Luke Shepherd TC Chapter 8 Summary

Chapter Summary: Talent whisperers are those who seem to ignite and build skill or talent in others. They are more than masters of their craft and adept performers, they are knowledgeable through and through with the learning process and frameworks of knowledge itself. They are master 'myelinators' themselves and for their students. John Wooden, the king of basketball coaches, has been studied at practice to find that 75% of everything he says to his team (which isn't much already) is pure information. He would give praise and reprove seldom; rather, he would model correct behavior and give short bursts of pure and specific instruction to each player, tailor suited to their needs. He would teach in chunks (whole-part method) by teaching an entire move then breaking it down. He got his players to practice DEEP, and he himself practiced deep at coaching, constantly modifying his methods and checking himself for weaknesses in his coaching and practice strategies. Miss Mary, the authors neighborhood piano teacher, taps into children's motivational reserves with praise for hard work in the form of love and chocolate and stickers and gets progress from her students. Both of these teachers deal with different areas of master coaching-Wooden uses deep practice with information and correction while Miss Mary uses motivational triggers of love and motivation.
Key Concept: It seems that talent whisperers deal more with art than with science. Deeper practice results in greater skill and high levels of motivation result in deeper and sustained practice over time. Both are necessary to cultivate skill.
Key Terms: Wooden
Talent Whisperer
Making Connections: In developing my own teaching philosophy I've discovered that my values are largely being shaped right now by observing the way that my teachers teach me and how I teach myself (learn). I need to apply these skills of short bursts of information (I can be long-winded when teaching) modeling correct behavior (I must be able to model the behavior myself) as well as motivation (the right kind in the right amount).