Successful People

From Keep Your Eye on the Marshmallow by Joachim De Posada:

 

 

Characteristics of successful people:

1. common sense.

2. Specialized knowledge in their field.
...
3. Self-Reliance

4. General intelligence

5. Ability to get things done.

6. Leadership

7. Ethics

8. Creativity

9. Self-Confidence

10. Oral expression

11. Concern for others.

12. Emotional Intelligence.

13. Factor X, also known as LUCK.

(As William Feather says, "The improbable happens just often enough to make life either disturbing or delightful".)

Rate yourself to see how you are doing or even better have others rate you. You might be surprised.

Top 10 skills children learn from the arts

By Valerie Strauss , Updated: January 22, 2013

(by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

You don’t find school reformers talking much about how we need to train more teachers in the arts, given the current obsession with science, math, technology and engineering (STEM), but here’s a list of skills that young people learn from studying the arts. They serve as a reminder that the arts — while important to study for their intrinsic value — also promote skills seen as important in academic and life success. (That’s why some people talk about changing the current national emphasis on STEM to STEAM.) This was written by Lisa Phillips is an author, blog journalist, arts and leadership educator, speaker and business owner. To learn about Lisa’s book, “The Artistic Edge: 7 Skills Children Need to Succeed in an Increasingly Right Brain World,” click here. This appeared on the ARTSblog, a program of Americans for the Arts.

By Lisa Phillips
1. Creativity – Being able to think on your feet, approach tasks from different perspectives and think ‘outside of the box’ will distinguish your child from others. In an arts program, your child will be asked to recite a monologue in 6 different ways, create a painting that represents a memory, or compose a new rhythm to enhance a piece of music. If children have practice thinking creatively, it will come naturally to them now and in their future career.
2. Confidence – The skills developed through theater, not only train you how to convincingly deliver a message, but also build the confidence you need to take command of the stage. Theater training gives children practice stepping out of their comfort zone and allows them to make mistakes and learn from them in rehearsal. This process gives children the confidence to perform in front of large audiences.
3. Problem Solving – Artistic creations are born through the solving of problems. How do I turn this clay into a sculpture? How do I portray a particular emotion through dance? How will my character react in this situation? Without even realizing it kids that participate in the arts are consistently being challenged to solve problems. All this practice problem solving develops children’s skills in reasoning and understanding. This will help develop important problem-solving skills necessary for success in any career.
4. Perseverance – When a child picks up a violin for the first time, she/he knows that playing Bach right away is not an option; however, when that child practices, learns the skills and techniques and doesn’t give up, that Bach concerto is that much closer. In an increasingly competitive world, where people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is essential to achieving success.
5. Focus – The ability to focus is a key skill developed through ensemble work. Keeping a balance between listening and contributing involves a great deal of concentration and focus. It requires each participant to not only think about their role, but how their role contributes to the big picture of what is being created. Recent research has shown that participation in the arts improves children’s abilities to concentrate and focus in other aspects of their lives.
6. Non-Verbal Communication – Through experiences in theater and dance education, children learn to breakdown the mechanics of body language. They experience different ways of moving and how those movements communicate different emotions. They are then coached in performance skills to ensure they are portraying their character effectively to the audience.
7. Receiving Constructive Feedback – Receiving constructive feedback about a performance or visual art piece is a regular part of any arts instruction. Children learn that feedback is part of learning and it is not something to be offended by or to be taken personally. It is something helpful. The goal is the improvement of skills and evaluation is incorporated at every step of the process. Each arts discipline has built in parameters to ensure that critique is a valuable experience and greatly contributes to the success of the final piece.
8. Collaboration – Most arts disciplines are collaborative in nature. Through the arts, children practice working together, sharing responsibility, and compromising with others to accomplish a common goal. When a child has a part to play in a music ensemble, or a theater or dance production, they begin to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group. Through these experiences children gain confidence and start to learn that their contributions have value even if they don’t have the biggest role.
9. Dedication – When kids get to practice following through with artistic endeavors that result in a finished product or performance, they learn to associate dedication with a feeling of accomplishment. They practice developing healthy work habits of being on time for rehearsals and performances, respecting the contributions of others, and putting effort into the success of the final piece. In the performing arts, the reward for dedication is the warm feeling of an audience’s applause that comes rushing over you, making all your efforts worthwhile.
10. Accountability – When children practice creating something collaboratively they get used to the idea that their actions affect other people. They learn that when they are not prepared or on-time, that other people suffer. Through the arts, children also learn that it is important to admit that you made a mistake and take responsibility for it. Because mistakes are a regular part of the process of learning in the arts, children begin to see that mistakes happen. We acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.

© The Washington Post Company

21st Century

An article posted in Education Week. 

Nine Lessons on How to Teach 21st Century Skills and Knowledge

By Anthony Jackson on October 24, 2012 4:46 AM

How do we teach 21st century skills? Well, it turns out there's a science to it. Anna Rosefsky Saavedra and V. Darleen Opfer at the RAND Corporation explain.
By Anna R. Saavedra and V. Darleen Opfer

As Thomas Friedman put it in a recent New York Times column, globalization compounds the urgency for students to develop the skills and knowledge they need for economic and civic success in the 21st century. Yet despite widespread agreement among parents, educators, employers, and policymakers worldwide that students need skills like critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and creativity, these skills are stubbornly difficult to teach and learn.

The "transmission" model, through which teachers transmit factual knowledge via lectures and textbooks, remains the dominant approach to compulsory education in much of the world. Students taught through this method typically do not practice applying knowledge to new contexts, communicating it in complex ways, solving problems, or developing creativity. In short, as our new paper lays out, it is not the most effective way to teach 21st century skills.

Decades of empirical research about how individuals learn, however, provide valuable insight into how pedagogy can address the need for 21st century skills. Indeed, the research suggests nine lessons that inform how to teach these skills:

1. Make it relevant. The relevance of learning specific knowledge and skills is much clearer to students—and much more motivating—if they understand how a given topic fits into "the big picture," or a meaningful context.


2. Teach through the disciplines. Students develop their 21st century skills and knowledge as they learn why each academic discipline is important, how experts create new knowledge, and how they communicate about it.


3. Develop lower and higher order thinking skills—at the same time. Students need to comprehend relationships between given variables and how to apply this understanding to different contexts.


4. Encourage transfer of learning. Students need to develop the ability to apply skills, concepts, knowledge, attitudes, and/or strategies they develop in one context, situation or application to another, reflexively (low-road transfer) or after deliberate thought and analysis (high-road transfer).


5. Teach students to learn to learn (metacognition). Since there is a limit to how much students learn through formal schooling, they also must learn to learn on their own.


6. Address misunderstandings directly. People have many misunderstandings about how the world works that persist until they have the opportunity to develop alternative explanations.


7. Promote teamwork as a process and outcome. The ability to work collaboratively is an important 21st century skill, not to mention an important condition for optimal learning of other key skills.


8. Exploit technology to support learning. Use of technology is another critical 21st century skill, essential to help develop many of the other skills mentioned here.


9. Foster students' creativity. Creative development requires structure and intentionality—the ability of the mind to form representations—from teachers and students, and can be learned through each of the disciplines, not just through the arts.

Progressing from the outdated "transmission" model to the "21st century" model will involve entire educational systems. As educational purposes change, curriculum frameworks, instructional methods, and assessments must also. The changes demand increased teacher and administrator capacity and affect many facets of human capital, including teacher training, professional development, career mobility, and the teaching profession's cultural standing.

While there has been progress in preparing students for the 21st century, the remaining work will require of teachers, administrators, and policymakers precisely the skills that we deem critical for students—as well as the political will to ensure that educators directly involved in transitioning to the 21st century model have the time, support, and resources they need.

This study was presented as part of Asia Society's Global Cities Education Network Symposium in May at our new Centre in Hong Kong. Anna R. Saavedra is an associate policy researcher at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation, and V. Darleen Opfer is director of RAND Education.

Student's Emotional Well-Being

This came from informEd--an online commentary for the education industry. 

 

Holistic Teaching: 20 Reasons Why Educators Should Consider a Student’s Emotional Well-Being

Posted by Julie DeNeen on Monday, October 15, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Educators and policy makers are starting to realize that the current educational system doesn’t necessarily guarantee a well-balanced and healthy adult, even if grades show that a student has learned the concepts. Psychologists especially, insist that education models take into account the whole person.
Here are 20 reasons why.

1. Emotions impact learning

The brain is a complex organ that cannot be fractured into separate parts and pieces. A student who is feeling confident and healthy will be better able to “hear” a lecture or absorb new material if their emotional state is balanced.

2. Learning is not just about the acquisition of facts

Learning doesn’t just mean that a person has memorized a concept. Knowledge must be applied to real world situations where there are other people to connect and converse with.

3. Emotional health is crucial for success

Success in the world means that an individual can interact with his or her environment in a meaningful and helpful way.
When depression or anxiety sets in, this cripples a person’s ability to share their learning with others. The knowledge is lost behind a wall of mental illness.

4. Creativity is necessary for innovation

New ideas are birthed from creativity. Creativity cannot be expressed unless the student is engaged and able to commit brainpower to applying the knowledge in an innovative way.
It is like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Creativity will not be allowed to work if other needs and problems aren’t dealt with first.

5. Inspiration drives the desire to find out more

Inspiration is another emotional feeling that propels students to dig deeper. When an online course inspires someone to do his or her own research, it further cements the learning process.
Inspiration is rare in an individual who is emotionally unwell.

6. Positivity promotes productivity

“Feel good feelings” give a student the sensation that helps promote concentration. This in turn leads to an increase in productivity.
The more a student can get done, the more opportunity there is for more learning!

7. Depression reduces the ability to finish what you’ve started

Depression kills all feelings of confidence, inspiration, and creativity.
If educators don’t monitor their student’s emotional well being, people may drop out of courses when life events cripple them emotionally.

8. Memories can be altered with lack of sleep and/or trauma

It does not matter how organized a course is if a student is not in good shape emotionally. Memory function is reduced, as the person must use 100% of their brain to just get through the day.
Fatigue is also a side effect of emotional sickness, and this impacts memory too.

9. There are layers of intelligence

The ability to spout off facts is only one type of intelligence. In fact, people with solid emotional health can often function better in the world, even if they are not as intelligent or well educated as others.
Isn’t this a form of intelligence, to be able to live in the world in a meaningful way?

10. A person’s worldview is colored by their emotional wellbeing

Individual perception is a crucial component to success. If a student cannot see himself as someone who can offer the world anything, the knowledge acquired throughout their education will not reproduce itself in any tangible goals.

11. Connecting life, knowledge, and emotions makes learning more meaningful

Learning does not happen in a vacuum. A student is more likely to continue his education when he sees the concepts and values affecting his life in a meaningful way.
When boredom, despair, or frustration set in, has a course succeeded in its goal to educate? It cannot always be the fault of the student.
Sometimes it is a sign that a course needs to rethink its curriculum.

12. Holistic teaching can help those with learning disabilities

More attention needs to be paid to those students who don’t learn with the same speed or productivity as the average person.
Courses that take into consideration the abilities (or disabilities) of its students, can then help tailor the course in a way that gives everyone the best chance of success.

13. Education is only useful if the student has a well-developed “voice”

Courses should consider how a student will then communicate the knowledge they’ve learned in a work environment. Helping students develop their own voice will ensure that the concepts learned in the course will impact a person’s ability to make a difference. After all, this is the reason for education in the first place.

14. School doesn’t always help emotional well being

Unfortunately, some school environments do the opposite of promoting wellbeing. Online courses don’t have to contend with a classroom full of students, but how the course is laid out (its accessibility to an instructor, materials, other students, etc.) will impact a person’s experience. You want them to walk away feeling like they “belonged” in the class.
This is an important part of learning that can’t be ignored for online educators.

15. Online learning can be adapted to those with mental disorders

Throughout history, those with mental illness have been isolated and ostracized because of their disability.
Online learning has the ability to reach this population of people, but great care needs to be taken to help reduce frustration and hopelessness for those who join a class. Since mental disorders require a holistic approach to healing, education can be a part of that process.
What a profound opportunity.

16. Emotional health can signal the effectiveness of the learning that is occurring

In some cases, online educators can evaluate the success of their courses based on the emotional health of their students. For example, an online psychology course could also have a practicum that gives the students the opportunity to do some of their own internal work. Not only are the concepts being taught, but also a student’s emotional well being is enhanced.

17. Happiness gives people the perception of success, encouraging them to keep moving

Even if a student is struggling to pass an exam, a happy and balanced mindset will give them an edge over another student who may be excelling grade wise, but miserable emotionally.
The happier person will continue onward, taking more classes and doing his or her best, even if the obstacles seem overwhelming.

18. Evaluating failure with the whole person in mind helps to measure the effectiveness of a course

If a student passes an online course but then struggles to hold down a job, has the course been successful? It brings to light the purpose of education.
Teachers may argue that the course material has nothing to do with job responsibility, but what point is there in educating an individual on advanced mathematics if he can’t hold down a job?
Isn’t it just as important to teach people responsibility? Educators must evaluate their courses using more than just grades.

19. Emotional wellbeing as part of the curriculum helps with developing interpersonal skills

Every course should have a component in the curriculum that gives students a chance to try out their concepts and knowledge in an interpersonal setting. Knowledge should have exponential impact, growing with each person that hears and applies it.

20. Education will continue to succeed if it takes a holistic approach

More and more, people are starting to see the gaping holes in the current educational system. Online education has a unique opportunity to take the lead in the world of education by adopting a holistic approach.
Without the restraints of traditional education, the potential is there for online courses to transform the way society handles the educational process.

Image by Jetheriot

About Julie DeNeen

Julie DeNeen has her bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Haven. She spent several years working for a local Connecticut school at the district level, implementing new technologies to help students and teachers in the classroom. She also taught workshops to teachers about the importance of digital student management software, designed to keep students, parents, and teachers connected to the learning process.

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