Finding Success with the SHOM

Many students find critical and creative thinking challenging at school. and Some teachers may have a difficult time finding the best and most successful way to teach critical and creative thinking skills. The strategy, Studio Habits of Mind or as known as SHOM originates from the fine arts. This strategy may be a good way to help teachers and students be successful in the classroom by enhancing their 21st century skills. According to the Glossary of the Education Reform, the 21st century skills “refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are believed to be critically important to success in today’s world” (Abbott, 2016). Researchers have found that students who participated in arts instruction and are familiar with the SHOM are more successful their critical thinking, communication, and creative skills. (Melnick et al., 2001). The SHOM is known to improve students’ 21st century skills and also enhance their academic language that coincides with the Common Core State Standards (Miller, 2013). The students are able to move into higher order thinking and not just on the surface questions and answers. Because most schools are facing budget cuts (Leachman et al., 2016), the SHOM can be an efficient way to teach the curriculum to students because this strategy is easy to learn and teach. The purpose of this study is to see if these strategies could help students’ creativity and critical thinking skills. It is also to see if teachers are able to integrate the SHOM strategies in different academic subjects. The research question is, How do teachers and students use the SHOM strategies to help students enhance their 21st century skills? I expect the results to indicate that students will benefit academically through the integration of the SHOM throughout the school curriculum