Chandler School

true expertise requires about 10,000 hours of practice.

2. Set expectations high.

3. Articulate clear goals –and goal posts along the way.

I have a “zero tolerance approach” to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.

Everyone who applies for a position at either of my companies, iFixit or Dozuki, takes a mandatory grammar test. Extenuating circumstances aside (dyslexia, English language learners, etc.), if job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too,” their applications go into the bin.

Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant.

Today's classrooms are notorious for handing students the basic skills to live in the world while denying them the strength of character to transform it.

By shifting the focus of our feedback to effort as opposed to outcome, we leave students with the feeling that their best is yet to come.

Duckworth’s research is heir to the work of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck (2) on mindsets. Believing that we can succeed even after suffering repeated setbacks (what Dweck calls a "growth mindset") can actually re-wire our brains -- and rewrite our fortunes.

In Age of Distraction: Why It's Crucial for Students to Learn to Focus (1), Katrina Schwartz refers to studies showing that the ability to focus on a task has been linked to future success. She quotes psychologist and author Daniel Goleman as saying, "This ability [to focus] is more important than IQ or the socio economic status of the family you grew up in for determining career success, financial success and health."

In a similar article, With Tech Tools, How Should Teachers Tackle Multitasking in Class? (2), author Holly Korbey explores research around student study habits and talks to veteran teachers about their experiences with students using technology in the classroom.

Instead, we should be deliberately teaching students how to manage their attention with their devices.

The broader a person’s education, the stronger a person’s thinking skills and ability to solve problems.

What do you see as the next essential skill for tech-savvy students?

We’re seeing this combination of working in teams, using collaboration, knowing how to not get upset when they have not seen something before. Being willing to ask good questions, being willing to get to people who can work with them in developing skills. More and more what we’re seeing is, the m