Thing 1 - 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful People

7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners

Below are the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners:

1. Begin with the end in mind.
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning.
3. View problems as challenges.
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox.
6. Use technology to your advantage.
7. Teach/mentor others.
8. Play!

Of these habits, I feel that I am most comfortable beginning with the end in mind.  Anything I start to do, I MUST know what the end result is in order to properly plan and prepare for it.  If I don't know the purpose of the task, I will ask a plethora of questions until I understand what is desired of and from me.

I try to keep this in mind when planning and executing my lessons.  I plan with what objective will students need to master to be successful and what activities or lessons will enable them to comprehend the objective in a fun yet meaningful way.  I also tell them before beginning a unit or new objective what it is I want them to learn, so that they can focus and center their minds around the task.

Knowing, clearly, what is expected helps make the process a little easier.

Having said this, of these habits, the hardest for me is to view problems as challenges.  To me, having planned everything so perfectly (in my eyes) and to be faced with an obstacle that deters me from my goal seems more like a crisis than a challenge.

In a perfect world for me, everything goes as planned. Period.  But in reality, plans have plans of their own.  I guess the best thing to do when beginning with the end in mind is to also plan for the unexpected.

As I was creating my learning contract, I decided that I should have a teacher-centered one and a student-centered contract.  That is the planner in me.  I got so excited with the creation of this blog, that my mind started racing!

Learning Contract_Teacher-Centered

Learning Contract_Student-Centered