Friday, June 17, 2011

"The Way We're Working Isn't Working" ...For Teachers


Recently I have been reading books on business and marketing. As usual I find another "favorite book of the week" with a compulsion to share. The latest is:

The Way We're Working Isn't Working by Tony Schwartz, the CEO (Chief Energy Officer) of the Energy Project.

One thing that stuck with me; his stance on willpower. Schwartz references Roy Baumeister and his self-control studies.

"Self control, Baumeister hypothesized, operates the same way a muscle does during resistance training. Exposed to continous stress, the muscle becomes progressively depleted of strength until ultimately it can't exert any more energy and fails. If we have to rely on willpower to sustain a new behavior the overwhelming likelihood is that we'll eventually fail" - Tony Schwartz

So Lit Mavin, what is your point?
Well, I was thinking about our students, especially our struggling learners-socially and/or academically. Some of our students are using all the energy they have to either learn or fight impulsivity. Do we truly appreciate that fact? How can we support them so they don't use all their reserves? Do we have the scaffolds to support them as they learn new strategies to bridge the gap?

Something to think about..

Until Next Time,
Lit Maven Out!

Picture Credit: phaewilk

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