Dispositions: Reframing Teaching and Learning

by Arthur L. Costa, Bena Kallick

From the authors of the best-selling Habits of Mind … Two leading consultants present a game-changing look at why and how to "mind the gap" between what we claim are educational essentials, and how we evaluate results. Dispositions builds on the authors’ influential Habits of Mind writings, including new evidence of why influencing students’ dispositional habits is their key to finding meaning in classroom content. Topics

Genres: Education, Teaching

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Arthur L. Costa is professor emeritus of education at California State University, Sacramento. He has served as a classroom teacher, a curriculum consultant, and assistant superintendent for instruction, and the direction of educational programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

What this book does well is defining dispositions and providing lists of dispositions. Additionally, it cites the sources for these lists, so if you want to read more about these, you can find them. Where this book is a bit weak is that its ideas for teaching dispositions are framed from a teacher's point of view. In other words, there is not much discussion of how to get students to buy in on a shift from learning content to using content to learn dispositions.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educators. This book couples with Habits of Mind and focuses on dispositions that make deeper thinking possible. It is possible over time to condition ourselves/students to default to certain behaviors that make learning, creativity, communicating with confidence, perseverance, thinking flexibly and collaboration possible. Part of our job is slow down thinking. Content is merely the vehicle for teaching the skills they will use for the rest of their lives. We are teaching them HOW to learn, not WHAT to learn.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of dispositions is an important one. This book was not very helpful in terms of practical ways to develop them. I was disappointed.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the same vein as "Mindset", but a much more academic read.