This week’s spotlight falls on a book about success. With students, we talk about having a balanced reading diet, just like it is important to have a balanced diet when eating to stay healthy. Studies have found that women read more fiction, whereas men read more of the opposite – nonfiction. (That’s a shocker, isn’t it?!) So, this book fulfills my dose of nonfiction to keep my reading diet balanced.
Outliers, written by Malcolm Gladwell, is a book that challenges our beliefs about success. Malcolm proposes that success is much more complex then we think. I have to say I am totally fascinated with this book and what Malcolm has found. One of the early chapters delves into the “10,000 Hour Rule”. By looking at people who are considered experts in their fields of work, Malcolm has found a commonality – 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert.
As I read and lived with this “10, 000 Hour Rule” idea, my teacher mind went to children and reading. What do we want our children to be successful at? Is that what they’re practicing? I believe this question is essential to what we (teachers & parents) believe about children, reading, and learning.
