It's Not What You Know
Last year I read Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers. In the book he uses historical anecdotes to illustrate his overarching claim: success doesn't happen the way you think. He brings out several interesting points about community, experience, and simply being at the right place at the right time. He also points out some interesting things about the link between perseverance and over all success. I won't tell you all about it because you might want to read the book. I'd recommend it; it passed my fifty page test.
Linking self-control and perseverance to success isn't a new thing. In the late 1960's a psychologist named Walter Mischel performed The Marshmallow Test. His original intention was to simply study the mental processes behind delayed gratification. It wasn't until years later when the children used in the study grew up that he realized the experiment had uncovered much more. What is the experiment? Watch this:
Isn't Theo adorable? Mischel found that the children in the original experiment who managed to exercise self control were much more successful as adults. On the other hand, the kids who gobbled up the marshmallow right away didn't do so well. Some of them even wound up in prison.
So this is good news if you're a patient little four-year-old, but what if you aren't? Is there any hope? The answer, thankfully, is 'yes.' Recently I listened to a This American Life podcast called "Back to School." Ira Glass, the host of the show, interviewed experts from different fields who've studied education success, particularly success for demographics that don't generally experience much of it.
The conclusion? Intellectual ability doesn't change much. You're born, and you've got what you've got. The good news is, like Mischel and Gladwell have both pointed out, raw intellectual talent isn't worth much without what an expert on the This American Life podcast calls "non-cognitive skills, soft skills, or leadership principles," and those skills can be taught. What's more is that the interventions are rudimentary and easily implemented for the young people that need them.
I know what you're thinking, "This is great!" while unicorns and leprechauns dance under rainbows in the street outside all the low--performing public schools across America. Um, not exactly.
Sure, it's good to better grasp these principles and have some answers for the serious question about what we should be doing for our young people. The problem is that it seems as if we're headed in the other direction entirely. Public education is moving away from accountability in the very areas shown to be invaluable for lifelong success.
Politicians keep telling us that more and better content knowledge is the key to success for America's youth. Both sides of the aisle spout off statistics about the academic prowess of Chinese students and plans to close the Achievement Gap.
As a teacher, I truly appreciate the idea of reflecting on what's being done and making changes when necessary. I do it every minute of every day. I've done it so much it's an unconscious habit, and that's the main reason I manage to teach my students anything. I constantly assess how they're doing and respond accordingly.
The problem is that different sources are all thinking that the goal is to get students to "know" more information. The problem with that is students today can google anything. Information is literally at their fingertips every second.
Today, most people in education understand that skill, not information, is the key, and things like the Common Core are changing our approach. We're learning how to teach our students how to do things like solve complex problems or use technology.
It's what has been left out that troubles me:
What about grit and determination?
What about self discipline?
What about being on time?
What about finishing what one starts?
What about integrity?
What about perseverance?
What about knowing how to interact with others with respect and tolerance?
If you read Outliers, you'll see that the very economies that are quickly outstripping our own are doing so because cultural expectations for young people in those places are very different from the ones placed on the average American teen.
Students in other places are expected to focus and practice until they've mastered the skill in front of them -- to take responsibility for themselves. They are also given specific training in real-world jobs. Don't believe me? Read "Pathways to Prosperity" put out by Harvard. The whole idea is preparing a specific student for a specific job in a realistic way.
In other places, these "non-cognitive" skills are modeled by adults and widely permeate the culture. If we want our young people to benefit from those same skills, we've got to change. No Xbox is going to help any child learn these things. Young people need to be supported, talked to, and mentored by teachers, parents, and neighbors. If we want results for our kids, we need more people. It isn't the easy road; holding young people to high standards is hard work.
A few years ago I went to a workshop about kids that get in trouble and bully other kids. I sat there and listened all day, and only one thing really stood out to me. The guy said, "The kids that get in trouble don't have a positive, supporting relationship with an adult." He challenged all of us there to commit to being that adult mentor to at least one troubled student. Ever since I've been working hard to keep my commitment, to stand in the gap for the young people I know. Will you?
Linking self-control and perseverance to success isn't a new thing. In the late 1960's a psychologist named Walter Mischel performed The Marshmallow Test. His original intention was to simply study the mental processes behind delayed gratification. It wasn't until years later when the children used in the study grew up that he realized the experiment had uncovered much more. What is the experiment? Watch this:
Isn't Theo adorable? Mischel found that the children in the original experiment who managed to exercise self control were much more successful as adults. On the other hand, the kids who gobbled up the marshmallow right away didn't do so well. Some of them even wound up in prison.
So this is good news if you're a patient little four-year-old, but what if you aren't? Is there any hope? The answer, thankfully, is 'yes.' Recently I listened to a This American Life podcast called "Back to School." Ira Glass, the host of the show, interviewed experts from different fields who've studied education success, particularly success for demographics that don't generally experience much of it.
The conclusion? Intellectual ability doesn't change much. You're born, and you've got what you've got. The good news is, like Mischel and Gladwell have both pointed out, raw intellectual talent isn't worth much without what an expert on the This American Life podcast calls "non-cognitive skills, soft skills, or leadership principles," and those skills can be taught. What's more is that the interventions are rudimentary and easily implemented for the young people that need them.
I know what you're thinking, "This is great!" while unicorns and leprechauns dance under rainbows in the street outside all the low--performing public schools across America. Um, not exactly.
Sure, it's good to better grasp these principles and have some answers for the serious question about what we should be doing for our young people. The problem is that it seems as if we're headed in the other direction entirely. Public education is moving away from accountability in the very areas shown to be invaluable for lifelong success.
Politicians keep telling us that more and better content knowledge is the key to success for America's youth. Both sides of the aisle spout off statistics about the academic prowess of Chinese students and plans to close the Achievement Gap.
As a teacher, I truly appreciate the idea of reflecting on what's being done and making changes when necessary. I do it every minute of every day. I've done it so much it's an unconscious habit, and that's the main reason I manage to teach my students anything. I constantly assess how they're doing and respond accordingly.
The problem is that different sources are all thinking that the goal is to get students to "know" more information. The problem with that is students today can google anything. Information is literally at their fingertips every second.
Today, most people in education understand that skill, not information, is the key, and things like the Common Core are changing our approach. We're learning how to teach our students how to do things like solve complex problems or use technology.
It's what has been left out that troubles me:
What about grit and determination?
What about self discipline?
What about being on time?
What about finishing what one starts?
What about integrity?
What about perseverance?
What about knowing how to interact with others with respect and tolerance?
If you read Outliers, you'll see that the very economies that are quickly outstripping our own are doing so because cultural expectations for young people in those places are very different from the ones placed on the average American teen.
Students in other places are expected to focus and practice until they've mastered the skill in front of them -- to take responsibility for themselves. They are also given specific training in real-world jobs. Don't believe me? Read "Pathways to Prosperity" put out by Harvard. The whole idea is preparing a specific student for a specific job in a realistic way.
In other places, these "non-cognitive" skills are modeled by adults and widely permeate the culture. If we want our young people to benefit from those same skills, we've got to change. No Xbox is going to help any child learn these things. Young people need to be supported, talked to, and mentored by teachers, parents, and neighbors. If we want results for our kids, we need more people. It isn't the easy road; holding young people to high standards is hard work.
A few years ago I went to a workshop about kids that get in trouble and bully other kids. I sat there and listened all day, and only one thing really stood out to me. The guy said, "The kids that get in trouble don't have a positive, supporting relationship with an adult." He challenged all of us there to commit to being that adult mentor to at least one troubled student. Ever since I've been working hard to keep my commitment, to stand in the gap for the young people I know. Will you?
I want to jump up and down on my sofa and yell, "YES!" As a parent of three teenagers I want to have them in a classroom that prepares them with skills to problem-solve, to communicate effectively and respectfully, to do the hard things.
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