The Habits of Mind form the basis of our efforts to move students toward these goals. The school’s academic
program stresses intellectual development and political and social involvement in our society. Five Habits of Mind are stressed.
- VIEWPOINT: Identifying and understanding various perspectives on an issue.
- EVIDENCE: Being able to support a particular point of view and critically examine different forms of evidence.
- CONNECTIONS: Seeing larger patterns and connections between ideas, the individual and the larger society.
- CONJECTURE: Being able to envision alternatives and ask “what if?”
- RELEVANCE: Understanding the importance of an issue and asking “what difference does it make?”
The Habits of Mind are at the heart of all our work along with sound work habits and care and concern for others: Habits of Work and Heart. The curriculum of FLHFHS affirms the central importance of students learning how to learn, how to reason, and how to investigate complex issues that require collaboration, personal responsibility and a tolerance for uncertainty. It is inquiry-based, emphasizing projects which students design and carry out themselves, with teachers as guides and coaches. Communication skills, including reading, writing, public speaking and critical listening, are developed in all subject areas.
