Studio Thinking Framework
Eight Habits of Mind
Project Zero is an educational research group at the
Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. Project
Zero's mission is to understand and enhance learning,
thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and
scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.
Eight Habits of Mind
• Develop Craft
Learning to use and
care for tools (e.g.,
viewfinders, brushes),
materials (e.g.,
charcoal, paint).
Learning artistic
conventions (e.g.,
perspective, color
mixing).
Eight Habits of Mind
• Engage & Persist
Learning to embrace
problems of relevance
within the art world
and/or of personal
importance, to develop
focus and other mental
states conducive to
working and
persevering at art tasks.
Eight Habits of Mind
• Envision
Learning to picture
mentally what
cannot be directly
observed and
imagine possible
next steps in making
a piece.
Eight Habits of Mind
• Express
Learning to create
works that convey
an idea, a feeling, or
a personal meaning.
Eight Habits of Mind
• Observe
Learning to attend to
visual contexts more
closely than ordinary
"looking" requires,
and thereby to see
things that otherwise
might not be seen.
Eight Habits of Mind
• Reflect
Question & Explain:
Learning to think and talk
with others about an aspect
of one’s work or working
process.
Evaluate: Learning to judge
one’s own work and
working process and the
work of others in relation to
standards of the: field.
Eight Habits of Mind
• Stretch & Explore
Learning to reach beyond
one's capacities, to explore
playfully without a
preconceived plan, and to
embrace the opportunity to
learn from mistakes and
accidents.
Eight Habits of Mind
• Understand Art World
Domain: Learning about art
history and current practice.
Communities: Learning to
interact as an artist with
other artists (i.e., in
classrooms, in local arts
organizations, and across
the art field) and within the
broader society.
Eight Habits of Mind
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develop Craft
Engage & Persist
Envision
Express
Observe
Reflect
Stretch & Explore
Understand Art World
Studio Thinking Framework
Three Studio Structures
Project Zero is an educational research group at the
Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. Project
Zero's mission is to understand and enhance learning,
thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and
scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.
Three Studio Structures
• Students-At-Work
 Students make artworks
based on teachers'
assignments
 Assignments specify materials,
tools, and/or challenges
 Teachers observe and consult
with individuals or small
groups
 Teachers sometimes talk
briefly to the whole class
Three Studio Structures
• Demonstation-Lectures
 Teachers (and others) deliver




information about processes and
products and set assignments
Information is immediately useful
to students for class work or
homework
Information is conveyed quickly and
efficiently to reserve time for work
and reflection
Visual examples are frequent and
sometimes extended
Interaction occurs to varying
degrees
Three Studio Structures
• Critique
 Central structure for
discussion and reflection
 A pause to focus on
observation, conversation,
and reflection
 Focus on student works
 Works are completed or in
progress
 Display is temporary and
informal
Three Studio Structures
• Students-At-Work
• Demonstration or
Lecture
• Critique
Studio Thinking Framework
• Sharing Space
• Maintaining Studio
• Hearing Others
• Safety