Greenmount -
a Pathway to Success
Applying past knowledge to new situations
We introduced a new “Habit of Mind” to the children this week. Habits of Mind are skills or attributes that successful learners show. We talked about “applying past knowledge to new situations” … basically using what we already know. Learning is all about making and strengthening connections in our brains. The more we over-learn, the stronger these connections become and the better we learn and remember things. When we learn something new or solve a problem, it is useful to take a moment to stop and think to make connections with what we already know to see if that can help us.
Instead of stressing about a problem, how often do we, as adults, take that moment to stop and reflect to see whether a previous experience can help us.
We linked this new habit with one of our four blocks of learning – learning from mistakes. When we challenge ourselves, we are likely to make mistakes. Mistakes are proof that we’re trying !
We looked at a brilliant quote about mistakes:
“When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it:
- Admit it
- Learn from it
- Try not to repeat it”
Paul Bear Bryant