Dark horses – getting the most out of ‘underachievers’

A good article and links about Todd Rose who heads the Laboratory of the Science of the Individual at Harvard and his latest work on ‘dark horses’ – those who seem to be failing or coasting through school but yet could be hiding enormous potential. His advice to teachers is: Help your students figure out what makes them “tick” — it often can be applied in a variety of contexts; let students practice autonomy; focus on personal responsibility; reward creative strategies. At ITS we have been working from this premise since the beginning. School can only do so much, students really flourish when they come to personalise their learning.