As teachers became clearer in their communication and interaction with students, students were more confident to speak up for themselves. In particular, they increased their ability to be flexible in their thinking by seeing and understanding students' perspectives, which allowed them to more clearly communicate with students. As they became more successful at managing their impulsivity, they learned to persist when learning was difficult, which resulted in them becoming better readers.īeyond the student impact, teachers also reported that they benefited as professionals by implementing the habits. They eventually could describe what their impulses were, how they were managing them, and how it helped them learn. Students were then challenged to manage their impulsivity in new situations like working at learning centers.

According to Snyder, their experience and subsequent reflection empowered them to recognize the importance of 'sitting still and not getting up just to get a tissue or things like that' while reading. As they practiced, they realized how often they moved and how much it negatively impacted their reading. Her students learned about managing impulsivity and then practiced simply sitting still and becoming aware of their actions and thinking while reading. The lesson included a humorous book, Sit Still Seth, about a young student who struggles in school because he cannot sit still. Her intent was to practice the skills her students needed to read longer passages and increase reading comprehension. For example, Snyder taught her 3rd grade students a mini-lesson that focused on managing impulsivity. Create and Teach Mini-Lessons. Once teachers identified the desired habits to teach, they created 'mini-lessons,' spending between 10–30 minutes daily teaching the habits and connecting them to academic standards.

Managing impulsivity habits of mind