Original Proposal

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johnkarls
Posts: 2034
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:43 pm

Original Proposal

Post by johnkarls »

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---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
From: ReadingLiberally-SaltLake@johnkarls.com
To: ReadingLiberallyEmailList@johnkarls.com
Bcc: The Approximately 150 Recipients of Our Weekly E-mail
Subject: Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why - Oct 19
Date: Sat, September 17, 2016
Time: 4:37 am MDT – 5:42 am MDT (due to 100/hour limit)
Attachment:
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Dear Friends,

Our next meeting is Wednesday evening Oct 19 (Oct 12 is Yom Kippur) at the Salt Lake Public Library (210 East 400 South).

NB: For those who like to avoid having to Skype during vacations, our future meeting dates are:

Wed Nov 16 (to maintain our minimum 4-week gap)
Wed Dec 14
Wed Jan 11
Wed Feb 8
Wed Mar 8
Wed Apr 12
Wed May 10
Wed Jun 14


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OUR FOCUS BOOK

NY Times Bestseller “Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why” by Paul Tough (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 5/24/2016 - $11.86 Hardcover + shipping or $9.99 Kindle from Amazon.com – 119 pages (no notes or index)).


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FROM THE INSIDE FRONT FLAP

In [an earlier book published 2013] How Children Succeed, Paul Tough introduced us to research showing that personal qualities like perseverance, self-control, and conscientiousness play a critical role in children’s success.

Now, in Helping Children Succeed, Tough takes on a new set of pressing questions: What does growing up in poverty do to children’s mental and physical development? How does adversity at home affect their success in the classroom, from preschool to high school? And what practical steps can the adults who are responsible for them—from parents and teachers to policy makers and philanthropists—take to improve their chances for a positive future?

Tough once again encourages us to think in a brand new way about the challenges of childhood. Rather than trying to “teach” skills like grit and self-control, he argues, we should focus instead on creating the kinds of environments, both at home and at school, in which those qualities are most likely to flourish. Mining the latest research in psychology and neuroscience, Tough provides us with insights and strategies for a new approach to childhood adversity, one designed to help many more children succeed.


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ORIGINAL PROPOSAL BY UTAH OWL (AKA JUNE TAYLOR – U/UTAH RADIOLOGY RESEARCH PROFESSOR)

Posted by UtahOwl » Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:53 pm -- 101 views before being transplanted here.

This is following up on John’s deep interest in helping underprivileged children succeed in school. The author, Paul Tough, does a good job of summarizing the current state of neuroscience research relating to learning and behavior, and practical applications of the research. His first book was on the work of Geoff Canada, the founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, a remarkably successful project for shepherding children from poor families successfully from preschool through high school graduation and college. In the decade since, Tough has continued his interest in why children succeed and why the gap in school performance between poor and affluent children has resisted efforts to close it.

[Excerpt from] kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/paul-tough/helping-children-succeed/ [included in Utah Owl’s proposal]:

In this sequel to How Children Succeed (2012), Tough moves beyond the question of why children from affluent families fare better than those who grow up in poverty. The author discusses the ways in which parents, teachers, and other adults can help children succeed despite their backgrounds. Poor health, neglect, abuse, and deficiencies in early cognitive stimulation are just a few of the reasons why children fail to thrive. Backed by his intensive research, Tough outlines many simple and effective methods currently in use at day care centers, preschools, and schools that counteract the effects of an environment that is unstable, chaotic, and unpredictable.

[Excerpt from] New York Times book review nytimes.com/2012/08/26/books/review/how-children-succeed-by-paul-tough.html [included in Utah Owl’s proposal]:

Though the title “How Children Succeed” makes the book sound like an instruction manual for parents, it’s really a guide to the ironies and perversities of income inequality in America. Tough, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, portrays a country of very privileged children and very poor ones, both deprived of the emotional and intellectual experi¬ences that make for sturdy character. The political and economic consequences of our unbalanced society have been brought to the fore by debates about the causes of the Great Recession and the claims of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Paul Tough brings us news of the psychological effects of income inequality, through stories of the people who feel these effects most acutely: our children.


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EXTRA-CREDIT PROPOSAL BY TED GURNEY (RETIRED U/U BIOLOGY PROF) AND ELIZABETH (“TUCKER”) GURNEY (ALSO A RETIRED U/U BIOLOGY PROF & WIFE OF TED)

Paul Tough’s earlier NY Times Bestseller “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character” (Paperback version by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Mariner Books 7/2/2013 – $11.96 Paperback + shipping or $10.99 Kindle – 197 pages sans notes & index).

On Wed Aug 3, Ted posted a “reply” to Utah Owl’s original proposal after reading both books, in which Ted strongly recommended that we also read Paul Tough’s 2013 book “HOW Children Succeed” even though it is summarized at the beginning of his 2016 book “HELPING Children Succeed.”

Ted’s recommendation was reiterated by Tucker after we voted at our 9/14/2016 meeting for Utah Owl’s proposal of the 2016 book “HELPING Children Succeed.”

Extra Credit from Tucker & Ted is what you will earn from also reading the earlier (2013) book -- in addition to the intrinsic value of having done so rather than relying on the summary of the 2013 book at the beginning of the 2016 book.


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AUTHOR BIO (FROM THE INSIDE BACK FLAP OF THE 2016 BOOK)

Paul Tough’s previous book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character” spent more than a year on the New York Times hardcover and paperback bestseller lists and was translated into 27 languages.

Tough is also the author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America.

He is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine and a regular contributor to the public-radio program This American Life (Houghton Mifflin 9/10/2008).


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RSVP’s REQUESTED BY NEXT FRIDAY

In accordance with our quorum-policy revision of 6/12/2013, instead of waiting until the last week before each monthly meeting to request RSVP's and canceling if we do not have our minimum quorum of six, RSVP's are requested in our first-of-the-monthly-cycle weekly e-mail.

Those who have RSVP’d will be informed immediately when we reach six so they can proceed to read the materials with assurance a discussion will take place.

If there are not six RSVP's by 11:59 pm next Friday, then next week's weekly e-mail will announce that the 10/19/2016 meeting is cancelled.


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SKYPE PARTICIPATION

Non-Utah-residents (and residents who are out of town) are invited to participate in our meeting via Skype.

If you would like to do so, please press your reply button and type “request participation via Skype” and we will contact you to make appropriate arrangements.


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We hope to see all of you on Oct 19th.

Your friend,

John K.

PS -- To un-subscribe, please press "reply" and type "deletion requested."

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