The Pedagogy of Confidence: Inspiring High Intellectual Performance in Urban Schools Review
The Pedagogy of Confidence: Inspiring High Intellectual Performance in Urban Schools Feature
''The very in-depth elaboration of psychological, educational, and social concepts Dr. Jackson presents creates a large and ingenious inventory of pedagogical tools to promote the goals of achievement and upward mobility for those students who depend on teachers to make this possible.''
--From the Foreword by Reuven Feuerstein, Chairman and Founder, ICELP, Jerusalem, Israel
''The Pedagogy of Confidence can change the way we approach learning, teaching, and urban school reform. A remarkable achievement, this book should be read by every educator and policymaker truly interested in closing the achievement gap.''
--Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford University
''Jackson's unparalleled urban experience, coupled with her strength-based approach to learning, make this book what will become the 'Rosetta Stone' of urban education.''
--Joseph S. Renzulli, Director, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, The University of Connecticut
''The Pedagogy of Confidence is for urban educators who want to know how to be effective in teaching and developing strong relationships with their students. It is an invaluable resource to those who seek to make a difference.''
--Pedro A. Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, New York University
''The Pedagogy of Confidence renews our hope for schools as homes for the fullest development of the mind, classrooms as engaging, mediative environments, and all learners as having the propensity for continued, lifelong intellectual growth.''
--Arthur L. Costa, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Sacramento
In her new book, prominent professional developer Yvette Jackson focuses on students' strengths, rather than their weaknesses, to reinvigorate educators to inspire learning and high intellectual performance. Through the lens of educational psychology and historical reforms, Jackson responds to the faltering motivation and confidence of educators in terms of its effects on closing the achievement gap. The author seeks to ''rekindle the belief in the vast capacity of underachieving urban students,'' and offers strategies to help educators inspire intellectual performance. Jackson proposes that a paradigm shift towards a focus on strengths will reinvigorate educators' passion for teaching and belief in their ability to raise the intellectual achievement of their students. Jackson addresses how educators can systematically support the development of motivation, reflective and cognitive skills, and high performance when standards and assessments are predisposed to non-conceptual methods. Furthermore, she examines challenges and offers strategies for dealing with cultural disconnects, the influence of new technologies, and language preferences of students.
