内容简介
11+, GCSEs, A levels - it sometimes seems like the story of our children's lives is of one academic test after another. We're convinced that a good performance in these exams will lead to success later on in life. But what if we're wrong?
In fact, studies are increasingly showing that the qualities most likely to ensure a better degree, a better job and, ultimately, a more fulfilling life are perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control. These are qualities known to economists as 'non-cognitive', to psychologists as 'personality traits' but to the rest of us as 'character'.
How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators who are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories - and the stories of the children they are trying to help - acclaimed journalist Paul Tough traces the links between childhood stress, childhood cosseting, and life success. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents prepare - or fail to prepare - their children for adulthood. And he provides new insights into the best ways to help children growing up in poverty.
Early adversity, scientists have come to understand, not only physically affects children's lives, it can also alter the neurological development of their brains. But now educators and doctors are using that knowledge to develop innovative interventions that allow children to overcome the constraints of poverty. And with the help of these new strategies, as Tough's eye-opening reporting makes clear, even children who grow up in the most painful circumstances can go on to achieve amazing things.
This is a provocative and profoundly hopeful book that will change the way you think about raising and educating children.
作者简介
Paul Tough is the author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America and the author of a series of acclaimed articles on character and childhood in the New York Times Magazine and the New Yorker. He is a contributing editor to the New York Times Magazine and a frequent contributor to the public-radio program This American Life. He lives with his wife and son in New York.
精彩书评
"Drop the flashcards - grit, character, and curiosity matter even more than cognitive skills. A persuasive wake-up call."
—People Magazine
"In this absorbing and important book, Tough explains why American children from both ends of the socioeconomic spectrum are missing out on these essential experiences. … The book illuminates the extremes of American childhood: for rich kids, a safety net drawn so tight it’s a harness; for poor kids, almost nothing to break their fall."
—Annie Murphy Paul, The New York Times Book Review
"An engaging book that casts the school reform debate in a provocative new light. … [Tough] introduces us to a wide-ranging cast of characters — economists, psychologists, and neuroscientists among them — whose work yields a compelling new picture of the intersection of poverty and education."
—Thomas Toch, The Washington Monthly
"Mr. Tough’s new book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, combines compelling findings in brain research with his own first-hand observations on the front lines of school reform. He argues that the qualities that matter most to children’s success have more to do with character – and that parents and schools can play a powerful role in nurturing the character traits that foster success. His book is an inspiration. It has made me less of a determinist, and more of an optimist."
—Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail
"How Children Succeed is a must-read for all educators. It’s a fascinating book that makes it very clear that the conventional wisdom about child development is flat-out wrong."
—School Leadership Briefing
"I loved this book and the stories it told about children who succeed against big odds and the people who help them. … It is well-researched, wonderfully written and thought-provoking."
—Siobhan Curious, Classroom as Microcosm
"How to Succeed takes readers on a high-speed tour of experimental schools and new research, all peppered with anecdotes about disadvantaged youths overcoming the odds, and affluent students meeting enough resistance to develop character strengths."
—James Sweeney, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"[This] wonderfully written new book reveals a school improvement measure in its infancy that has the potential to transform our schools, particularly in low-income neighborhoods."
—Jay Mathews, Washington Post
"Nurturing successful kids doesn’t have to be a game of chance. There are powerful new ideas out there on how best to equip children to thrive, innovations that have transformed schools, homes, and lives. Paul Tough has scoured the science and met the people who are challenging what we thought we knew about childhood and success. And now he has written the instruction manual. Every parent should read this book – and every policymaker, too."
— Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
"I wish I could take this compact, powerful, clear-eyed, beautifully written book and put it in the hands of every parent, teacher and politician. At its core is a notion that is electrifying in its originality and its optimism: that character — not cognition — is central to success, and that character can be taught. How Children Succeed will change the way you think about children. But more than that: it will fill you with a sense of what could be."
—Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here
"Turning the conventional wisdom about child development on its head, New York Times Magazine editor Tough argues that non-cognitive skills (persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence) are the most critical to success in school and life....Well-written and bursting with ideas, this will be essential reading for anyone who cares about childhood in America. "
— STARRED Kirkus Reviews
“This American Life contributor Tough (Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America) tackles new theories on childhood education with a compelling style that weaves in personal details about his own child and childhood. Personal narratives of administrators, teachers, students, single mothers, and scientists lend support to the extensive scientific studies Tough uses to discuss a new, character-based learning approach."
—Publishers Weekly
前言/序言
好的,这里为您创作一个关于一本名为《无畏的探索:培养未来领袖的内在驱动力》的图书简介,内容详实,旨在探讨教育、品格塑造与个人成长,但完全不涉及您提供的原书信息。 --- 无畏的探索:培养未来领袖的内在驱动力 导言:迷失在标准化的十字路口 在二十一世纪的教育浪潮中,我们似乎陷入了一种怪圈:过度依赖量化的评估,将学习简化为分数和排名,却忽略了真正驱动个体走向卓越的那些难以捉摸却至关重要的内在品质。今天的学校和家庭,都在努力应对一个共同的挑战:如何在高度竞争的环境中,培养出不仅能适应未来,更能塑造未来的人才? 《无畏的探索:培养未来领袖的内在驱动力》正是在此背景下诞下的一部具有前瞻性的指南。本书深入剖析了当代教育体系中被忽视的维度——那些支撑个体穿越不确定性、激发持久学习热情、并最终实现深层价值的“软性力量”。我们不再满足于培养“聪明的孩子”,而是致力于塑造“有韧性的探索者”和“有远见的行动者”。 第一部分:重塑“成功”的定义——超越分数线的视野 传统的成功观往往将认知能力置于至高无上的地位。然而,本书认为,真正的成功是一种动态的平衡,它建立在坚实的情感基础和强大的适应能力之上。 1.1 认知与情境的鸿沟: 我们将首先探讨现代智力测试与真实世界复杂性之间的显著差距。高智商并不自动导向高成就,尤其是在面对颠覆性变革时。本书通过大量案例研究,展示了那些在学术上表现平平,但在创新领域大放异彩的人们的共同特质。 1.2 价值锚点的建立: 真正的驱动力来源于清晰的内部价值体系。我们探讨了如何帮助青少年识别并内化一套超越物质回报的道德指南和职业使命感。这包括对“意义感”的构建,以及如何在快速变化的社会中保持道德罗盘的稳定。 1.3 适应力而非记忆力: 未来的工作环境将是流动的、非线性的。本书提出了一种“情境学习模型”,强调个体处理模糊信息、快速切换视角和从失败中提取教训的能力。这不仅仅是“恢复力”,而是一种主动利用逆境进行结构性重塑的能力。 第二部分:内在驱动力的解剖学——好奇心、专注力与自我效能 内在驱动力并非神秘的力量,而是一系列可被培养和强化的心理机制。《无畏的探索》将这些机制细致解构,并提供了实用的工具箱。 2.1 好奇心:从“被动接收”到“主动探寻”: 我们区分了两种好奇心:表层的好奇(对新奇事物的短暂兴趣)和深层的好奇(对事物底层逻辑的持续追问)。本书着重介绍如何通过设计“有张力的学习环境”来激发后者,鼓励孩子提出“为什么不?”而不是仅仅接受“为什么是?”的答案。 2.2 深度专注力的重建: 在数字信息爆炸的时代,持续、不受干扰的深度工作能力已成为稀缺资源。本书分析了分散注意力的神经学基础,并提出了“心流契合度”的培养方案。这包括对“微习惯”的运用,以及如何建立与环境的“数字边界”,从而重新夺回对注意力的主权。 2.3 自我效能感的螺旋上升: 自我效能感——相信自己有能力完成任务的信念——是行动力的核心。本书将自我效能的建立分解为“小胜利的积累”和“可控性归因”两个关键步骤。我们阐述了父母和教育者如何巧妙地退出“直接干预”,转而成为“赋能的观察者”,让孩子真实体验到掌握任务的成就感。 第三部分:教育者的角色重塑——从知识的传递者到成长的催化剂 培养未来领袖,需要教育者和家长自身先完成一次观念的转变。本书认为,成人的角色必须从“答案的提供者”转变为“问题的引导者”和“潜能的激发者”。 3.1 授权式反馈的艺术: 低效的表扬和批评都可能扼杀孩子的内在动机。我们提出了一种基于“过程观察”的反馈框架,它侧重于识别孩子在策略选择和努力程度上的优缺点,而非仅仅评价结果。这种反馈使孩子将注意力从“我是否足够聪明”转移到“我如何能做得更好”上。 3.2 培养“建设性失败”的文化: 恐惧失败是扼杀创新的头号元凶。本书详细阐述了如何在家庭和课堂中建立一个“安全失败区”。我们分享了如何引导孩子进行“失败复盘会议”,将每一次挫折视为昂贵却宝贵的实验数据,从而将负面情绪转化为前瞻性的学习机会。 3.3 榜样力量的微妙性: 成年人的行为比说教更具穿透力。本书探讨了父母和教师如何通过展示自身的“成长型思维”——例如,公开承认自己的知识盲区并积极学习新技能——来潜移默化地影响下一代。真正的领导力是从承认自身局限开始的。 第四部分:面向未来的实践路径——从家庭到社群 本书的最终目标是提供一套可落地的、跨越年龄段的实践框架,确保内在驱动力能够在真实世界中得到检验和磨砺。 4.1 项目式学习的深度应用: 我们倡导超越肤浅的兴趣班,转向需要跨学科整合、长期承诺和社区反馈的深度项目。这些项目不仅是技能的学习,更是对责任感、时间管理和协作精神的综合考验。 4.2 跨代际的知识传承: 介绍如何设计家庭和社区活动,让青少年有机会指导年长者掌握新技术或新观念。这种“反向指导”不仅提升了青少年的沟通和教学能力,更极大地巩固了他们的自我价值感和专业自信。 4.3 应对“即时满足”的挑战: 现代科技鼓励快速回报,而深层次的成就往往需要延迟满足。本书提供了一系列策略,帮助家庭在不切断与数字世界联系的前提下,重建对“长期回报”的耐心和期待感,例如通过设定“价值里程碑”而非“时间目标”。 结语:塑造拥有内在罗盘的人 《无畏的探索》不是一本关于如何让孩子在考试中取得高分的秘籍,而是一份关于如何培养他们终生学习的热情、坚韧的品格以及自主解决问题的能力的宣言。当我们不再将教育视为一场临时的竞赛,而是视为一场持续一生的内在旅程时,我们才能真正为孩子装备好,让他们有勇气和能力去探索未知的世界,并最终成为那个值得信赖的、有远见的未来领袖。 ---