But consider Elizabeth Spiegel’s ability to reconstruct the thinking skills of her middle-school chess players. Think of the way Lanita Reed helped Keitha Jones change her whole outlook on life—essentially helping her rewire her personality—at the advanced age of seventeen. In each case, a teacher or mentor found a way to help a student achieve a rapid and unexpected transformation by using what James Heckman would call noncognitive skills and David Levin would call character strengths.
spiegel was spending crazy hours doing this and still feel that a large portion of the motivation was coming from her perhaps more than the students themselves. would they thrive on their own in college? so doesn't necessarily mean it's teachable in adolescents.
