

Habits of Mind

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
694 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Habits of Mind
Habits of Mind I think of habits of mind as a special thought process in which people use to make decisions, help decide what is right and wrong, and what is the better choice. As Greene and Lidinsky state it is, "patterns of thought that lead them to question assumptions, explore alternatives, anticipate opposing arguments, compare experiences, and identify the causes and consequences of ideas and events" (12). By this I believe they are saying that habits of mind are how the brain works to seek answers and come to conclusions. Habits of mind plays a large role in society because people encounter situations multiple times in a day and people constantly have to make decisions in order to come to a final conclusion. All the possible outcomes and alternatives have to be scanned and played out and habits of mind would be what to use. Not only are habits of mind used in the outside world, but often writers use them too. When I write some pieces, I often have to choose a side, or create an argument and back it up with examples supporting the argument. Arguments always have two sides and habits of mind are used to choose what side is the best choice based on experiences prior to writing the piece, and thinking of possible outcomes for the argument. One of the best examples of using habits of mind is a persuasive essay. When writing a persuasive essay, there is an argument and you must use facts, evidence, personal experience, and logic to choose what side of the argument you would like to be on. It is important to first think about both sides of the argument and determine the outcomes of both sides. Often you will have positives and negatives on both sides, but will go with the side you have more positives for. Before choosing the side however, it is important to be able to support your side with strong reasons. State things that people usually assume, and prove them wrong with reasoning and supply them with evidence of why they wrong. Something else that


Cited: Greene, Stuart, April Lidinsky. From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Practical Guide. Boston: Bedford, 2008, Print.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cited: Anzaldua, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader. 2nd ed. Ed. Stuart Green and April Lidinsky. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2012. 322-36. Print.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Modesitt’s “Mindsets”, the author told stories of different situations, in which individuals will have an opinion or “mindset” made up on different matters, but would not look at the other side reasoning. The author states the mindset is “an established set of attitudes held by an individual” which often cause problems because the person starts to develop a “long – established or firmly held mindset make it impossible to see beyond one’s own assumptions and beliefs”. For example, one situation he talked about was an individual who said that “the sea leaving was raising”, but the individual said that “the people could move”. The person who stated that question about moving, never once thought if the family had enough money to move, where can they go, and among other things (Modesitt, 2014).…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Hidden Lessons” is an excerpt taken from Myra Sadker’s and David Sadker’s book Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls. Education is highly affected with sexism and favoritism of boys over girls. It is said that teachers and their gender bias are the main cause for most of female students’ problems. The authors share a study about evidencing those unconscious scenes of sexism which came up with expected but sad results. These behaviors were extremely elusive at plain sight yet definitely existed. Dateline, a TV show from NBC, helped spread the mentioned study and raise…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harris completely believes that a liberal arts education causes students to gain characteristic that they could not obtain to otherwise. Harris' thoughts on the subject are reflected well through Newman's lecture. "A habit of mind," according to Newman, "is formed which last throughout life of which the attributes are, freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation and wisdom." Harris and Newman are both emphasizing that knowledge is power, power is freedom, and through freedom students can obtain…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    samplestrongpaper6

    • 2224 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Dreams or fantasies are windows to new and exciting worlds. The usage of the imagination can make reality or the world a more pleasing place to live in. However when dreams are interpreted as goals, it can make our view of the world very narrow and limited. The narrative, “The World and Other Place” by Jeannette Winterson involves a story of a pilot who let his fantasies guide him towards reaching his goal. His imagination caused a positive impact in his life which was achieving his dream. He attained his dreams because of his goal driven mindset, in which the focus is set on one goal. “On Habit” by Alain de Botton is about the author’s views on the travelling and habituated mindset. He notices that his life has become dull and limited because of the habituated or goal driven mindset he was in. This mindset consists of not exploring our surroundings making the world seem monotonous. De Botton argues that the goal driven mindset is not beneficial because it limits how people perceive the world which ultimately caused him to only notice his goal or destination. Instead he believes that the travelling mindset, which is a state of mind in which people approach things differently and have an open mind is beneficial. It is beneficial to De Botton because it gives people the chance to live life in a more vivid and exciting way, instead of repetitive and dull. Using the imagination is similar to the travelling mindset. However it can limit people’s reality or blind his or her vision when people let their fantasies become a grid of interest. However dreams or fantasies make our reality boundless when people use imagination to make it more interesting.…

    • 2224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One is able to notice that habits that are needed to take charge of the way one thinks and notice that the problems need to be dealt with on an everyday basis…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fixed vs Growth

    • 504 Words
    • 2 Pages

    fixed mindset were more likely to say that they would feel dumb, would study less, and…

    • 504 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Some key habits are hindering my thinking when looking at the opposing view and defending my own are the mine-is-better habit, face saving, resistance to change, conformity, stereotyping, and self-deception can become deeply ingrained and therefore difficult to overcome. Nevertheless, they can all be overcome with desire and effort. The key to overcoming the bad habits we have been discussing is to examine my first impressions of problems and issues, particularly strong ones prompting me to take a stand immediately without examining the evidence or weighing competing arguments. By closely examining such impressions, I will often be able to determine that a particular bad habit resistance to change, for example,…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mindfulness is argued to encompass two major components, namely attentional control, and a certain attitudinal adaptation towards one's experiences (Bishop, et al., 2004; Orsillo, Roemer, & Holowka, 2005). Attentional control involves objectively observing and being aware of moment-to-moment cognitive, affective and physical processes. Hence, it demands individuals to be able to focus their attention on present events and to be able to flexibly change their focus from one…

    • 11250 Words
    • 45 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Power of Habit

    • 1969 Words
    • 8 Pages

    adept in finding ways of saving space and processing power. Thus, the formation of the habit.…

    • 1969 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    African American teens tend to racially group amongst themselves because race has been a central theme throughout American history; from the Constitution to the Civil War to the denial of African American citizenship and social participation. Tatum (2003) noted in her essay, “Why are all the Black Children Sitting together in the Cafeteria?” an excerpt from our textbook, From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader (2008), that ‘racial grouping begins by the sixth and seventh grades’ (p. 359). Right about the time puberty begins questions of identity for all teens generally surface. For African American teens, these questions also include ‘Who am I ethnically and racially?’ In addition, Tatum (2003) suggests, “African American teens are forced to look at themselves through a racial lens because the rest of the world does” (p. 360 ). For example, racial profiling sends a very clear message. During adolescence, race becomes more personal and noticeable for the African American student. Finding the answers to questions like, ‘What does it mean to be a young African American?’ ‘How should I act?’ ‘What should I do?’ are all important questions, for Black teens, but the last thing they want to do is ask their parents (pp. 359-364). So, they turn to their peers for the answers. Therefore, African American children resort to self-segregation as a coping mechanism against racism. “They turn to each other for support they are not likely to receive anywhere else. Sometimes their White peers are the perpetrators of racism and if they are not; they are unprepared to respond supportively.” (p. 364). Education in African American studies would be beneficial in helping White teens understand their African American peers. Connecting yourself with people who look like you is only natural; it is a part of growing up and important to your identity development process.…

    • 2397 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Blindspot Analysis

    • 232 Words
    • 1 Page

    In the perusing "Blindspot: Hidden Biases of good individuals," by, Mahzarin R. Bangi and Anthony G. Greenwald, endeavor to enlighten their followers to hidden biases that larger part of individuals is aware of. All through the perusing, the creator experienced a progression of the test, to find the one-sided of our cognizant. One idea that the author called attention to was "Mindbugs", which is something that lives in each one of us. Mindbugs have installed propensities for however that prompt to mistakes by they way we see, recall, reason, and decide.To Add, the author expressed that the experience doesn't change the mind bugs, in light of the fact that once data is sent to the brain the visual cortex may see inconvenience.The perusing kept…

    • 232 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Academic Writing with Readings. Second Ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. 1-736. Print.…

    • 1623 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mindfulness

    • 1262 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Wk 25/ 4th April 2014 Journal Homework Assignment Jeanette Sweeney: 20243457 BTEC Level 5 counselling Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling…

    • 1262 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ethical habits play an important role in our daily lives. People are using good or bad ethics during decision making. What people need to know is you do not need to be perfect to be ethical, you may be ethical by living life faithfully and honestly. The most important reason ethical habits are important in our daily lives is because your actions can define who your character really is. My preferred ethical lens is results and reputation. I am the type of person to set goals for myself and know what kind of results I want and how to get there. By doing this I set myself up with the kind of reputation that I want.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays