The Learning Curve Navigating The Road To High School Success

In The Learning Curve: Navigating the Road to High School Success, career educator and academic coach Alice Giarrusso uses clear, concise, easy-to-follow language to guide students along a path of increased academic performance. The author draws on her more than thirty years of classroom experience to help students navigate the twists and turns of high school, putting them squarely in the driver's seat. Her message revolves around Four Key Elements of Success: Assign Value to What You Are Doing, Intend to Succeed, Be Your Own Cheerleader, and The Value of Practice. The Learning Curve creates a mindset for academic success while developing practical skills for achieving that success. Like a roadmap, it requires readers to think about where they are now, where they'd like to be in the future, and how they intend to get there. Whether you are a student, parent, or teacher, avail yourself to a host of detailed and specific strategies to succeed in high school with The Learning Curve.

You are a high school student, and for some reason you're not inspired to do your best work. In fact, the only reason you even work as hard as you do may be due to a fear of punishment from authority figures. You've noticed other students that seem to be focused, but you don't know how they do it. You have interests, but nothing that keeps your attention for long, or relates to a path where you will enjoy personal achievement one day. You may have talked with teachers, counselors, other students, and parents about your future, but nothing seems to click. What do you do? Where do you go to find your path? How do you find a path? Is there even a path for everyone? You may wonder, why can't you just pick something, and have it inspire you so that you enjoy learning? Why do some seem to have it so easy?Over half the students I work with are sitting high school just “floating” along until something, anything, catches their attention. Many take the default path and pick college, or the military thinking this “experience” will solve their dilemma. This isn't because they are bad kids, stupid, can't do the work, or don't care. These high school students want to be inspired to do great things and have a successful life, but don't know how. I, too, was a “floater.” With grades and SAT scores in hand, I would sit and watch the students that knew what they wanted to do and pick those paths with confidence. I knew early that a job wasn't going to be the ultimate living strategy unless I was able to use all of my talents and do great things. I had great teachers and coaches in high school who constantly challenged me; the problem was that I knew they would be gone the moment I moved my tassel from right to left. What the hell was I going to do with my life? As a person who has sat through two college graduations asking, “What am I going to do now?” I can honestly tell you, it isn't a great feeling. Once I finally jumped from the “job” ship and really worked to forge my own path, I learned a real smack in the face lesson; I had wasted time. What did I waste time doing? I wasted time not developing the skills that would transfer to any path of success I chose.Once I jumped the “job” ship, I had to learn a whole new set of personal characteristics and skills in order to achieve my dreams.In Learning Curve: How to Prepare for Success When You Don't Know Where Your Life is Going, I share my story, and then a list of characteristics each student can develop before success happens, so that when they find their passion, these skills will be a part of their character, and the transition toward success will be easier, faster, and more rewarding. Over time, these characteristics will become stronger as they are practiced with intent to find the path that is right for you. Your “WHY” should be based on the life you desire.By waiting until you know exactly what you want to do to develop these characteristics, you waste valuable resources, such as time and money, and may not be able to make up the ground when you finally are “inspired.” This results in missing valuable experience and opportunities while adding unwanted confusion and frustration to life. By developing the right personal characteristics, you will have a greater chance of grabbing that opportunity that is important to the success you desire as it starts to reveal itself.If your “WHY” in life is to be happy, achieve personal defined success, and wake up many days knowing you are making a difference in this world, then you should read this book. As you complete the chapter, work to answer the follow-up questions that are at the end of each characteristic. Don't worry if you can't answer them all at once, you are a work in progress.Follow Pierce Brunson on Google+, @piercebrunson on Twitter, Pierce Brunson on Facebook, www.piercebrunson.com, www.beingofvalue.com, www.fireflyeventphotography.com, www.piercebrunsonphotography.com

Too often, students who fail a grade or a course receive remediation that ends up widening rather than closing achievement gaps. According to veteran classroom teacher and educational consultant Suzy Pepper Rollins, the true answer to supporting struggling students lies in acceleration. In Learning in the Fast Lane, she lays out a plan of action that teachers can use to immediately move underperforming students in the right direction and differentiate instruction for all learners—even those who excel academically. This essential guide identifies eight high-impact, research-based instructional approaches that will help you * Make standards and learning goals explicit to students. * Increase students' vocabulary—a key to their academic success. * Build students' motivation and self-efficacy so that they become active, optimistic participants in class. * Provide rich, timely feedback that enables students to improve when it counts. * Address skill and knowledge gaps within the context of new learning. Students deserve no less than the most effective strategies available. These hands-on, ready-to-implement practices will enable you to provide all students with compelling, rigorous, and engaging learning experiences.

From the renowned psychologist who introduced the world to “growth mindset” comes this updated edition of the million-copy bestseller—featuring transformative insights into redefining success, building lifelong resilience, and supercharging self-improvement. “Through clever research studies and engaging writing, Dweck illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities exert tremendous influence on how we learn and which paths we take in life.”—Bill Gates, GatesNotes “It’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.” After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment. In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset. She also expands the mindset concept beyond the individual, applying it to the cultures of groups and organizations. With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love—to transform their lives and your own.

Between 1970 and 1974 ten million Americans abandoned the city, and the commercialism, and all the inauthentic bourgeois comforts of the Eisenhower-era America of their parents. Instead, they went back to the land. It was the only time in modern history that urbanization has gone into reverse. Kate Daloz follows the dreams and ideals of a small group of back-to-the-landers to tell the story of a nationwide movement and moment. And she shows how the faltering, hopeful, but impractical impulses of that first generation sowed the seeds for the organic farming movement and the transformation of American agriculture and food tastes. In the Myrtle Hill commune and neighboring Entropy Acres, high-minded ideas of communal living and shared decision-making crash headlong into the realities of brutal Northern weather and the colossal inconvenience of having no plumbing or electricity. Nature, it turns out, is not always a generous or provident host—frosts are hard, snowfalls smother roads, and small wood fires do not heat imperfectly insulated geodesic domes. Group living turns out to be harder than expected too. Being free to do what you want and set your own rules leads to some unexpected limitations: once the group starts growing a little marijuana they can no longer call on the protection of the law, especially against a rogue member of a nearby community. For some of the group, the lifestyle is truly a saving grace; they credit it with their survival. For others, it is a prison sentence. We Are As Gods (the first line of the Whole Earth Catalog, the movement's bible) is a poignant rediscovery of a seminal moment in American culture, whose influence far outlasted the communities that took to the hills and woods in the late '60s and '70s and remains present in every farmer's market, every store selling Stonyfield products, or Keen shoes, or Patagonia sportswear.

Praise for How Learning Works "How Learning Works is the perfect title for this excellent book. Drawing upon new research in psychology, education, and cognitive science, the authors have demystified a complex topic into clear explanations of seven powerful learning principles. Full of great ideas and practical suggestions, all based on solid research evidence, this book is essential reading for instructors at all levels who wish to improve their students' learning." —Barbara Gross Davis, assistant vice chancellor for educational development, University of California, Berkeley, and author, Tools for Teaching "This book is a must-read for every instructor, new or experienced. Although I have been teaching for almost thirty years, as I read this book I found myself resonating with many of its ideas, and I discovered new ways of thinking about teaching." —Eugenia T. Paulus, professor of chemistry, North Hennepin Community College, and 2008 U.S. Community Colleges Professor of the Year from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education "Thank you Carnegie Mellon for making accessible what has previously been inaccessible to those of us who are not learning scientists. Your focus on the essence of learning combined with concrete examples of the daily challenges of teaching and clear tactical strategies for faculty to consider is a welcome work. I will recommend this book to all my colleagues." —Catherine M. Casserly, senior partner, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "As you read about each of the seven basic learning principles in this book, you will find advice that is grounded in learning theory, based on research evidence, relevant to college teaching, and easy to understand. The authors have extensive knowledge and experience in applying the science of learning to college teaching, and they graciously share it with you in this organized and readable book." —From the Foreword by Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; coauthor, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction; and author, Multimedia Learning

Explores the current context, role, and challenges of post-secondary education and presents options for promising pathways forward. The post-secondary educational system has undergone dramatic changes and experienced immense stress in the past two decades. Once regarded as the logical next step toward career opportunities and financial security, higher education is a subject of growing uncertainty for millions of people across the United States. It is more common than ever to question the return on investment, skyrocketing cost, and student debt burden of going to college. Prospective students, and many employers, increasingly view attending institutions of higher learning as inadequate preparation for entering the 21st century workforce. High-profile scandals—financial impropriety, sexual abuse, restrictions of free speech, among others—have further eroded public trust. In response to these and other challenges, leading voices are demanding strengthened accountability and measurable change. Higher Education's Road to Relevance illustrates why change is needed in post-secondary education and offers practical solutions to pressing concerns. The authors, internationally recognized experts in college-level teaching and learning innovation, draw heavily from contemporary research to provide an integrative approach for post-secondary faculty, staff, and administrators of all levels. This timely book helps readers identify the need for leadership in developing new networks and ecosystems of learning and workforce development. This valuable book will help readers: Understand the forces driving change in higher education Develop multiple pathways to create and credential self-directed learners Promote access to flexible, cost-effective, and relevant learning Adapt structures and pedagogies to address issues and overcome challenges Use an inclusive approach that extends to employers, K-12 educators, post-secondary educators, and policy-makers, among others Higher Education's Road to Relevance is a much-needed resource for college and university administrators, academic researchers, instructors and other faculty, and staff who support and interact with students.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.