Waubonsee Community College

The smartest kids in the world, and how they got that way, Amanda Ripley

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-254) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The smartest kids in the world

bibliography

759913731

Amanda Ripley

and how they got that way

Following three teenagers who chose to spend one school year living in Finland, South Korea, and Poland, a literary journalist recounts how attitudes, parenting, and rigorous teaching have revolutionized these countries' education resultsIn a handful of nations, virtually all children are learning to make complex arguments and solve problems they've never seen before. They are learning to think, in other words, and to thrive in the modern economy. What is it like to be a child in the world's new education superpowers? In a global quest to find answers for our own children, the author, a Time magazine journalist follows three Americans embedded in Finland, South Korea, and Poland for one year. Their stories, along with groundbreaking research into learning in other cultures, reveal a pattern of startling transformation: none of these countries had many "smart" kids a few decades ago. Things had changed. Teaching had become more rigorous; parents had focused on things that mattered; and children had bought into the promise of education.--Publisher informationHow do other countries create "smarter" kids? In a handful of nations, virtually all children are learning to make complex arguments and solve problems they've never seen before. They are learning to think, in other words, and to thrive in the modern economy. What is it like to be a child in the world's new education superpowers? In a global quest to find answers for our own children, the author, a Time magazine journalist follows three Americans embedded in these countries for one year. Kim, fifteen, raises $10,000 so she can move from Oklahoma to Finland; Eric, eighteen, exchanges a high-achieving Minnesota suburb for a booming city in South Korea; and Tom, seventeen, leaves a historic Pennsylvania village for Poland. Through these young informants, the author meets battle-scarred reformers, sleep-deprived zombie students, and a teacher who earns $4 million a year. Their stories, along with groundbreaking research into learning in other cultures, reveal a pattern of startling transformation: none of these countries had many "smart" kids a few decades ago. Things had changed. Teaching had become more rigorous; parents had focused on things that mattered; and children had bought into the promise of education. This is a book about building resilience in a new world, as told by the young Americans who have the most at stake. -- Publisher's description

Principal characters -- Fall. The mystery ; The treasure map ; Leaving ; The pressure cooker ; A math problem. -- Winter. An American in Utopia ; Drive ; The metamorphosis. -- Spring. Difference ; The $4 million teacher;- Coming home -- How to spot a world-class education -- AFS student experience survey