Classroom Materials
The Habits of Mind
The Habits of Mind are a common set of skills and practices that successful students possess. They can be summarized according to the following.
Focus- Successful students focus on the work to be done. They are academically self-disciplined,
spending appropriate amounts of time studying. They come to class on time and prepared.
They complete all assignments and turn them in on time. They finish their programs.
Advance - Successful students advance by always improving. They embrace life-long learning.
They understand that subject expertise requires a long-term commitment, and commit
to ongoing development of thinking skills and learning skills.
Link Up - Successful students link up with the academic community. They get involved. They
get to know their professors, study in groups, surrounding themselves with focused
students and mentors. They use College resources and programs to help with their learning.
Comprehend - Successful students study for comprehension. They seek to understand course content
rather than simply complete requirements. They ask questions to gain understanding,
reflect on what they are learning as well as if they are learning.
Organize - Successful students are organized. They plan to succeed. They have an educational
goal. They focus on their educational purposes, maintain a specific education plan,
and choose classes with an intentional learning purpose in mind.
New Ideas - Successful students embrace new ideas. They are curious, seeking out new perspectives
and skills. They transfer concepts to new contexts in order to solve problems. They
integrate concepts and knowledge to form a greater personal understanding.
iFalcon is a campaign at Cerritos College designed to raise awareness of the habits
of mind across the entire student body (24,000 students) and increase the number of
students that incorporate practices which lead to academic success.
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