The Formative Five

Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs

By: Thomas R. Hoerr

Narrated by: Christopher Douyard

For success in school and life, students need more than proficiency in academic subjects and good scores on tests; those goals should form the floor, not the ceiling, of their education. Students need to develop attributes that aren't typically measured on standardized tests. In this lively, engaging book, educators will learn how to foster the "Formative Five" skills that today's students need, including:

• Empathy: learning to see the world through others' perspectives.
• Self-control: cultivating the abilities to focus and delay self-gratification.
• Integrity: recognizing right from wrong and practicing ethical behavior.
• Embracing diversity: recognizing and appreciating human differences.
• Grit: persevering in the face of challenge.

When educators engage students in understanding and developing these five skills, they change mindsets and raise expectations for student learning. As an added benefit, they see significant improvements in school and classroom culture. The Formative Five will help teachers, principals, and anyone else who has a stake in education prepare their students - and themselves - for a future in which the only constant will be change.

©2017 ASCD (P)2021 Tantor