Synopses & Reviews
"Different minds learn differently," writes Dr. Mel Levine, one of the best-known education experts and pediatricians in America today. And that's a problem for many children, because most schools still cling to a one-size-fits-all education philosophy. As a result, these children struggle because their learning patterns don't fit the schools they are in. andlt;BRandgt; In andlt;Iandgt;A Mind at a Time,andlt;/Iandgt; Dr. Levine shows parents and others who care for children how to identify these individual learning patterns. He explains how parents and teachers can encourage a child's strengths and bypass the child's weaknesses. This type of teaching produces satisfaction and achievement instead of frustration and failure. andlt;BRandgt; Different brains are differently wired, Dr. Levine explains. There are eight fundamental systems, or components, of learning that draw on a variety of neurodevelopmental capacities. Some students are strong in certain areas and some are strong in others, but no one is equally capable in all eight. Using examples drawn from his own extensive experience, Dr. Levine shows how parents and children can identify their strengths and weaknesses to determine their individual learning styles. andlt;BRandgt; For example, some students are creative and write imaginatively but do poorly in history because weak memory skills prevent them from retaining facts. Some students are weak in sequential ordering and can't follow directions. They may test poorly and often don't do well in mathematics. In these cases, Dr. Levine observes, the problem is not a lack of intelligence but a learning style that doesn't fit the assignment. Drawing on his pioneering research and his work with thousands of students, Dr. Levine shows how parents and teachers can develop effective strategies to work through or around these weaknesses. andlt;BRandgt; "It's taken for granted in adult society that we cannot all be 'generalists' skilled in every area of learning and mastery. Nevertheless, we apply tremendous pressure to our children to be good at andlt;Iandgt;everything.andlt;/Iandgt; They are expected to shine in math, reading, writing, speaking, spelling, memorization, comprehension, problem solving...and none of us adults can" do all this, observes Dr. Levine. Learning begins in school but it doesn't end there. Frustrating a child's desire to learn will have lifelong repercussions. This frustration can be avoided if we understand that not every child can do equally well in every type of learning. We must begin to pay more attention to individual learning styles, to individual minds, urges Dr. Levine, so that we can maximize children's learning potential. In andlt;Iandgt;A Mind at a Timeandlt;/Iandgt; he shows us how.
Review
"A Mind at a Time is a wide-ranging exploration of the myriad ways in which young minds differ, coupled with vivid and useful recommendations about developing those minds to the fullest." Howard Gardner, John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor in Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; author of The Disciplined Mind and Frames of Mind
Review
"Levine's book argues that our educational shortsightedness results in a loss of human potential on a grand scale, as kids who don't fit the mold are misclassified, stigmatized and then fail....Levine's compassionate, accessible text, framed around actual case studies, makes [his plea for educational reform] seem do-able. This is a must-read for parents and educators who want to understand and improve the school lives of children." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Mel Levine, M.D.,andlt;/Bandgt; is professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and director of its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning. He is the founder and cochairman of All Kinds of Minds, a nonprofit institute for the understanding of differences in learning, and the author of two previous national best-selling books, andlt;Iandgt;A Mind at a Timeandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Myth of Laziness.andlt;/Iandgt; He and his wife, Bambi, live on Sanctuary Farm in North Carolina.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;1 A Mind at a Time: andlt;Iandgt;Introductionandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A Mind's Possibilitiesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A Pediatric Perspectiveandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;2 The Ways of Learningandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;How Learning Worksandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Eight Systemsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Neurodevelopmental Profilesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;How a Mind's Profile Comes to Beandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;How Lifestyles May Affect Learning Stylesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Splitting Rather Than Lumpingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Early Detection of Dysfunctionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Some Adult Implicationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;3 Conducting a Mind: andlt;Iandgt;Our Attention Control Systemandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Mental Energy Controlsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Intake Controlsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Output Controlsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Impacts of the Attention Controlsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Minds over Time: Keeping a Watchful Eye on the Attention Controls as Children Ageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Practical Considerationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;4 Remembering to Learn and Learning to Remember: andlt;Iandgt;Our Memory Systemandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Short-term Memoryandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Active Working Memoryandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Long-term Memoryandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A Few More Memory Differencesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Outlookandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Minds over Time: Keeping a Watchful Eye on Memory as Children Ageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Practical Considerationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;5 Ways with Words: andlt;Iandgt;Our Language Systemandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Different Languages That Make Up Languageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Language Levelsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Special Challenge of Language Productionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Language and Its Ambassadorial Functionsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Minds over Time: Keeping a Watchful Eye (or Ear) on Language as Children Ageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Practical Considerationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;6 Making Arrangements: andlt;Iandgt;Our Spatial and Sequential Ordering Systemsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Sequential Orderingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Spatial Orderingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Spatial Versus Sequential Ordering: Which Would You Rather Be Good At?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Minds over Time: Keeping a Watchful Eye on Sequential and Spatial Ordering as Children Ageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Practical Considerationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;7 Mind over Muscle: andlt;Iandgt;Our Motor Systemandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Forms of Motor Functionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Minds over Time: Keeping a Watchful Eye on Motor Function as Children Ageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Practical Considerationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;8 Some Peeks at a Mind's Peaks: andlt;Iandgt;Our Higher Thinking Systemandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Conceptual Thinkingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Problem-Solving Thinkingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Critical Thinkingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Rule-Guided Thinkingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Creative Thinkingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;pardThe Role of Intuitive Thinking in Influencing All Forms of Higher Thinkingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Higher Thinking System and the Other Neurodevelopmental Systemsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Minds over Time: Keeping a Watchful Eye on Higher Thinking as Children Ageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Practical Considerationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;9 Relating to Relating: andlt;Iandgt;Our Social Thinking Systemandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Big Three Social Missionsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Social Functions and Dysfunctionsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Are Some Kids Too Successful Socially?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Minds over Time: Keeping a Watchful Eye on Social Thinking as Children Ageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Practical Considerationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;10 When a Mind Falls Behindandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Constructing Neurodevelopmental Profilesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Identifying the Breakdown Pointsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;When Bad Things Happen to Good Profilesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Mining a Child's Precious Assetsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Identifying and Understanding Emotional Complicationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hows Instead of Whys: Focusing on Identifying and Fixing the Breakdowns Instead of Their Causesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Benefits and Dangers When a Child's Mind Is Testedandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Roadblocks and Outcomes in Adulthoodandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;11 Getting a Mind Realigned (but Not Redesigned)andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Management by Profileandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Accessing Special Services in Schoolandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Use of Medicationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Coaching and Mentoringandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Raoul: An Example of a Child Who Was Managed by Profileandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;12 Raisin' Brain: andlt;Iandgt;Homes for All Kinds of Mindsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Know Thy Childandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Responding to Gapsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Fostering Strengths, Knacks, Talents, Intuitions, and Affinitiesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Trying Not to Harmandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Supporting Educationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Maintaining an Intellectual Life at Homeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Fostering Optimism and a Positive View of the Futureandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;13 The Right to Differ: andlt;Iandgt;Schools for All Kinds of Mindsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Teachers: Their Roles and Their Training for Those Rolesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Parents: Their Meaningful Involvement in a Child's Learningandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Students: Learning About Learning and Learning About Their Kinds of Mindsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Humane Schools: Protective and Nurturing Settings for All Kinds of Mindsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Pathways: Greater Availability of Options for Successandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Educational Ambianceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Resultsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Neurodevelopmental Pluralism: A Mind at a Time as an Ethicandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Helpful Readings and Other Resourcesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index