.:. Habits of Minds 2 .:.

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HOM 2

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Persistence is the twin sister of excellence.
One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.
- Marabel Morgan, The Electric Woman

Efficacious people stick to a task until it is completed. They do not give up easily. They are able to analyze a problem, to develop a system, structure, or strategy to attack a problem. They employ a range and have repertoire of alternative strategies for problem solving. They collect evidence to indicate their problem-solving strategy is working, and if one strategy does not work, they know how to back up and try another. They recognize when a theory or idea must be rejected and another employed. They have systematic methods of analyzing a problem which include knowing how to begin, knowing what steps must be performed, and what data need to be generated or collected. Because they are able to sustain a problem solving process over time, they are comfortable with ambiguous situations.

Students often give up in despair when the answer to a problem is not immediately known. They sometimes crumple their papers and throw them away saying, "I can't do this," "It's too hard," or, they write down any answer to get the task over with as quickly as possible. Some have attention deficits; they have difficulty staying focused for any length of time, they are easily distracted, they lack the ability to analyze a problem, to develop a system, structure, or strategy of problem attack. They may give up because they have a limited repertoire of problem solving strategies. If their strategy does not work, they give up because they have no alternatives. - Arthur L. Costa, Ed. D.

Learning Activities:
* Observe your classmates with regard to their blpersistence to problem-solving.
* Encourage them to persist.
* Create the right environment by allowing blthem more time and less harsh criticism in bltrying new approaches to their solutions.