1. Be Adventurous!
People become more intelligent through the mental habit of seeking out
new experiences and exploring new viewpoints. Exploration is sometimes
uncomfortable, but as we proceed onward, our comfort zone gets larger.
We learn to see and do more.
2. Be Curious! We deepen
and strengthen our intelligence as we wonder, probe, find problems,
observe closely, and form new questions. An active sense of wonder is
the basis of intelligence.
3. Clarify Things! Do
battle with confusion, construct explanations to test, focus on finding
out, and wrestle with big ideas. Rely on evidence rather than guesses.
4. Get Organized! Make
plans for figuring things out, build strategies for solving problems,
set goals for learning, and keep careful notes and records. Intelligent
workers learn to create and keep good filing systems, to decide on
places to keep their tools, and to put things away when they are
finished.
5. Be Careful! The
mental habits of precision and thoroughness make your thinking more
powerful. Be alert to errors or inaccuracies in your thinking. Re-read
your work. Don't take short cuts. Don't hurry! Being in a rush is often
a symptom of careless planning.
Adapted from
"Teaching Thinking Dispositions" at Project Zero, Harvard
University
1910
Expedition
MONTANA
HERITAGE PROJECT
