by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole
Hennepin County Library paperback 277 pages
genre: non-fiction, education
This was kind of disappointing, since it mostly focused on providing tips for students with disabilities to succeed in college. I had hoped it would focus more on K-12.
I did like the emphasis on personalized learning! That fits with what we're doing in district 112.
Page 72 - ". . . the act of self-reflection can be an empowering experience. Looking at your past, present, and future is not only good for the soul, but it also can be good for the budding pragmatist inside all of us." This section on personal narrative included:
Have compassion - for yourself and others in your past. Understanding, not blame.
Look for the story - look for threads, patterns, events that stick out
Look for blood on the floor - what were the hurts in your past?
Look for the gains - What did you gain from your struggles? Your successes?
Look for lifesavers - Who are the people in your past who believed in you and loved you?
Ask big questions -
Find the joy - find it and hold on to it
page 97-98 Seven Habits for Highly Disorganized People (this made me laugh, but also realize how tough it is for people like this):
Habit 1 - Mark your territory (binders, book bag, etc.)
Habit 2 - Find it a home (routine / place for everything and everything in its place)
Habit 3 - Personalize It (set up a system that works for YOU)
Habit 4 - Make It Essential - put things in your notebook that make you NEED it
Habit 5 - Avoid Notebook Cross-Over (one subject per notebook, less confusion)
Habit 6 - Make Time to Declutter (on a regular basis!)
Habit 7 - Watch Out for Transitions (between classes, especially)
So . . . interesting problem. When I got to page 129, I realized that there was something funny. In this copy of this book, pages 129-160 are from a completely different title. They are pages from The Mind of God . . . and yet pages 128 and 161 are from this text. Too bad this book is on hold for someone; I'm pretty sure the library will yank this out of circulation as soon as I show them the printing error.
page 188-9 Top Ten Ways to Make Spell Checking More Effective. Interesting section! Some of these are helpful for my students. (Though the last comment is "screw spelling.")
page 210 - "Our Favorite Study Tip - According to Jacobs and McNeely (1992), information learned at the point of orgasm during sexual intercourse has a 98 percent likelihood of being retained for later use. We don't make this stuff up. We just report it." This is one of those places where the book is clearly written for a young adult audience! It does make me curious about how such a study was conducted . . . and what kind of new information people are learning during intercourse.
page 247 - "School develops and values less than 10 percent of what it means to be human and to live a full life. Learning outside the lines and living a life less ordinary is about moving beyond blackboards and academic success to creating experiences that embrace and nurture the parts of our selves that are left unrealized by traditional education." I really did appreciate their perspective on schooling. I'm glad that the traditional ways are changing! (At least at my school.)
I loved the end section on the Eye to Eye program where college students with disabilities and/or ADHD went into elementary schools and worked with kids like them. Very, very cool!
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Read this book as part of my PLC group. We were able to take most of the hints and par them down to lessons for our Study Skills classes. I did show the students the book and shared the story about the authors (difficulties, disabilities, etc..). Students were interested in hearing that although they themselves may have learning difficulties, they can be successful in their lives.
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