Activity 7.5: What makes a Successful Learner?

Activity 7.5: What makes a Successful Learner?

Malcolm Gladwell’s (2008) Outliers is the piece I chose to listen to and read. I wonder why they are not verbatim. After I answer the questions, I will pose some additional questions.
Gladwell’s main points are that work ethic varies between cultures and that this may help explain the gap between American and Asian fourth and eighth graders math scores on the international TIMSS test, given every four years. His claim is that the Asian nations consistently out score Americans due to a long history of year-round commitment to very precise, labor-intensive, communal rice production, which teaches hard work and discipline in all areas of life, especially education. Attitude and effort, besides the fact that Americans go to school about 180 days versus 243 for the Japanese, are affecting learning, thus test scores. I agree with Gladwell, that longer days and a year round school calendar, eliminating the long summer breaks, and emphasizing such character strengths as grit, self-control, and resiliency, may help bridge the gap between our own schools, and those of other nations.  Will American parents and children, buy into this framework, be willing to work this hard and give up their summer vacation? I agree with Gladwell, that culturally we have major differences, but that U.S. agriculture began with very few settlers working massive acres of land in the prairies, which over time has led to increased mechanization, from the family farm to huge agribusiness conglomerates. My pop and his father worked for John Deere for over 70 years between them, my father designing engines for enormous combines. It is hard to compare the small, labor-intensive rice paddies, to the Iowa corn and soybean production, and yes, these differences reflect our cultures.  Gladwell also claims that Asians are better at math because there is a “big difference in how numbering-naming systems in Western and Asian languages are constructed” (p. 228), making Chinese simpler, sensible, and more logical, which allows them to be able hold more digits (up to ten) into memory. So the fact that Asians score higher on the math tests, have less to do with IQ, and more to do with language and culture.

I have studied the KIPP program’s development of the character strengths report card, which Paul Tough (2012) discusses in his publications, and I think if our youth can learn how to put forth effort, perseverance, and motivation, they will also develop the self-regulation skills, strong self-efficacy, and agency to successfully engage in school and life in general. There is also the element of chance as discussed by Bandura (2011) since the students’ fate, is determined by the luck of a lottery to be allowed an opportunity to attend KIPP. These and other factors mentioned by Gladwell, absolutely fit into the social cognitive theoretical framework, with an emphasis on teachers, parents and learners to become growth-minded, goal-oriented, lifelong learners, within any culture.
 
Gladwell’s views are most consistent with social cognitive theorists, especially Zimmerman (2002) and Bandura (2011), in that they endorse modeling, self-efficacy, and self-regulation processes to improve learning.  Bandura states that the behaviorists believed learning to be “by direct experiences through paired stimulation and response consequences” (p. 1), whereas he feels that “observational learning” takes place “from the myriad modeling influences in their social and symbolic environment” (p. 1).  So like Gladwell, he recognizes the influence of one’s cultural and environmental affects upon the individual’s and a society’s system of learning. American’s may apply Asian educational models of effort, endurance and precision, from their high, agricultural standards, to improve our own educational system. Zimmerman emphasizes the value of study, many hours of practice, and self-efficacy and regulatory process skills, that experts have developed. This dedication and motivation serves as a model for novices in various fields from academics, to sports and hobbies. Research shows that in schools, like KIPP, “each self-regularity process or belief, such as gold setting, strategy use, and self-evaluation, can be learned from instruction and modeling by parents, teachers, coaches, and peers” (p. 69). Gladwell sees the influence of Asian culture on language, mathematics, agriculture, work ethic and education, in general, on a macro and historical level, dating back thousands of years, while Bandura and Zimmerman, on a micro level, see the learning by the individual or self, in a relatively young, historically, and diverse United States. In terms of learning and our educational system, with a bit of luck, dedication, desire, and “baby steps,” Americans can compete, globally.

Gladwell discusses failure in learning as he refers to a famous video made by Alan Schoenfeld about a woman in her twenties, named Renee, solving a math problem about slope. The perseverance and determination she possessed was atypical in that she had the will to keep trying even after she failed, trying for twenty-two minutes. The typical high school student gave up after two minutes. “We sometimes think of being good at mathematics as an innate ability. You either have “it” or you don’t. But, to Schoenfeld, it’s not so much ability as attitude. You master mathematics if you are willing to try. Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard at something for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds” (p. 246).

Some people quit when faced with failure, while others see failure as a step in the right direction, since one rules out something after each attempt, until correct. The behaviorist sees each response to a stimulus as either a success or failure, followed by a reinforcing stimulus, positive or negative. With operant conditioning, a failed response to a discriminating stimulus receives a negative reinforcing stimulus. The reinforcement can be continuous or intermittent, but the subject “learns” the correct response to the stimulus to avoid failure, or punishment, thus receives the positive reinforcement.
William James (1890?) says that how one handles failure is about having a positive attitude “Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity, successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results.”  Some might say, fake it until you make it.

I do believe there are certain ingredients or recipes for developing successful children, but they involve commitment on the part of everyone involved in the process. Gladwell's description of the KIPP program may in and of itself be a recipe for success. "It is not the brightest that succeed. Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the stength and presence of mind to seize them" (p. 267). The Kipp program is offering those opportunities, and success, to more and more children, as they have expanded to over 140 schools across the country. Carol Dweck, in Mindset (2006), reveals the secrets of some great teachers and their students, also great coaches and their players, to discover how to promote success in our youth. You may notice that some of the “ingredients” are on both lists.
 
This compilation of ingredients, or words of wisdom, were borrowed from the following teachers, coaches and former players: Carol Dweck, Marva Collins, Raife Esquith, Dorothy DeLay, (Bobby Knight), Daryl Thomas, Steve Alford, Isiah Thomas, John Wooden, Bill Walton, Denny Crum, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pat Summit, Pat Riley, and Alex Rodriguez.

Recipe for Success
Ingredients recommended for parents and teachers to raise successful children: Combine the following ingredients in any order, and then mix gently, with lots of love.

Believe that anything is possible.

Care about every child.

Give respect, equal time and attention to all children.

Provide a nurturing atmosphere.

Show genuine affection for your children.

Continue to learn along with your children.

Know it is okay to not know everything, just know how to find out the answers.

Be growth-minded, non-judgmental, and selfless.

Have high standards for all children then, teach them how to reach them.

Do hard things that fill their brains.

Be excited about the process of discovery and sharing in your kids’ discoveries.

Be warm and accepting.

Be strict and provide disciplined, but a loving atmosphere.

Tell children when they are behind, then lay out a plan of attack.

Provide an atmosphere of affection and deep personal commitment to every student.

Challenge and nurture at the same time.

Teach how to reach high standards.

Teach children to love learning, to eventually learn and think for themselves.

Work hard on the fundamentals.

There are no shortcuts.

Ask for full commitment and full effort.

Know there is no magic.

Tell them the truth and give them the tools to succeed.

Do not give up on kids nor let them give up on themselves.

Have the desire to reach in and ignite the mind of every child.

Love to learn.

Ingredients recommended for children to achieve success: Combine the following ingredients in any order, and continue incorporating until firm and set.

Believe that anything is possible.

Know that if you can do it here, you can do it everywhere.

Know it is okay to not know everything, just know how to find out the answers.

Success, is not coming to you, you must come to it.

Know there is no magic.

Work hard on the fundamentals.

Be excited about the process of discovery

Know there are no shortcuts.

If you do not give anything, do not expect anything.

Do hard things that fill your brains.

Do not give up on yourself.

Love to learn.

Questions regarding motivation:

1. Why do social cognitive theorists consider fortuity, or chance occurrences, as a part of human functioning?

2. How would, placing an emphasis on strengthening children’s’ self-efficacy and establishing self-regulation processing skills, as early as age two, affect the achievement gap later in adolescence?

3. If there is evidence (Alexander), that summer vacation, affects the achievement gap, between the lower, middle and upper class (socioeconomic) children, why not institute a year round calendar, in our public schools?

4. Do Americans value summer vacation and leisure time over learning? What is preventing our schools from spending education dollars on extending the school year through summer, if it means closing the achievement gap?