Full Description
In The Quest for Mastery, Sam M. Intrator and Don Siegel investigate an emerging trend: the growth of out-of-school programmes dedicated to helping underserved youth develop the personal qualities and capacities that will help them succeed in school, college, and beyond. Intensive programmes from rowing to youth radio, from lacrosse to studio art, aim to create "communities of practice" that capture young people's interest and support them as they strive to excel. Through richly detailed accounts, the authors describe the unconventional ways these programmes have evolved and articulate the formidable challenges they face in operationalising their aspirations.
By documenting the powerful effect out-of-school programmes like these can have in transforming lives, the authors show how young people can become engaged in meaningful and productive learning experiences and highlight the poignant contrast between what these students experience inside and outside of school.
Contents
CONTENTS
PREFACE ix
INTRODUCTION
"Everything and the Kitchen Sink" 1
CHAPTER ONE
The Promise of Out-of-School Programs 19
CHAPTER TWO
The Framework for Getting Good at Anything 39
CHAPTER THREE
Communities of Practice 51
Absorbed in Achieving
CHAPTER FOUR
Learning a Mastery Mindset 69
The Will to Excel
CHAPTER FIVE
Intrinsic Motivation 93
Energized from Within
CHAPTER SIX
Acquiring Social Capital 115
New Connections, New Contexts
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Transfer of Supercognitives 141
Deploying Skills Across Settings
CHAPTER EIGHT
What Schools Don't Do 157
APPENDIX A
About Project Coach 177
APPENDIX B
Program Descriptions 181
APPENDIX C
Interviews and Conversations 189
APPENDIX D
Notes for New Staff Members 193
NOTES 205
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 217
ABOUT THE AUTHORS 221
INDEX 223
