Synopses & Reviews
Praise for
Fires in the Mind"What a refreshing book! Rather than asking the timeworn question 'How can we motivate these kids?' Kathleen Cushman performs a lovely act of conceptual jujutsu and instead asks 'What can the kids tell us about motivation?' The answers are smart and thoughtful and brimming with good advice." Mike Rose, author, Why School? Reclaiming Education for All of Us
"The best school reform creates schools that kids want to go to, where learning is meaningful and engaging. This wonderful book builds on the concept that education should be 'asset based,' not based on telling kids what they don't know and can't do. Read Fires in the Mind and connect to the voices of students about how they learn most eagerly." Paul Houston, executive director emeritus, American Association of School Administrators
"'Become passionate' is easy to say, hard to do, impossible to compel. Drawing on the insights of young persons, parents, teachers, and experts, Kathleen Cushman reveals the paths to passionate pursuit of something worthwhile." Howard Gardner, Harvard Graduate School of Education; author, Five Minds for the Future, Multiple Intelligences, and The Unschooled Mind
"An immensely useful, insightful, and indispensable guide to tapping the immense potential in every child. Essential reading for teachers, coaches, and parents alike." Daniel Coyle, author, The Talent Code
"Every educator would like for students to develop a passion, but many are unsure of how to light that fire. Kathleen Cushman had the wisdom to ask students, and they tell us with clarity what motivates them and how school might be made more inspiring. Anyone who cares about schooling or children should read this book." Daniel T. Willingham, author, Why Don't Students Like School?
Review
"Become passionate’ is easy to say, hard to do, impossible to compel. Drawing on the insights of young persons, parents, teachers, and experts, Kathleen Cushman reveals the paths to passionate pursuit of something worthwhile."
—Howard Gardner, professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, author, Five Minds for the Future, Multiple Intelligences, and The Unschooled Mind
“No matter what stage we’re at as educators, every teacher can mine this book for many helpful nuggets to support student mastery. We can help ignite ‘fires in the minds’ of our kids, and this wonderful book makes an excellent fire starter.” —Kathie Marshall, LAUSD teacher, in Teacher Leaders Network blog of the Center for Teaching Quality
"In this remarkable book, Kathleen Cushman delves into the minds of young learners to provide us with an immensely useful, insightful, and indispensable guide to tapping the potential in every child. Essential reading for teachers, coaches, and parents alike."
—Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code
Synopsis
Teens talk to adults about how they develop motivation and masteryThrough the voices of students themselves, Fires in the Mind brings a game-changing question to teachers of adolescents: What does it take to get really good at something? Starting with what they already know and do well, teenagers from widely diverse backgrounds join a cutting-edge dialogue with adults about the development of mastery in and out of school. Their insights frame motivation, practice, and academic challenge in a new light that galvanizes more powerful learning for all. To put these students' ideas into practice, the book also includes practical tips for educators.
- Breaks new ground by bringing youth voices to a timely topic-motivation and mastery
- Includes worksheets, tips, and discussion guides that help put the book's ideas into practice
- Author has 18 previous books on adolescent learning and has written for the New York Times Magazine, Educational Leadership, and American Educator
From the acclaimed author of Fires in the Bathroom, this is the next-step book that pushes the conversation to next level, as teenagers tackle the pressing challenges of motivation and mastery.
Synopsis
FIRES IN THE MIND"When kids are finally given a voice, it's always amazing to me how on target their perceptions of schools are!"
—Bob Mackin, director, America's Choice High Schools
What does it take for young people toget really good at something? Teenagers from diverse backgrounds explore that game-changing question in Fires in the Mind. As they describe what fuels their interest and effort, they offer teachers exciting new perspectives on why students choose to engage and persist with challenging work. Kathleen Cushman—whose landmark book Fires in the Bathroom brought youth voices to the national stage—here asks adolescents and their teachers to think more deeply about how we develop mastery, both in and out of school.
Starting with what youth already know and do well, Fires in the Mind uses the latest research on cognition to help students and teachers together address motivation, practice, and the need for high standards. Filled with thought-provoking exercises and resources, this book lights new fires in the minds of both teachers and students, and galvanizes them toward more powerful learning for all.
Synopsis
What does it take to get really good at something?Praise for Fires in the Mind
"This book offers a unique window into what all educators ought to consider as vastly important: igniting the passion for learning inherent in us all."
—Ronald J. Newell, author of Passion for Learning
"What a refreshing book! Rather than asking the timeworn question 'How can we motivate these kids?' Kathleen Cushman performs a lovely act of conceptual Jujutsu and instead asks 'What can the kids tell us about motivation?' The answers are smart and thoughtful and brimming with good advice."
—Mike Rose, author of Why School? Reclaiming Education for All of Us
"Every educator would like for students to develop a passion, but many are unsure of how to light that fire. Kathleen Cushman had the wisdom to ask students, and they tell us with clarity what motivates them and how school might be made more inspiring. Anyone who cares about schooling or children should read this book."
—Daniel T. Willingham, author of Why Don't Students Like School?
"The best school reform creates schools that kids want to go to—where learning is meaningful and engaging. This wonderful book builds on the concept that education should be 'asset based'—not based on telling kids what they don't know and can't do. Read Fires in the Mind and connect to the voices of students about how they learn most eagerly."
—Paul Houston, executive director, emeritus, American Association of School Administrators
"This is a wonderful book for both practitioners and policymakers to use in making school more sensible, meaningful, and productive for students and their teachers."
—Elliot Washor, co-director, Big Picture Learning
About the Author
Kathleen Cushman writes, speaks, and consults to a national audience of educators. A journalist and documentarian, she cofounded the nonprofit What Kids Can Do, which collaborates with diverse youth in the United States and abroad, bringing their voices to bear on the complex challenges that affect their lives and learning. She is also author of Fires in the Bathroom and coauthor, with Laura Rogers, of Fires in the Middle School Bathroom.
Table of Contents
Forewordby Dennis White ix
1. What Does It Take to Get Good?
Young people are developing mastery in ways we easily overlook1
2. Catching the Spark
Kids tell what draws them in and gives them confidence in learning 11
3. Keeping at It
When do young people stick with something and make it their own? 31
4. Asking the Experts
Looking at how experts work, students make sense of their own process 55
5. Exploring Deliberate Practice
Young people look closer at what makes practice effective71
6. Practice and Performance
Demonstrating mastery also helps students improve 87
7. Bringing Practice into the Classroom
Students imagine the classroom as a community of practice97
8. Is Homework Deliberate Practice?
Whether, when, and how to give kids practice after class 117
9. School Projects That Build Expert Habits
Students talk about their most compelling curricula 135
10. Making School a Community of Practice
Kids suggest ways that schools can foster expert habits 153
Appendix A: The Practice Project: A Five-Day Curriculum Outline for Secondary Teachers or Advisers
How to help students investigate the expert process 159
Appendix B: Resources That Help Light Fires in the Mind
Inspiration, tools, organizations, and other resources165
The Student Contributors 173
Acknowledgments 177
About the Author 181
About What Kids Can Do 182
Index 183