I have thoroughly enjoyed my second reading of “Light up your Childs mind†by J. Renzulli PhD & S. Reise PhD and wanted to share some of my notes from these expert’s 30 years of research. If you have not read it yet, it is highly recommended & worth your time.
Pg. 201 last paragraph: We look to the school environment to understand why bright students lose their interests and drive. Minimal work ma be accepted by teachers and considered perfectly satisfactory. The classroom and the school day are arranged to promote rote learning and conformity, rather than critical thinking & problem solving. Perhaps most significantly, the curriculum is unchallenging. Attempts to improve achievements across the board focus on what has been popularly called drill and kill: drill the basics of language arts and math, take tests to determine if everyone got it, drill some more.
Pg. 210: Extracurricular activities make a positive difference. Much research suggests that young people who are involved in clubs, plays, or musical productions, 4 h programs, science fairs, sports, and so on are less likely to underachieve in school. These activities take commitment and time. By having too much time on his hands, a child is more opt to develop poor self-regulation strategies.
The major goal is to produce a high quality product or service. There are no tests and grades. The adult leaders tend to be more like guides and compatriots than teachers. A qualitatively different kind of relationship develops between the young people and the adults.
Using his strengths and interests empowers a child to do better. The higher-end learning projects we’ve been describing in this book are invariably fun for kids. Their attention is engaged. They’re inspired to stretch themselves and do well at what they’ve chosen t do. Child centered approaches that emphasize personal strengths and value personal interest help turn the tide from academic failure toward academic success.
Pg. 212: The got the idea that a child’s work should have a real-world purpose and real world audience, rather than being something to be graded and taken home. And they had faith! When a child became discouraged and felt he was getting nowhere, a teacher demonstrated belief and patience—and eventually, shared in the excitement of the student’s achievement.
- Many children want to feel useful in the world.
Pg.228 Many ways to help your youngster build on his strengths & talents, few simple but powerful ideas:
- Each child learns in his own way. And the best, must motivationally rich learning opportunities take into account a child’s unique abilities, interests, and styles.
- Learning is more effective when fids enjoy what they’re doing and feel passionate about it. Enjoyment—having fun, getting excited and carried away by the process—is a goal as important as any other.
- Knowledge and thinking skills are greatly enhanced when a child applies his efforts to a real and present problem, a “something†that is personally meaningful and important.
He will grow in the self-confidence and self-knowledge that will propel her into a happy, healthy, successful life.
Pg. 229 Perhaps more than ever, we must bring up children who in time will be committed to making the lives of all people more rewarding, more joyful, environmentally safe, peaceful, and politically free. We need creatively produce productive young people who will become the adults who change things for the better, who make positive contributions to the sciences, arts, and humanities. And so we need to think about what we can provide today for those children who will shape both the values and the actions of this new century.
