Recognizing Neglected Strengths

To identify diverse student strengths and to learn how teachers can build instruction on those strengths, the author and his colleagues have conducted multiple studies among students in Alaska, the mainland United States, Kenya, and other countries. In a series of studies in Alaska and Kenya, the researchers measured the adaptive cultural knowledge and skills of native Alaskan students and rural Kenyan students and demonstrated that instruction geared to these cultural skills improved academic achievement. In another series of studies, the researchers grouped students by their cognitive areas of strength (memory, analysis, creativity, and practical intelligence) and found that students performed better when they were taught in ways that were compatible with their strengths. The author's conclusion: When schools teach in ways that respect students' different strengths, students learn and perform better. (Contains 1 figure.)