Secret to Success: Talent or Work Ethics?

I complimented a gifted young 7th grader the other day on his work ethics forgetting that he was only 12 and may not know what the term “work ethics” really mean.

I asked him if he did, and his response was, “Yeah, it means not playing around in the computer and actually getting stuff done.”

Yup. That pretty much sums it up for 7th graders and the working class citizens. In a room full of gifted learners, though, “getting stuff done” may not quite be that simple. I’ve encountered enough learners in my teaching experience to make an observation that many gifted learners already know they’re gifted, but they don’t quite know what to do with their “giftedness.” Then there are others who think that the label itself will give them a free pass to a successful future because they surpassed benchmark goals, they have been praised for exceeding expectations, and they often do get stuff done quickly and accurately.

This is where the behavior issues arise. In order to instill work ethics in these young adults, they must first need to be aware that these are tangible values that actually matter even if “it’s not for a grade.”

The message is not so much to have students “work hard to be successful,” but instead instill a set of values in them that is crucial in the development of self-sustaining communities.

In guiding learners through their independent research projects, reminding them to keep reading, writing, and taking notes is not enough. Everyday, I hold small group conferences with them to answer essential questions to make their learning more useful and progressive. Real-time learning is in the academic conversations they have among each other, and in the questions they pose to challenge each other. These conversations show them that no, they don’t know everything yet because they couldn’t possibly anticipate all kinds of questions that may be brought up, but yes, be prepared to live in a world where problem-solving must be done in real time.

Today we explored this question:

Which characteristic leads to more success: talent (giftedness) or work ethics? Explain.

·         “Definitely work ethics because you could have a lot of talent but be so lazy that people don’t even realize you’re talented.”

·         “I think work ethics leads to more success because singers can have talent, but they wouldn’t be successful if they didn’t work hard.”

·         “Talent is a more important characteristic because you can learn work ethics, but if you don’t have the talent, you can’t learn it.”

·         “Work ethics are more important because without it, talent won’t make much of a difference.”

·         “You’ll do better than people who rely on talent alone if you have work ethics.”

·         “Talent is a better characteristic that will most likely lead to success because even if you don’t have good work ethics, you can still do the same project at the very last minute and make it look good.”

·         “Both are equally important because without talent what’s the point? You won’t be good at it. If you don’t have work ethics, then you don’t give proper image as a worker.”

·         “Talent and work ethics combined both add to the level of success a person has. The more work ethics and the more talent a person has, the more successful he can be. If you don’t have talent in a chosen field, and you’re not inspired to work hard to learn, then it’s not for you. You won’t get there.”

Surprisingly, the majority of my gifted learners agree that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” but they still have so much to learn about work. It’s not just about the outcome nor the reward, but the process and the collaboration. How can we improve our learning communities within the young adult population?

The WHY and the HOW of Teaching Picture Books for Complex Learning and Critical Thinking

THE WHY
When I worked for Fossil, a multi-brand watch, apparel, and accessories company as a web marketing coordinator in the ecommerce department many years ago, there was one corporate training that really made a lasting impression on me. It was led by a marketing executive who used Dr. Seuss' Oh the Place You'll Go! to engage worker bees like me to be inspired.

Back then, I was straight out of college and reliving scenes from Office Space. The cubicle life was unbearable. Think you hate meetings? Well, have you ever fallen asleep so much in them that you dropped your legal pad several times during a conference call? Yeah, that was me. I despised them! I was an English major, why should I care about sales reports? Why did I care about the fashion industry? It had nothing to do with my passion. Or so I thought.

The marketing executive reminded me with images from childhood memories that passion was everywhere. Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss? What about Dr. Seuss in a corporate meeting? Yes, please! That was my response. I woke up, picked up my legal pad, and listened. His delivery allowed me, a mere worker bee, to find wisdom and inspiration in everything- even in a meeting about selling brand watches. Marketing people are gifted in that way. They have the ability to get people excited about things many may tend to overlook. They would make excellent coaches and teachers if they ever get tired of getting paid a lot of money to do what they do. They should really switch to teaching.

Anyway, I actually listened to the training, had fun, and learned something. Imagine that! It was all in the delivery. The speaker demonstrated that learning can be both lighthearted and profound. Bringing Dr. Seuss to a corporate training did that for me. As I continue my career being an educator and a lifelong learner, I find that people of all ages everywhere are longing for that. They want to learn things that are authentic and real. Gifted and advanced learners are the ones most hungry for it.

Children's picture books promote a safe, relaxed learning environment for everyone, but in gifted and talented learners, the use of these books can foster critical thinking that may lead to solving their own problems like mine: boredom! If I was bored in meetings as an adult, I know the kids are bored in their classrooms listening to blahblahblahblahblah... Why not bring some fun childhood stuff like picture books to their learning environment like the way the Fossil marketing executive did for me?

At a teacher training last week, another skilled educator/trainer caught my attention by using picture books. It was a session called "Adding Rigor by Layering Texts." The purpose of the session was for teachers to learn how to use various texts, such as literary, informational, and even picture books for advanced learners to discover and grasp a concept. There are so many children's books out there that can introduce some really tough issues like the Holocaust or Jim Crow laws to help learners grasp those hard-to-teach concepts. Google a hot topic and add 'children's book' in your search and you'll find plenty of suggestions. I've used my own children's books that I've written to teach some important social development issues that need to be addressed. You'll see pictures and graphic organizers written with my favorite Sharpies and Post It notes, but here's a much clearer outline:

THE HOW:
HOW TO MAKE CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS MORE COMPLEX TO FOSTER CRITICAL THINKING FOR GIFTED STUDENTS
Book Example: Camilla the Chameleon (preorder in our site here.)

STEP 1: Use a bubble map to INTRODUCE AN UNDERLYING THEME in picture books, adding layers and complexity to the text. For example, in Camilla, the theme is about change and personal growth. Ask students what they think it means and share with the whole class.

STEP 2: Activate PRIOR KNOWLEDGE and GATHER RELEVANT/INTERESTING facts. Students list facts that they already know about chameleons and then do a quick web search for more relevant facts. This activity can be done as a whole class or small group presentations.

STEP 3: UNDERSTAND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE in picture books by reminding them of the underlying theme and connect it with the story. For example, have students connect the metaphor of the chameleon with change and personal growth. Use a graphic organizer like the one pictured to map out a working definition (which can change over time and more discussions) of the theme's meaning, the genre and book description being used to teach the theme, and other notes and observations.

STEP 4: USE SOCRATIC SEMINAR method to discuss the following critical thinking questions:
a. What other organisms go through physical changes?
b. What changes do we (humans) go through - internally and externally?
c.  How do these changes affect our behavior and reactions?
d.  How are we like Camilla the Chameleon?
NOTE: These sample questions aim to drive students to understand that we need to anticipate changes in our lives to learn how to adapt. Adaptability is essential in survival and success.

STEP 5: READ THE BOOK ALOUD. Play the accompanying songs.

STEP 6: READER RESPONSE ACTIVITY: Repeat song, have students sing chorus, etc. Analyze story elements to monitor comprehension. Use whole group or small group activities  to do this and divide tasks for each group member such as Summarizer, Questioner, Clarifier, Predictor, etc. Give time to discuss or just let the story and song "sink in."

STEP 7: CULMINATING ACTIVITY: Assess what students learned by having them create or produce a reflection of what they learned about change and personal growth. Some sample ideas (taken from Fifty Alternatives to the Book Report by Diana Mitchell)
a.Word Collage: Make an artsy word collage to represent the theme of personal growth and change. Be able to explain your art by summarizing what you have learned.
b. Create a homepage: Select a character from the book and design a homepage for him/her, picking out appropriate backgrounds and creating information that would tell a viewer about your character.
c. Forum or text conversations: Imagine that your character has found other people to talk with while in a chatroom forum or in a text conversation. Construct the conversation based on your character.
d. Make music: Figure out how you would rewrite or recreate the songs. Add to the lyrics of the original song.
e. Have students propose their own project.

Have fun! Don't forget to lead them back to this adorable music video!
You Should Be Happy Being You

STEP 1: Use a bubble map to introduce the underlying theme of the picture book
STEP 2: List facts students already know and add facts from what they learned to activate prior knowledge and collect data.

STEP 3: Connect the underlying theme with the facts and data to help understand connotation, metaphor, and other uses of figurative language in literature by using the graphic organizer pictured above. Purple Post It will show the working definition of the theme (it can change over time and further discussions). Pink shows the genre and description of the book. The bottom Post It notes show other ideas, notes, and noticings/observations.
STEP 4: Some sample discussion questions to jumpstart the Socratic Seminar. 

Steps 5-7: Read aloud the book, play the accompanying song with lyrics via Youtube video You Should Be Happy Being You