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Katherine Ellison (1) (1957–)

Author of Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention

For other authors named Katherine Ellison, see the disambiguation page.

8 Works 379 Members 62 Reviews

Works by Katherine Ellison

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Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1957-08-19
Gender
female
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Minnesota, USA
Awards and honors
Pulitzer Prize (International Reporting, 1985)

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Reviews

Combination of memoir (out-of-control ADHD dropout makes good) and advice to parents of "challenging" kids. A little too simplistic for my preferences but I liked it.
 
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steve02476 | 1 other review | Jan 3, 2023 |
Albert Camus said, "We are all special cases." Square Peg: My Story and What It Means for Raising Innovators, Visionaries, and Out-of-the-Box Thinkers by Todd Rose, with Katherine Ellison, certainly proves that we are all special and unique, especially in the way we approach learning. Square Peg is both a memoir and a personal manifesto. Todd Rose was a bright child who could not seem to avoid trouble and was quickly labeled a delinquent. Part of his problem was the way the educational system reacted to him in a misguided attempt to change or alter his behavior. Rose ended up a high school drop out, but he later went on to become a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Rose elaborates on four ideas derived from the study of complex systems and recent neuroscience findings: variability is the rule (our perceptions and reactions are much more dynamic and diverse than previously thought); emotions are serious stuff (children's emotional states do influence their ability to learn); context is key (the circumstances can effect the behavior - this includes labeling children with a disorder); feedback loops determine long-term success or failure (chaos theory and small changes making a difference). At the end of each chapter Rose offers a summary of the "Big Ideas" from that chapter and "Action Items" for parents.

It was enlightening to see what Rose's mother and grandmother did right as Rose makes a case for student centered education. He makes it clear that we can't fix a child's behavior. Behavior is an extremely complex system that originates from the interaction of a person's biology, past experiences, and immediate context. If we can understand this complex systems, we could learn to do a better job as teachers and parents in supporting and educating kids, rather than setting them up for failure. Once a child is caught up in a negative feedback loop, it is hard to escape.

Medicating ADHD children so they can fit into the environment of school, while beneficial for many, may not completely address the root cause of a child's learning difficulties. The stress children can feel while at school does not help their ability to learn. Finding a way to use current technology to help all children individualize their education could potentially transform education and help many overcome their special needs or limitations. For example, Rose himself had problems with his short term memory, so the ability to record a multi-step series of instructions with built in reminders would have benefited him enormously.

Square Peg is entertaining as well as informative. I appreciate the "Big Ideas" and "Action Items" at the end of each chapter. It is a nice way to summarize what points Rose believes are the most important from all the information and personal anecdotes he provides. Square Peg includes an epilogue with Rose's current research findings, chapter notes, and a bibliography.

Very Highly Recommended - I truly enjoyed this book!

http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.


… (more)
 
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SheTreadsSoftly | 1 other review | Mar 21, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Ack! I received this book from Early Reviewers many a few years ago and didn't realized I'd forgotten to write a review! I am not entirely sure how helpful this book would be for a parent in a similar situation. The author went to great and EXPENSIVE lengths to treat her son, and I remember being quite angry at her sense of entitlement. I am not sure how many families struggling with the presence of ADD/ADHD in their home would be realistically able to replicate half of what Ellison did. If I were that parent, this book would leave me feeling more hopeless than anything else, and I'm not sure that the story is interesting or engaging enough to attract casual memoir readers.… (more)
 
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stonecoldfoxonfire | 58 other reviews | Sep 18, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Having several children with very degrees of ADD/ADHD and other psychological problems, I was looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, it did not deliver the solace that I may have been looking for. I just could not connect Not necessarily the author's fault - but I just couldn't get into it.
 
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ellynv | 58 other reviews | Jul 5, 2012 |

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Statistics

Works
8
Members
379
Popularity
#63,709
Rating
½ 3.4
Reviews
62
ISBNs
45
Languages
6

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