Moody. Reckless. Impractical. Insecure. Distracted. These are all words commonly used to describe adolescents. But what if we recast these traits in a positive light? Teens possess insight, passion, idealism, sensitivity, and creativity in abundance--all qualities that can make a significant positive contribution to society.

In this thought-provoking book, Thomas Armstrong looks at the power and promise of the teenage brain from an empathetic, strength-based perspective--and describes what middle and high school educators can do to make the most of their students' potential.

Thoroughly grounded in current neuroscience research, the book explains what we know about how the adolescent brain works and proposes eight essential instructional elements that will help students develop the ability to think, make healthy choices, regulate their emotions, handle social conflict, consolidate their identities, and learn enough about the world to move into adulthood with dignity and grace.

Armstrong provides practical strategies and real-life examples from schools that illustrate these eight key practices in action. In addition, you'll find a glossary of brain terms, a selection of brain-friendly lesson plans across the content areas, and a list of resources to support and extend the book's ideas and practices.

There is a colossal mismatch between how the adolescent brain has evolved over the millennia and the passive, rote learning experiences that are all too common in today's test-obsessed educational climate. See the amazing difference--in school and beyond--when you use the insights from this book to help students tap into the power of their changing brains.

Parents, teachers, and policymakers should all read this thought-provoking book. I loved it.--Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures

A new concept on human diversity has emerged over the past 10 years that promises to revolutionize the way educators provide services to students with special needs: neurodiversity. Just as we celebrate diversity in nature and cultures, so too do we need to honor the diversity of brains among our students who learn, think, and behave differently. In Neurodiversity in the Classroom, best-selling author Thomas Armstrong argues that we should embrace the strengths of such neurodiverse students to help them and their neurotypical peers thrive in school and beyond.

This innovative book focuses on five categories of special needs: learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders. For each category, Armstrong provides an in-depth discussion of

* The positive attributes associated with that category,

* Acclaimed neurodiverse adults who have excelled in their chosen fields,

* Computer programs and applications that allow students with special needs to overcome obstacles and achieve success,

* Rich networks of human resources both inside and outside of school that educators can draw upon to support the social and emotional lives of neurodiverse students,

* Innovative learning strategies that are tailored to each student's unique strengths,

* Future career paths for which a student's particular gifts might be a good fit,

* Modifications in the school environment that allow for seamless inclusion of neurodiverse students in the regular classroom, and

* Timely information about how to integrate the strategies and assessments for each category with the Common Core State Standards.

It's time that we focused on celebrating rather than pathologizing our students with special needs so that they can fully realize their potential in school and life. This practical and thought-provoking book will inspire teachers and administrators everywhere to make sure that all students with special needs get the support and strength-based instruction they deserve.

In the decades since it was first introduced, Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences (MI) theory has transformed how people think about learning the world over. Educators using the theory have achieved remarkable success in helping all students, including those who learn in nontraditional ways, to navigate school (and life outside it) with confidence and success. Within the context of classroom instruction, no author besides Gardner has done more to popularize MI theory than Thomas Armstrong, whose best seller Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom has become a bona fide education classic in its own right. This expanded fourth edition provides educators at all levels with everything they need to apply MI theory to curriculum development, lesson planning, assessment, special education, cognitive skills, career development, educational policy, and more. In addition to the many strategies, templates, and examples that have made Armstrong's book so enduringly popular, this edition is updated to examine how emerging neurodiversity research, trends toward greater instructional personalization, and rapidly evolving virtual learning tools have affected the use of MI theory to enhance student achievement. It also includes brand-new lesson plans aligned to nationwide standards and a revised list of resources for further study.

This is truly a major contribution -- brilliant, beguiling, and as broad in concept as it is deep. -- Jean Houston, PhD, author of The Possible Human

Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., an award-winning educator and expert on human development, offers a cross-cultural view of life's entire journey, from before birth to death to the possibilities of an afterlife. Dr. Armstrong cites both clinical research and anecdotal evidence in a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities we face at every stage of our development. His accessible narrative incorporates elements of history, literature, psychology, spirituality, and science in a fascinating guide to understanding our past as well as our future.

I loved the tone, the pacing, the sense of audience, and especially the richness of the associations . . . It's a book that one would like to keep around -- a guidebook even. -- John Kotre Ph.D., co-author of Seasons of Life: The Dramatic Journey from Birth to Death

The Human Odyssey is superb, magnificent, astonishing, unique, engrossing, eminently readable, informative, enjoyable, entertaining, profound. What else? I could go on. I hadn't expected anything like so remarkable a book. -- Joseph Chilton Pearce, author of The Crack in the Cosmic Egg and Magical Child

I have read through The Human Odyssey. It is in many ways impressive. I also think that it has great commercial potential. Many people will find attractive your dual focus on the scientific and the soul/spiritual dimensions. -- Howard Gardner, Ph.D., The John H. and Elizabeth A. Hobbs Professor in Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, author of Frames of Mind

I extend my congratulations to you for this monumental undertaking and wish you the very best for your impressive efforts. -- Marian Diamond, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley; co-author of Magic Trees of the Mind; pioneer researcher into the effect of the environment on brain development; dissected Einstein's brain

I very much enjoyed The Human Odyssey. Your breadth of sources is remarkable, and you have put them all together in a smooth and integrative way. I think it will be informative for people, and also inspiring for them to make their stages of life more meaningful. Overall, this is an impressive tour de force. -- Arthur Hastings, Ph.D., Professor and Director, William James Center for Consciousness Studies, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology; Past President, Association of Transpersonal Psychology

Extraordinary. I hope that it is read by many people. -- Laura Huxley, widow of Aldous Huxley, founder of Children: Our Ultimate Investment, and author of This Timeless Moment, and The Child of Your Dreams

A wonderful and encyclopedic summary of human development. -- Allan B. Chinen, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; author of Once Upon a Mid-Life: Classic Stories and Mythic Tales to Illuminate the Middle Years and In the Ever After: Fairy Tales and the Second Half of Life

Absolutely remarkable. The Human Odyssey is written with lively scholarship and contains great depth and breadth, a wide range of fascinating materials, and many useful resources. It's a kind of 'everything book.' -- George Leonard, the granddaddy of the consciousness movement (Newsweek) and author of The Transformation and The Ultimate Athlete

The Human Odyssey provides readers with a fresh approach to developmental psychology. Dr. Armstrong has included a spiritual dimension of human growth that is lacking from most accounts but which is essential for a complete understanding of the human condition. It is a splendid, brilliant work. -- Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., former president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, author of Personal Mythology: The Psychology of Your Evolving Self, and co-editor of The Psychological Impact of War Trauma on Civilians: An International Perspective

An integral approach to human development, from birth to death, that provides practical information for all who see spirit interpenetrating all of life. -- Michael Murphy, co-founder of the Esalen Institute and author of The Future of the Body, The Life We Are Given, and God and the Evolving Universe

This is a thoroughly researched and beautifully written account of the story of human development. Drawing on the most recent scientific studies, as well as literature and films, mythology and major spiritual traditions, Armstrong shows the way to a truly integrated understanding of the complexities of the human life cycle. -- Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., author of Maps of Consciousness and The Unfolding Self, co-author (with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert) of The Psychedelic Experience, which was the inspiration for the Beatles' song Tomorrow Never Knows

I loved this book. What a vast terrain it covers I enjoyed the way it wove into each developmental stage a rich array of materials from Greek myths, Martin Buber, psychology, rituals, spirituality, and so many wonderful stories. As people read this book, they will be much more aware of the different stages of life and how they impact all of us personally and collectively. -- Barbara Findeisen, President, The Association for Pre- & Perinatal Psychology and Health and creator of the documentary film, The Journey to Be Born, featured on Oprah
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I'm awestruck This looks like the most important book of the century. -- Jan Hunt, author of The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart; member of the board of directors of the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

The Human Odyssey is just that: a tour de force by one of the leading exper

Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences has revolutionized the way we think about being smart. Written by an award-winning expert on the topic, this book introduces the theory, explains the different types of intelligences (like Word Smart, Self Smart, Body Smart), and helps kids identify their own learning strengths and use their special skills at school, at home, and in life. As kids read the book, they stop asking How smart am I? and start asking How am I smart? This powerful learning tool is recommended for all kids--and all adults committed to helping young people do and be their best. Resources describe related books, software, games, and organizations. This revised and updated edition includes information on a newly researched ninth intelligence, Life Smart--thinking about and asking questions about life, the universe, and spirituality.

Bestselling author and psychologist Thomas Armstrong's exploration and celebration of neurodivergence, completely revised with the most up-to-date research and insights.

From ADHD and dyslexia to autism, the number of diagnosis categories listed by the American Psychiatric Association has tripled in the last fifty years. With so many people affected, it is time to revisit our perceptions of people with disabilities.

Bestselling author, psychologist, and educator Thomas Armstrong illuminates a new understanding of neuropsychological disorders. He argues that if they are a part of the natural diversity of the human brain, they cannot simply be defined as illnesses. Armstrong explores the evolutionary advantages, special skills, and other positive dimensions of these conditions, including: autism, ADHD, dyslexia, schizophrenia, anxiety, intellectual disabilities, and mood disorders. With an emphasis on positive niche construction for each area, The Power of Neurodiversity is a manifesto as well as a keen look at disability, as well as a must-read for parents, teachers, and anyone who is looking to learn more about neurodivergence.

An imaginative picture book that defines eight ways everyone is smart and shows how to get smarter in each way.?

It's easy for kids to get dejected and believe they're not as smart as the people around them. Maybe they got a low grade on their math test last week, or maybe they have a difficult time making new friends, but what kids may not realize is that math skills and people skills are just two types of smarts. There are actually eight types of smarts:

• Word smarts
• Music smarts
• Number smarts
• Picture smarts
• Body smarts
• People smarts
• Self smarts
• Nature smarts

Smarts! Everybody's Got Them vividly explains and depicts the eight ways that everyone is smart and shows kids how they can get better at each one--even when they make a mistake.

Does your child have a favorite subject, activity, or hobby? Children learn in multiple ways, and educator Thomas Armstrong has shown hundreds of thousands of parents and teachers how to locate those unique areas in each of our children where learning and creativity seem to flow with special vigor.

In this fully updated classic on multiple intelligences, Armstrong sheds new light on the eight ways to bloom, or the eight kinds of multiple intelligences. While everyone possesses all eight intelligences, Armstrong delineates how to discover your child's particular areas of strength among them.

The book shatters the conventional wisdom that brands our students as underachievers, unmotivated, or as suffering from learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or other learning diseases. Armstrong explains how these flawed labels often overlook students who are in possession of a distinctive combination of multiple intelligences, and demonstrates how to help them acquire knowledge and skills according to their sometimes extraordinary aptitudes.

Filled with resources for the home and classroom, this new edition of In Their Own Way offers inspiration for every learning situation.

In today's schools, students and teachers feel unprecedented--even alarming--levels of stress. How can we create calmer classrooms in which students concentrate better and feel more positive about themselves and others? Author Thomas Armstrong offers a compelling answer in the form of mindfulness, a secular practice he defines as the intentional focus of one's attention on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way.

In Mindfulness in the Classroom, Armstrong

- Explains how mindfulness affects the structure and function of the brain.
- Provides an overview of mindfulness as both a personal practice and a classroom methodology that aligns with such educational models as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
- Shares and explains the extensive research that shows the positive effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom.
- Describes how to adapt mindfulness for different grade levels, integrate it into regular school subjects, and implement it schoolwide.
- Offers guidelines for teaching mindfulness responsibly, without religious overtones.

Dozens of observations from teachers, students, researchers, and practitioners provide striking evidence of the power of mindfulness and offer hope to anyone who wants to make classrooms more productive places of learning.

Every student is a genius, declares author Thomas Armstrong, and an educator's most important job is to discover and nurture the genius qualities that all students were born with but that may no longer be obvious.

Urging readers to look beyond traditional understandings of what constitutes genius, Armstrong describes 12 such qualities: curiosity, playfulness, imagination, creativity, wonder, wisdom, inventiveness, vitality, sensitivity, flexibility, humor, and joy. He cites research in various fields that supports this broader understanding of genius and explains how influences in the home, the popular media, and the school itself shut down the genius in students.

Combining thoughtful insights and practical information, Armstrong offers guiding principles to help educators awaken genius in the classroom--beginning with awakening the genius in themselves. Readers will find dozens of suggested activities and helpful resources to provide genius experiences and create a genial climate in the classroom. In addition, suggestions for further study at the end of each section provide starting points for personal and professional reflection and growth.

As it celebrates the potential brainpower waiting to be unlocked in classrooms everywhere, Awakening Genius in the Classroom inspires educators to look at their students from a different perspective and to reinvigorate their teaching with a new sense of excitement and possibility. The result, Armstrong concludes, could extend far beyond the classroom and transform not only our schools, but the entire world.

In this controversial and provocative book, Dr. Thomas Armstrong confronts America's obsession with Attention Deficit Disorder. With more than one million children diagnosed with ADD, the condition has gained national attention on talk shows, magazine covers and The New York Times bestseller list. Dr. Armstrong, well-known for his writings on parenting and education, presents the very real argument that ADD may, in fact, not exist. He believes that many behaviors labeled as ADD are simply a child's active response to complex social, emotional, and educational influences, and that by tackling the root causes of a child's attention and behavior problems--rather than masking the symptoms with medication and behavior-modification programs--parents can help their children begin to experience fundamentally positive changes in their lives.

This groundbreaking book provides parents and professionals with 50 innovative and proven strategies they can use to help children overcome their attention and behavior problems. His checklist helps parents decide which strategies are most appropriate, and hundreds of resources, including books and organizations are included. The Myth of the A.D.D. Child offers much needed practical help to both parents and professionals.

Based on psychologist Howard Gardner's pioneering theory of multiple intelligences, the original edition of 7 Kinds of Smart identified seven distinct ways of being smart, including word smart, music smart, logic smart, and people smart. Now, with the addition of two new kinds of smart--naturalist and existential--7 Kinds of Smart offers even more interesting information about how the human psyche functions. Complete with checklists for determining one's strongest and weakest intelligences, exercises, practical tips for developing each type of smart, a revised bibliography for further reading, and a guide to related Internet sites, this book continues to be an essential resource, offering cutting-edge research for general consumption.

Educators, politicians, parents, and even students are consumed with speaking the language of academic achievement. Yet something is missing in the current focus on accountability, standardized testing, and adequate yearly progress. If schools continue to focus the conversation on rigor and accountability and ignore more human elements of education, many students may miss out on opportunities to discover the richness of individual exploration that schools can foster.

In The Best Schools, Armstrong urges educators to leave narrow definitions of learning behind and return to the great thinkers of the past 100 years--Montessori, Piaget, Freud, Steiner, Erikson, Dewey, Elkind, Gardner--and to the language of human development and the whole child.

The Best Schools highlights examples of educational programs that are honoring students' differences, using developmentally appropriate practices, and promoting a humane approach to education that includes the following elements:

* An emphasis on play for early childhood learning.

* Theme- and project-based learning for elementary school students.

* Active learning that recognizes the social, emotional, and cognitive needs of adolescents in middle schools.

* Mentoring, apprenticeships, and cooperative education for high school students.

Educators in the best schools recognize the differences in the physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual worlds of students of different ages. This book will help educators reflect on how to help each student reach his or her true potential, how to inspire each child and adolescent to discover an inner passion to learn, and how to honor the unique journey of each individual through life.

A fully revised and updated edition of the groundbreaking book on tackling the root causes of children's attention and behavior problems rather than masking the symptoms with medication.

More than twenty years after Dr. Thomas Armstrong's Myth of the A.D.D. Child first published, he presents much needed updates and insights in this substantially revised edition. When The Myth of the A.D.D. Child was first published in 1995, Dr. Thomas Armstrong made the controversial argument that many behaviors labeled as ADD or ADHD are simply a child's active response to complex social, emotional, and educational influences. In this fully revised and updated edition, Dr. Armstrong shows readers how to address the underlying causes of a child's attention and behavior problems in order to help their children implement positive changes in their lives.
The rate of ADHD diagnosis has increased sharply, along with the prescription of medications to treat it. Now needed more than ever, this book includes fifty-one new non-drug strategies to help children overcome attention and behavior problems, as well as updates to the original fifty proven strategies.

What does it mean to a kid to be labeled attention-deficit disordered (ADD)? Or to have hyperactive added to the label (ADHD)? What can teachers do to boost the success of students with attention and behavioral difficulties? Are we relying too much on medication for these kids and not enough on new perspectives on learning, child development, the child's socioeconomic and cultural background, biological and psychological research, and the learner's emotional and social needs? Armstrong urges educators and parents to look for the positive characteristics in learners who may carry the ADD/ADHD label. Are they bursting with energy? Are they intensely creative? Do they enjoy hands-on learning? Are they natural leaders? Are they unusually introspective and reflective? We need to look beyond a deficit approach and embrace a more holistic view of learners that includes teaching to their multiple intelligences, learning styles, and other brain-friendly approaches. For example, here are some classroom activities for kids who can't sit still Learning spelling words by having kids jump up out of their seats on the vowels and sit down on the consonants. Mastering the multiplication tables by forming a conga line, moving around the classroom counting from 1 to 30 out loud, and on every multiple of 3 shaking their hips and legs. Showing patterns of molecular bonding in chemistry class through a swing your atom square dance.

The title of Why Cats Hates Birds very much reflects the collection's themes. Are we trapped by our nature? And what is our understanding of nature? What is black and white, straight and gay, reality and fantasy, Canadian and Barbadian? The stories in Why Cats Hate Birds are Armstrong's way of saying that such distinctions are not natural but of our own construction. The work spans the length of Armstrong's writing career. The earliest, 'Flying in God's Face, ' which inspired his novel Of Water and Rock, is set in the 1960's, though the majority take place in a today familiar to us all. Three stories in particular are linked by the character Charles Blackette: 'Kingdom of Fools, ' 'Invention' and 'Blood is Thick.' They explore Blackette's life as a black man who battles his notion of self. But, at heart, all the stories in Why Cats Hate Birds, perceptive, resonant, emotionally honest, are an attempt to break those silos that separate us, and make us realize that other people's stories are our stories.

Of Water and Rock derives its power from the basic human need for connectedness and belonging. When Torontonian Edward Hamblin steps off the plane in Barbados, in the winter of 1969, he crosses more than the tarmac at Seawell Airport. As he navigates the island's racial and cultural boundaries, he leaves behind an empty life of comfort and discovers a vibrant world of simple beauty, an undiscovered family, and reconciliation with the memory of a long dead father. Powerful converging themes give the novel an emotional strength: Edward Hamblin's immersion into the post-colonial culture of Barbados; his unresolved animosity towards his long dead Barbadian father who deserted his family when he was young; the poor black peasant farmer, Sissy Braithwaite, and her unrequited love for an abandoned daughter; the wealthy white Mary Collymore's disconnected life of privilege and racial intolerance. After Sissy's death, when Edward discovers his Great Aunt's diary, the apparently disconnected threads are drawn together. As well as revealing the true relationships between the protagonists, Edward hears his father's voice, comes to understand and pity the man that he has for so long despised, and resolves to unite his newly discovered family in a way his father never could.

My Life In Connaught: With Sketches Of Mission Work In The West is a book written by Thomas Armstrong and published in 1906. The book is a personal account of Armstrong's experiences as a missionary in the west of Ireland, specifically in the province of Connaught. The book is divided into two parts. The first part is an autobiographical account of Armstrong's life, including his childhood, education, and his decision to become a missionary. Armstrong describes his journey to Ireland and his experiences living and working in the west of the country. He also discusses the challenges he faced as a missionary, including the poverty and hardship that he encountered.The second part of the book is a collection of sketches that Armstrong wrote about his experiences as a missionary in Connaught. These sketches provide a glimpse into the daily life of the people in the region, as well as the challenges and successes of the mission work that Armstrong and his colleagues undertook.Overall, My Life In Connaught: With Sketches Of Mission Work In The West is a fascinating look at the life of a missionary in early 20th century Ireland. Armstrong's personal account and sketches provide a unique perspective on the people and culture of Connaught, as well as the challenges and rewards of missionary work.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

My Life in Connaught is a memoir written by Thomas Armstrong in 1906. The book recounts Armstrong's experiences as a missionary in the western region of Ireland known as Connaught. The author provides vivid descriptions of the landscape, people, and culture of the area, as well as his own personal reflections on his work and the challenges he faced.Armstrong's sketches of mission work in Connaught offer a unique perspective on the role of religion in Irish society at the turn of the 20th century. He describes the conversions of many locals to Christianity, as well as the resistance he encountered from some who were deeply entrenched in their traditional beliefs.The book also includes accounts of Armstrong's travels throughout Ireland and his interactions with prominent figures in the Irish church and political scene. Through his writing, Armstrong provides a window into a fascinating period of Irish history and offers insights into the complexities of religious and cultural identity.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.