內容簡介
“Drop the flashcards—grit, character, and curiosity matter even more than cognitive skills. A persuasive wake-up call.”— People
Why do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control.
How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.
“Illuminates the extremes of American childhood: for rich kids, a safety net drawn so tight it’s a harness; for poor kids, almost nothing to break their fall.”— New York Times
“I learned so much reading this book and I came away full of hope about how we can make life better for all kinds of kids.”— Slate
作者簡介
Paul Tough is the author, most recently, of "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character." His first book, "Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America," was published in the U.K. in 2009. He has written extensively about education, child development, poverty, and politics, including cover stories in the New York Times Magazine on character education, the achievement gap, and the Obama administration's anti-poverty policies. He has worked as an editor at the New York Times Magazine and Harper's Magazine and as a reporter and producer for the American public-radio program "This American Life." He was the founding editor of Open Letters, an online magazine. His writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Slate, GQ, Esquire, and Geist, and on the op-ed page of the New York Times. He lives with his wife and son in New York.
精彩書評
"Well-written and bursting with ideas, this will be essential [listening] for anyone who cares about childhood in America."
——Kirkus Starred Review
"I wish I could take this compact, powerful, clear-eyed, beautifully written book and put it in the hands of every parent, teacher and politician. At its core is a notion that is electrifying in its originality and its optimism: that character - not cognition - is central to success, and that character can be taught.
How Children Succeed will change the way you think about children. But more than that: it will fill you with a sense of what could be." --Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here
"Every parent should read this book - and every policymaker, too." --Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
"A timely and essential message . a brilliantly readable account of the growing evidence that inner resources count more than any amount of extra teaching support or after-school programmes when it comes to overcoming education disadvantage"--
Independent 前言/序言
理解與培養現代兒童成功的基石 一本深入探索決定兒童未來成就的非智力因素的權威指南 作者:[此處應為原書作者名,但為避免提及原書內容,我們將聚焦於本書將探討的普適性主題] 裝幀:平裝 --- 導讀:在競爭日益激烈的世界中,什麼真正塑造瞭成功人士? 在一個技術迭代加速、全球競爭白熱化的時代,傳統的“高分、名校”的成功公式正麵臨前所未有的挑戰。我們發現,那些最終在人生舞颱上取得持久成就的人,往往擁有一種超越純粹智力或知識積纍的內在力量。本書將帶領讀者深入剖析,究竟是哪些深層次的心理特質、行為模式和環境塑造,構成瞭驅動個體長期發展的核心引擎。 本書並非一本關於速成秘籍或應試技巧的教學手冊,而是一份對人類發展心理學、教育學和社會心理學前沿研究的深度整閤。它旨在為傢長、教育工作者、政策製定者以及所有關心下一代成長的人提供一個全新的視角:將焦點從“他們知道什麼”轉移到“他們是誰”以及“他們如何應對挑戰”。 第一部分:超越智商:重新定義成功的衡量標準 長期以來,智力(IQ)被視為衡量潛能的黃金標準。然而,大量的縱嚮研究錶明,智商在成年後的職業成就和生活滿意度中的預測力遠不如我們想象的那麼強大。本書首先建立瞭一個關鍵的論點:在信息唾手可得的今天,知識的獲取成本下降,而知識的應用能力、麵對挫摺的韌性以及持續探索的熱情,纔成為真正的稀缺資源。 1. 韌性與恢復力(Resilience):從“打不倒”到“學得更好” 本部分詳細闡述瞭“韌性”的心理結構。它不是與生俱來的特質,而是一係列可以習得的認知和情感調節技能。我們探討瞭兒童如何在經曆失敗、拒絕或重大變故時,能夠有效地處理負麵情緒,調整預期,並重新投入到目標追求中。書中通過多個案例分析瞭不同傢庭和教育環境如何無意中削弱孩子的內在恢復力,以及如何通過結構化的“失敗教育”來強化這一關鍵能力。 2. 適應性思維與成長型心態(Growth Mindset):固守瓶頸還是擁抱無限可能? 本書深入探討瞭斯坦福大學心理學傢的開創性工作,闡釋瞭“固定型思維”與“成長型思維”對學習軌跡的決定性影響。我們分析瞭語言的力量——父母和老師如何用一句話(“你真聰明” vs. “你這次努力的方法很棒”)來固化或解放孩子的內在潛力。重點放在如何引導孩子將注意力從“證明自己”轉移到“學習進步”上來,從而建立起對挑戰的內在驅動力。 第二部分:內在驅動力的光譜:好奇心、專注力與深度參與 成功的驅動力很少是外部奬勵(如金錢或贊美)所能完全維係的。真正的創新和卓越往往源於一種對外部世界的深刻好奇以及對特定任務的持久專注。 3. 好奇心作為學習的燃料:從“問為什麼”到“我要知道如何做” 我們辨析瞭兩種類型的好奇心:廣度好奇心(喜歡廣泛涉獵)和深度好奇心(願意深入鑽研特定領域)。本書強調,深度好奇心是培養專業技能和獨特見解的溫床。書中提供瞭一係列實用的策略,指導父母和教師如何保護和放大孩子與生俱來的求知欲,避免將其扼殺在過度結構化的學習日程中。 4. 深度工作與心流體驗(Flow):沉浸式學習的力量 在信息碎片化的時代,保持長時間的、不受乾擾的專注力成為一種超級能力。我們審視瞭“心流”理論在兒童學習中的體現——當任務難度與技能水平完美匹配時,個體進入高度投入、時間感消失的學習狀態。本書提供瞭構建“專注環境”的實用藍圖,包括如何教授孩子進行任務分解、管理數字乾擾,以及在傢庭生活中建立起尊重專注時間的文化。 第三部分:品格的構建:人際智能與道德羅盤 純粹的個人成就若脫離瞭良好的人際關係和社會責任感,其價值將大打摺扣。本部分聚焦於構建一個高尚且具有協作精神的個體所必需的“軟技能”。 5. 同理心與社會情感學習(SEL):理解他人的能力 社會成功的基礎是對他人情緒的準確感知和迴應。本書展示瞭同理心如何直接影響領導力、衝突解決能力和長期的人際滿意度。我們探討瞭如何通過角色扮演、文學作品討論以及傢庭決策過程的透明化,來培養孩子的“心智解讀能力”。 6. 責任感、自律與延遲滿足:為未來投資的藝術 自律不是一種懲罰,而是實現長期目標所必須的自我管理能力。本書分析瞭經典的延遲滿足實驗的現代解讀,並將其應用於日常的習慣養成。我們關注如何幫助孩子建立內在的道德契約感,理解“現在的小小犧牲”如何帶來“未來巨大的迴報”,從而培養齣可靠的職業素養。 結論:成為培養者的智慧 本書的終極目標是啓發讀者認識到,培養孩子的成功,是一項長期而細緻的工程,它要求培養者扮演引導者、榜樣和教練的角色,而非簡單的知識灌輸者。真正的成功不是由他們掌握瞭多少知識點來決定的,而是由他們麵對不確定性和挑戰時,能夠展現齣多少堅韌、多少探索的欲望,以及多少正直的人格特質所決定的。 這本平裝書是為那些願意超越分數和排名,緻力於培養齣全麵、適應性強、且能在復雜世界中茁壯成長的下一代領導者和貢獻者而撰寫的必備指南。它提供瞭一個清晰的框架,用以審視我們當前教育和養育方式的有效性,並指明瞭一條通往持久、有意義的成就之路。