The following selection of testimonials have been volunteered by individuals and organizations who wanted to share their experiences working with James Anderson and the Habits of Mind.
James is an extraordinary presenter. He engages his audience, provides a powerful set of activities, and has such deep knowledge of the theory as well as the practice that people leave inspired to move forward. He has contributed to our field immeasurably and Art and I are grateful for his continuous dedication to being our "critical friend.'
James Anderson excels in bringing the Habits of Mind to life in schools and classrooms. His knowledge of teaching strategies, creative approaches to instruction, and understanding of sound curriculum design, equips him to serve as a valuable resource to any agency striving to enhance students' and staffs thinking skills and dispositions. Furthermore, in his presentations, he lives the Habits of Mind. Through his efforts, the world is becoming a more thought-full place.
James Anderson recently presented a one-day workshop on Habits of Mind for our entire academic staff of 90 teachers. His presentation was characterized by thorough research, very clearly explained, and a good deal of humour. He was most engaging and convincing, and managed to keep the teachers’ attention throughout the day. An aspect that was truly appreciated by the staff was the practical wisdom he imparted – clearly gained from hands-on classroom experience. He was encouraging and positive about the excellent teaching already evident at the school but gave us very useful advice on how to become better at what we do. In particular, he emphasized the need to help pupils become more effective thinkers.
The unsolicited feedback we received from the staff was extremely positive and we have little doubt that he will have persuaded everyone to reflect carefully on their teaching and, hopefully, become more effective and consistent at teaching cognitive skills.
M. Williams (Principal) and F. Rogers (Deputy Principal) : Roedean School (SA), Johannesburg, South Africa.
We, the staff of the School of Education Sciences at North West University (Johannesburg) as well as all the fourth year BEd studetns, are extremely grateful for the opportunity we had to meet and listen to the Habits of MInd workshops presented by James Anderson on 15 February 2011. He responded to our invitation with refreshing speed and enthusiam, and has succeeded in championing the commitment of all the workshop deligates to give prominence to "Habits of Mind" during ther lesson planning and teaching. He has an unmatched knock of entertaining an audience and taking an audience into his confidence. His intellectual force and interpretations regarding the practical application of Habits of Mind contributed to us having gained a better understanding of the importance of Habits of Mind and the responsibility that we as educators have to nurture these in our learners.
His profound knowledge and experience regarding the Habits of Mind have won for him wide spread recognition at North West University. We would welcome him back for follow up workshops.
Mary Grosser (Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning: North West University)
James Anderson has facilitated workshops at Toorak College throughout 2009 related to the development and implementation of a set of attributes for the school. He is an extremely well organised facilitator whose presentations are engaging, informative and consistently of a high calibre. The success of developing the attributes can be related to James’ invaluable practical advice and professional expertise in the field of the Habits of Mind.
Liana Gooch, Toorak College, Mt Eliza, Victoria, Australia
James has worked with with our whole school staff, running a two day Professional Learning experience on the Introduction of the HOM. We all found him friendly and engaging throughout the sessions. His use of humour and interesting stories added a reality to the learning that assisted us to make connections between thinking and behaviour. He communicated effectively with school leadership to plan for our needs. He used a variety of interactive activities that helped us personalize our own learning as teachers.
I recommend him to other organizations who are seeking an engaging facilitator in the HOM.
Trish Maloney - Holy Family School, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Learning Network NZ has been working with James Anderson since 2007, initially on the hugely successful trans-Tasman Habits of Mind Expo which he ran in October of that year in Melbourne and Auckland. In 2009, James has delivered his modules ‘Introducing HOM to teachers and classrooms’ and ‘Infusing HOM into curriculum and pedogogy’ to groups of teachers from Auckland and around NZ, and will shortly be returning for the three-day event, ‘Mindfulness by Design’. James’s passion for, and extremely in-depth knowledge of, the HOM are instantly apparent. Participants in his workshops have been unanimously awed by the quality and intensive nature of James’s work. Comments include: “Even with 10 years experience practising HOM, I realised after an hour with James that I still had a huge journey ahead. He rekindled my enthusiasm and shook up my thinking” and "The 2 days are the best PD I have ever been on. I have been able to implement strategies & ideas into my class straight away." We very much look forward to working with James around NZ in the future and are convinced he is an outstanding ambassador for all things HOM.
As a school rediscovering and reconceptualising the Habits of Mind, almost a decade after first engaging with them, we have benefitted greatly from sending large numbers of staff to James' Module 1 and Module 2 workshops this year. The workshops have created strong momentum in our school and a schoolwide approach to introducing and developing the Habits from year 8 to 12. In particular, we have been impressed with James' ability to tie in the Habits into the Backward mapping curriculum design process, an approach which has benefitted Heads of Department and teachers alike.
Dan Walker, Deputy Principal, Brisbane State High School
James is a dynamic presenter, who engages workshop participants in a well organised, highly motivating manner. James works collaboratively with participants, orchestrating group structures in such a way as to ensure quality learning and a high level of interaction and discussion. James is very knowledgeable with regards to both the content he presents and teaching pedagogy. He has very highly developed questioning skills which he uses to ensure all participants are gaining the most from his workshops. James' workshops are always extremely engaging, interactive and both professionally and personally rewarding.
Kim Luk, Curriculum Leader, St Lawrence Primary School, Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia
St Joseph’s College, Geelong began the journey with Habits of Mind ny asking the question how do we, as a school, make explicit the teaching and using of thinking skills. To this end it was decided to use Art Costa’s Habits of Mind as a platform for teachers to use in their everyday practice. Our knowledge and understanding of the Habits was simplistic and shallow, therefore there was a need to work with someone of expertise, that being James Anderson. James came on the recommendation of some staff who had previously attended some of his workshops.
James was engaged to work with Year 7 & 9 teachers at the beginning of the school year in 2009 for a full day. It was an interactive workshop that lead staff through their own understanding of the Habits. A smaller group was then invited to spend a further day with James honing and deepening their understanding of the Habits. This was invaluable, staff came away enthused and excited about the developing the HOM across the curriculum. The team feels confident to develop a program and support material as a result of the time they spent with James. This to be rolled out across all Year 7 students during Term 4 of 2009.
Rob Blackley, Director of Curriculum, St Joseph's College, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
I have worked with James over the past two years and have hosted a number of his workshops at my school (BBC), many as a participant and one where James invited me to co-present a session. Apart from the professional and thought-provoking manner in which he has run these workshops I have been impressed by the friendly and open manner in which he communicates. Being so knowledgeable about the Habits he is the obvious 'go-to' person for questions about any number of things that pop up when trying to integrate the Habits into our curriculum.
Matt Atkinson, Leader Habits of Mind, Brisbane Boys College, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
There is nothing more satisfying than having staff return from having completed professional developing simply raving over it. Our staff have always come back from James' training very keen to implement his great ideas. They all comment on his excellent teaching/training approach and they have come back armed with some great resources. I have no doubt that the attendance at James's training has led to high quality understanding of Habits of Mind and has expedited its infusion into the pedagogy at San Sisto.
Margaret Lee, Principal, San Sisto College, Carina, Queensland
James is an engaging presenter of the Habits of Mind. He is clearly an expert with the Habits and was prepared to share his experiences to help our school with the Habits. Our staff found James' Professional Development to be stimulating. It has been great that James has continued his relationship with us and shared resrouces to assist with the ongoing implementation of the Habits at the school.
Timothy Newcomb,Director of Curriculum, Our Lady of Sion College, BoxHill, Victoria, Australia
At St Lawrence Primary school we found James to be a knowedgeable presenter who easily establishes a rapport with people by conducting engaging and interactive workshops. His presentations made great use of multimedia and different learning styles.
His conferences and workshops are highly interactive and all involved are held accountable for their learning. James has exceptional questioning skills that he uses to great effect as he works to change and develop teachers pedagogy and understanding about the Habits of Mind, and to build learning teams within the group.
James is passionate about his subject and draws people along with him.
Sister Marie Townsend, Principal St Lawrence Primary School, Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia
St Margaret's has been working with the Habits of Mind for nearly 10 years. James Mindful by Design workshops changed our thinking about the development of the Habits of Mind and opened the door to taking our work to a whole new level.
Through working with James we have discovered a depth and breadth to the Habits which has added a new and authentic dimension to our curriculum. James mentored us through the process of changing our own thinking about learning and assessment of the Habits and challenged our perception of teaching thinking.
At his workshop we went beyond the surface features of the Habits and discovered a central place for them within a robust academic curriculum.
James skillfully develops and maintains professional learning communities which extend well beyond his workshops. James builds a rapport with teachers that encourages the type of thoughtful pedagogical discussion, critical to meaningful professional learning.
Angela White, Head of Middle School, St Margaret's College, Christchurch, New Zealand
I was fortunate to have James Anderson facilitate a series of Habits of Mind workshops with staff. His knowledge and passion for the Habits of Mind inspired a desire to change our whole approach to the way we view learning.
His ability to articulate and simplify deep understandings of the theory behind Habits of Mind empowered teachers to be better at their craft. The feedback and sharing of resources typifies a burning desire that James has for all of us in the teaching profession to be connected. He has become an interested mentor and friend of our school.
James has been working with the school on the implementation of the Habits of Mind for over three years and has proved to be an invaluable resource.
During this time, he has assisted with leadership planning for the introduction of the Habits of Mind, led regular whole school workshops and helped mentor emerging leaders on staff.
Importantly for us, James' work is grounded in action research related to ongoing classroom practice and he has an excellent understanding of the everyday realities of working in schools. At Woodleigh, he has helped create a vibrant learning environment focused on the development of effective learning dispositions that has promoted improved professional practice and student learning.'
Richard Owens, Deputy Head, Woodleigh School, Melbourne, Australia
Comments
James is an extraordinary presenter. He engages his audience, provides a powerful set of activities, and has such deep knowledge of the theory as well as the practice that people leave inspired to move forward. He has contributed to our field immeasurably and Art and I are grateful for his continuous dedication to being our "critical friend.'
— Bena Kallick
Institute for Habits of Mind
James Anderson excels in bringing the Habits of Mind to life in schools and classrooms. His knowledge of teaching strategies, creative approaches to instruction, and understanding of sound curriculum design, equips him to serve as a valuable resource to any agency striving to enhance students' and staffs thinking skills and dispositions. Furthermore, in his presentations, he lives the Habits of Mind. Through his efforts, the world is becoming a more thought-full place.
— Art Costa
Institute for Habits of Mind
James Anderson recently presented a one-day workshop on Habits of Mind for our entire academic staff of 90 teachers. His presentation was characterized by thorough research, very clearly explained, and a good deal of humour. He was most engaging and convincing, and managed to keep the teachers’ attention throughout the day. An aspect that was truly appreciated by the staff was the practical wisdom he imparted – clearly gained from hands-on classroom experience. He was encouraging and positive about the excellent teaching already evident at the school but gave us very useful advice on how to become better at what we do. In particular, he emphasized the need to help pupils become more effective thinkers.
The unsolicited feedback we received from the staff was extremely positive and we have little doubt that he will have persuaded everyone to reflect carefully on their teaching and, hopefully, become more effective and consistent at teaching cognitive skills.
M. Williams (Principal) and F. Rogers (Deputy Principal) : Roedean School (SA), Johannesburg, South Africa.
We, the staff of the School of Education Sciences at North West University (Johannesburg) as well as all the fourth year BEd studetns, are extremely grateful for the opportunity we had to meet and listen to the Habits of MInd workshops presented by James Anderson on 15 February 2011. He responded to our invitation with refreshing speed and enthusiam, and has succeeded in championing the commitment of all the workshop deligates to give prominence to "Habits of Mind" during ther lesson planning and teaching. He has an unmatched knock of entertaining an audience and taking an audience into his confidence. His intellectual force and interpretations regarding the practical application of Habits of Mind contributed to us having gained a better understanding of the importance of Habits of Mind and the responsibility that we as educators have to nurture these in our learners.
His profound knowledge and experience regarding the Habits of Mind have won for him wide spread recognition at North West University. We would welcome him back for follow up workshops.
Mary Grosser (Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning: North West University)
James Anderson has facilitated workshops at Toorak College throughout 2009 related to the development and implementation of a set of attributes for the school. He is an extremely well organised facilitator whose presentations are engaging, informative and consistently of a high calibre. The success of developing the attributes can be related to James’ invaluable practical advice and professional expertise in the field of the Habits of Mind.
Liana Gooch, Toorak College, Mt Eliza, Victoria, Australia
James has worked with with our whole school staff, running a two day Professional Learning experience on the Introduction of the HOM. We all found him friendly and engaging throughout the sessions. His use of humour and interesting stories added a reality to the learning that assisted us to make connections between thinking and behaviour. He communicated effectively with school leadership to plan for our needs. He used a variety of interactive activities that helped us personalize our own learning as teachers.
I recommend him to other organizations who are seeking an engaging facilitator in the HOM.
Trish Maloney - Holy Family School, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Learning Network NZ has been working with James Anderson since 2007, initially on the hugely successful trans-Tasman Habits of Mind Expo which he ran in October of that year in Melbourne and Auckland. In 2009, James has delivered his modules ‘Introducing HOM to teachers and classrooms’ and ‘Infusing HOM into curriculum and pedogogy’ to groups of teachers from Auckland and around NZ, and will shortly be returning for the three-day event, ‘Mindfulness by Design’. James’s passion for, and extremely in-depth knowledge of, the HOM are instantly apparent. Participants in his workshops have been unanimously awed by the quality and intensive nature of James’s work. Comments include: “Even with 10 years experience practising HOM, I realised after an hour with James that I still had a huge journey ahead. He rekindled my enthusiasm and shook up my thinking” and "The 2 days are the best PD I have ever been on. I have been able to implement strategies & ideas into my class straight away." We very much look forward to working with James around NZ in the future and are convinced he is an outstanding ambassador for all things HOM.
Learning Network New Zealand
As a school rediscovering and reconceptualising the Habits of Mind, almost a decade after first engaging with them, we have benefitted greatly from sending large numbers of staff to James' Module 1 and Module 2 workshops this year. The workshops have created strong momentum in our school and a schoolwide approach to introducing and developing the Habits from year 8 to 12. In particular, we have been impressed with James' ability to tie in the Habits into the Backward mapping curriculum design process, an approach which has benefitted Heads of Department and teachers alike.
Dan Walker, Deputy Principal, Brisbane State High School
James is a dynamic presenter, who engages workshop participants in a well organised, highly motivating manner. James works collaboratively with participants, orchestrating group structures in such a way as to ensure quality learning and a high level of interaction and discussion. James is very knowledgeable with regards to both the content he presents and teaching pedagogy. He has very highly developed questioning skills which he uses to ensure all participants are gaining the most from his workshops. James' workshops are always extremely engaging, interactive and both professionally and personally rewarding.
Kim Luk, Curriculum Leader, St Lawrence Primary School, Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia
St Joseph’s College, Geelong began the journey with Habits of Mind ny asking the question how do we, as a school, make explicit the teaching and using of thinking skills. To this end it was decided to use Art Costa’s Habits of Mind as a platform for teachers to use in their everyday practice. Our knowledge and understanding of the Habits was simplistic and shallow, therefore there was a need to work with someone of expertise, that being James Anderson. James came on the recommendation of some staff who had previously attended some of his workshops.
James was engaged to work with Year 7 & 9 teachers at the beginning of the school year in 2009 for a full day. It was an interactive workshop that lead staff through their own understanding of the Habits. A smaller group was then invited to spend a further day with James honing and deepening their understanding of the Habits. This was invaluable, staff came away enthused and excited about the developing the HOM across the curriculum. The team feels confident to develop a program and support material as a result of the time they spent with James. This to be rolled out across all Year 7 students during Term 4 of 2009.
Rob Blackley, Director of Curriculum, St Joseph's College, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
I have worked with James over the past two years and have hosted a number of his workshops at my school (BBC), many as a participant and one where James invited me to co-present a session. Apart from the professional and thought-provoking manner in which he has run these workshops I have been impressed by the friendly and open manner in which he communicates. Being so knowledgeable about the Habits he is the obvious 'go-to' person for questions about any number of things that pop up when trying to integrate the Habits into our curriculum.
Matt Atkinson, Leader Habits of Mind, Brisbane Boys College, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
There is nothing more satisfying than having staff return from having completed professional developing simply raving over it. Our staff have always come back from James' training very keen to implement his great ideas. They all comment on his excellent teaching/training approach and they have come back armed with some great resources. I have no doubt that the attendance at James's training has led to high quality understanding of Habits of Mind and has expedited its infusion into the pedagogy at San Sisto.
Margaret Lee, Principal, San Sisto College, Carina, Queensland
James is an engaging presenter of the Habits of Mind. He is clearly an expert with the Habits and was prepared to share his experiences to help our school with the Habits. Our staff found James' Professional Development to be stimulating. It has been great that James has continued his relationship with us and shared resrouces to assist with the ongoing implementation of the Habits at the school.
Timothy Newcomb,Director of Curriculum, Our Lady of Sion College, BoxHill, Victoria, Australia
At St Lawrence Primary school we found James to be a knowedgeable presenter who easily establishes a rapport with people by conducting engaging and interactive workshops. His presentations made great use of multimedia and different learning styles.
His conferences and workshops are highly interactive and all involved are held accountable for their learning. James has exceptional questioning skills that he uses to great effect as he works to change and develop teachers pedagogy and understanding about the Habits of Mind, and to build learning teams within the group.
James is passionate about his subject and draws people along with him.
Sister Marie Townsend, Principal St Lawrence Primary School, Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia
St Margaret's has been working with the Habits of Mind for nearly 10 years. James Mindful by Design workshops changed our thinking about the development of the Habits of Mind and opened the door to taking our work to a whole new level.
Through working with James we have discovered a depth and breadth to the Habits which has added a new and authentic dimension to our curriculum. James mentored us through the process of changing our own thinking about learning and assessment of the Habits and challenged our perception of teaching thinking.
At his workshop we went beyond the surface features of the Habits and discovered a central place for them within a robust academic curriculum.
James skillfully develops and maintains professional learning communities which extend well beyond his workshops. James builds a rapport with teachers that encourages the type of thoughtful pedagogical discussion, critical to meaningful professional learning.
Angela White, Head of Middle School, St Margaret's College, Christchurch, New Zealand
I was fortunate to have James Anderson facilitate a series of Habits of Mind workshops with staff. His knowledge and passion for the Habits of Mind inspired a desire to change our whole approach to the way we view learning.
His ability to articulate and simplify deep understandings of the theory behind Habits of Mind empowered teachers to be better at their craft. The feedback and sharing of resources typifies a burning desire that James has for all of us in the teaching profession to be connected. He has become an interested mentor and friend of our school.
Terry Westblade
Principal
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.
BULLI NSW.
James has been working with the school on the implementation of the Habits of Mind for over three years and has proved to be an invaluable resource.
During this time, he has assisted with leadership planning for the introduction of the Habits of Mind, led regular whole school workshops and helped mentor emerging leaders on staff.
Importantly for us, James' work is grounded in action research related to ongoing classroom practice and he has an excellent understanding of the everyday realities of working in schools. At Woodleigh, he has helped create a vibrant learning environment focused on the development of effective learning dispositions that has promoted improved professional practice and student learning.'
Richard Owens, Deputy Head, Woodleigh School, Melbourne, Australia