Excessive workloads, crammed schedules, and "perfectionism" are causing today's teens undue stress. Cathy Vatterott, an international expert on K-12 homework, describes this as an epidemic of "rudderless box checkers--four AP classes, check; debate team, check; two sports, check; honor roll, check." What can educators do then…

The author reviews various ways personalized learning has come to be interpreted and asserts that rather than requiring we create individualized learning plans for each student, true personalization requires that teachers give learners the tools, knowledge, skills, and dispositions to manage themselves and their learning environment. Teachers…

Psychologists and researchers have long puzzled over questions regarding "curiosity" and have more or less settled on a two-pronged definition as: (1) trait curiosity (an intrinsic drive for exploration and learning); and (2) state curiosity (an interest sparked by external conditions). Many studies have shown that human beings are…

People use various terms to refer to traits and tendencies connected to social-emotional behavior and ways of thinking or approaching problems--from 21st century skills to mindsets to habits of mind. Such traits are also often called soft skills or non-cognitive skills. The authors contend that these latter terms imply that these traits and…

When the author and her colleague asked teachers to list which qualities were most important without giving them a list to choose from, almost none mentioned curiosity. Many teachers endorse curiosity when they are asked about it, but it is not uppermost on their minds--or shaping their teaching plans. Why is this disturbing? Because research…

U.S. high school graduation rates have risen steadily for the past decade, hitting an all-time high of 82 percent in 2013-14 (Rich, 2015). Yet there's a dark cloud behind this silver lining. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education (2015), only 59 percent of students who enter four-year colleges complete their…

When Alexis Wiggins returned to full-time teaching after having a baby, she took with her an idea from the book "A Path With Heart" by Buddhist Jack Kornfield. The idea was that each day might go better if she viewed everyone she encountered during that day, including any student or parent who seemed to make her teaching life harder, as…

In interviews with several hundred business, nonprofit, philanthropic, and education leaders, the author identified seven "survival skills" that 21st century students need to succeed as workers and citizens: (1) critical thinking and problem-solving; (2) collaboration and leadership; (3) ability and adaptability; (4) initiative and…

Proposals to improve teacher quality often focus on hiring teachers with the right combination of personality, values, and knowledge and skills. The author suggests that although these elements of teacher quality are important, schools also need to pay attention to the conditions of classroom life that can determine teaching quality. She…

An instrument developed for selecting students for gifted programs on the basis of performance and behavior opens up opportunities for interested students to demonstrate their capacity without any taint of elitism. (MLF)

One first-grade teacher integrated character education into the existing curriculum. She used a job chart to teach responsibility and teamwork, and helped the class develop a constitution. Her framework was based on the Character Counts! Coalition's crucial character traits: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and…

A seventh-grade teacher's get-acquainted exercise (involving desirable character traits) led to signing a class constitution that governed rules of conduct for both teachers and students. While involved in this democratic process, children gained practice in creating the kind of culture in which they wished to live. (MLH)