What is educating for intellectual virtues?

Educating for intellectual virtues is an approach to classroom teaching and other educational activities that is aimed at helping students grow in intellectual virtues, which are the deep personal qualities or character strengths of a good thinker or learner. Intellectual virtues include qualities like curiosity, attentiveness, open-mindedness, intellectual humility, intellectual autonomy, intellectual courage, and intellectual tenacity.

While good education has always fostered growth in intellectual virtues, it is possible to educate in ways that are intentionally and systematically aimed at this goal. That's what educating for intellectual virtues is all about.

Importantly, educating for intellectual virtues is not an alternative to instruction in traditional academic subjects like math, English, history, and science. Rather, it is a way of helping students approach and engage with these subjects — a way that is personal, thoughtful, and active. *This content comes directly from the work of Jason Baehr. Learn more at intellectualvirtues.org.

How can we teach for intellectual virtues?

To learn more about an intellectual virtues approach to education, you can order Deep in Thought: A Practical Guide to Teaching for Intellectual Virtues. This resource guide is written for teachers and offers a comprehensive account of educating for intellectual virtues, including what intellectual virtues are, why they are valuable, and what it looks like to foster intellectual virtues inside the classroom. Written for educators at all levels, Deep in Thought (Harvard Education Press) is a comprehensive guide to teaching for qualities like curiosity, open-mindedness, intellectual courage, and intellectual humility. Author and IVA's co-founder Dr. Jason Baehr has written extensively on each of the intellectual virtues. Our faculty and staff as well as our students study the virtues directly in our Advisory program. To read further about what intellectual virtues are, why they matter, and what it looks like to nurture them in a classroom setting click here. Dr. Baehr also created an intellectual virtues implementation guide available online called Cultivating Good Minds, a valuable resource for our school. 

How has IVA systematically implemented intellectual virtues education?

IVA's educators desire ongoing growth in intellectual character and deep learning in an inquiry-based culture of thinking. As a staff we read, think and consider together. Recent academic writing and the timing of  California's Common Core Standards supported a comprehensive approach to curriculum, instruction, social emotional learning and behavior support all aimed at meaningful growth in intellectual character. Researchers and authors present related concepts such as Angela Duckworth's work on grit, Carol Dwek's work on growth mindset, and  Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine's book In Search of Deeper Learning (2019). Approaches to learning and relationship like restorative justice, trauma informed practices and anti-bias education have influenced a view of the whole child in relationships at school.

What are thinking routines and how are they connected to virtues education?

Educational strategies called Thinking Routines developed by researchers at Harvard's Project Zero and related writing has continued to inform and provide content for ongoing professional development. IVA has adopted thinking routines in our regular instructional practices in each subject. These routines are engagement practices intended to make students thinking visible to themselves and each other and create a collaborative culture of thinking. The use of these routines help us to refine our patterns of thinking and listening.

Families can utilize thinking routines in their own conversations with students. Download the reference sheet that is provided to students and try out one of these Thinking Routines in your own conversations. IVA teachers have created a resource to link what intellectual virtues we hope to provide opportunities for and the thinking routines that create the vehicle. At IVA, teaching for intellectual virtue is the education framework and thinking routines are the vehicle. Thinking Routines

How can I learn more about the model?

  • Check out our Resource Library below and read along with us. The bookshelf includes books and articles that our faculty and staff continue to return to as we learn and practice teaching for intellectual virtues.
  • Visit the school on a tour. IVA loves to welcome groups of educators for a seminar-style classroom visit and participation in our professional development.
  • Contact principal Jacquie Bryant directly at jacquie.bryant@ivalongbeach.org to set up a meeting or invite her and her team out to visit your school.

All of the implementation IVA has done is available to the community of educators who have found what we have found – that teaching for intellectual virtues is personally meaningful, formative for us as much as for our students, and an educational ideal that requires frequent concrete and realistic steps and a collaborative, authentic, risk-taking environment.

Resource Library

Annelise Jolley, "Intellectual Virtues Inspire a "Copernican Shift" in Education" (The article written by Annelise Jolley, delved deep into how the practice of the nine master virtues can "develop the kind of people who can navigate their communities, workplaces, and civic engagement." with research by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a human development psychologist and neuroscientist)

Jason Baehr, "Educating for Intellectual Virtues – From Theory to Practice" (In this scholarly article, IVA founding member and Loyola Marymount University professor Jason Baehr provides an overview of what intellectual virtues are, why they matter to education, and what it looks like to educate for intellectual character growth)

David Perkins and Ron Ritchhart, "Life in the Mindful Classroom." (Argues that "mindfulness," understood as an intellectual character trait, is a central educational goal and discusses several strategies for fostering mindfulness in the classroom)

Ron Ritchhart, "From IQ to IC: A Dispositional View of Intelligence." (Argues that intelligence should be understood in terms of intellectual character rather than innate cognitive ability)

Shari Tishman, Eileen Jay, and David Perkins, "Teaching Thinking Dispositions: From Enculturation to Transmission" (Identifies seven core "thinking dispositions" or intellectual virtues and examines how they can be "enculturated" in schools)

Shari Tishman, "Why Teach Habits of Mind." (A nice overview of what intellectual virtues are and why teaching should foster them.)

Vicki Zakrzewski "How Humility Can Make Your Students the Best People Ever"

Jason Baehr's, Deep in Thought. (An introduction to intellectual virtues–the personal qualities and character strengths of good thinkers and learners–with a practical and implementation guide.)

Nathan King's, The Excellent Mind. (An accessible explanation of intellectual virtues and their impact on our everyday life.)

Ron Ritchhart, Intellectual Character: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Get It. (The best book available on the "how to" of educating for intellectual virtues or what Ritchhart calls "thinking dispositions.")

Ron Ritchhart, Creating Cultures of Thinking. (A helpful guide to explore the forces that shape thinking cultures and examine how those forces are guided by beliefs about learning.)

Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, Karen Morrison. Making Thinking Visible. (The most practical facilitation guide to create opportunities for thinking and understanding in the classroom. IVA teachers have seen the greatest growth in their instruction through these thinking routines.)

Paul Tough, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. (This recent New York Times bestseller provides an overview of recent research from a variety of disciplines supporting the idea that success in school and life in general largely depends on intellectual character virtues like curiosity, intellectual perseverance, and "grit.")

Shari Tishman, David Perkins, and Eileen Jay, The Thinking Classroom: Learning and Teaching in a Culture of Thinking. (Covers the theory and practice involved with teaching for good thinking. Chapters 3 and 4 are a great discussion of intellectual virtues or "thinking dispositions.")

Richard Paul and Linda Elder, Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life. (Written for a broad audience, this book has several illuminating chapters on the character traits that give rise to and regulate critical thinking. See especially chapters 3-5.)

Thomas Lickona, Educating for Character. (This is a classic work in traditional character education, which focuses on fostering moral and civic virtues. However, many of the ideas and strategies are easily adaptable to educating for intellectual virtues.)

Parker Palmer, Courage to Teach. (This book is on IVA's faculty & staff bookshelf and helps educators understand the place from which all good teaching comes. IVA recommends this read to encourage and revive the teachers' heart.)

Working Together to Develop Powerful Thinkers and Learners

IVA Parent Academy – Presented by Dr. Ron Ritchhart, March 12, 2015

The Challenges and Strengths of an Intellectual Virtues Educational Model
IVA Parent Academy – Presented by Dr. Steve Porter, January 22, 2015

Implementing Intellectual Character Education :: Foundational Pedagogy Seminar
MA Character Education Assignment – Presented by Jacquie Bryant, March 2023