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Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Futures of Promise
Empower your alienated students to cultivate a deep sense of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. This fully updated edition of Reclaiming Youth at Risk by Larry K. Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, and Steve Van Bockern merges Native American knowledge and Western science to create a unique alternative for reaching disconnected or troubled youth. Rely on the book's new neuroscience research, insights, and examples to help you establish positive relationships, foster social learning and emotional development, and inspire every young person to thrive and overcome. Drive positive youth development with the updated Reclaiming Youth at Risk :
Introduction
Chapter 1: Enduring Truths
Chapter 2: The Circle of Courage
Chapter 3: Seeds of Discouragement
Chapter 4: Bonds of Trust
Chapter 5: Brain-Friendly Learning
Chapter 6: Pathways to Responsibility
Chapter 7: Lives With Purpose
Chapter 8: From Surviving to Thriving
References and Resources
Introduction
Chapter 1: Enduring Truths
Chapter 2: The Circle of Courage
Chapter 3: Seeds of Discouragement
Chapter 4: Bonds of Trust
Chapter 5: Brain-Friendly Learning
Chapter 6: Pathways to Responsibility
Chapter 7: Lives With Purpose
Chapter 8: From Surviving to Thriving
References and Resources
200 pages, Perfect Paperback
Published July 8, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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August 7, 2021Overall, it's a very good book, and I liked that it's been updated to reflect recent research. I want to take a moment to address the critique I'm seeing in a lot of reviews that this book isn't as thoroughly researched as it should be.
Education has incredibly shoddy methodology. I routinely see studies that claim to show the efficacy of an intervention based on a sample size of ten and no control group. Educational research routinely employs methods that would make results unpublishable in other fields. Educational research is a mess. You can't base an approach on good science, because there isn't enough good science to bear the weight.
Teachers and educational thinkers deal with this problem in several ways. One is to turn a deaf ear to all research ("You can spin the research to make it say anything, so why bother listening?). Another is to mindlessly accept the flawed research and write extensively footnoted works that end up being valueless, because the underlying research was wrong. A third approach, and the one taken by this book, is to use methodologically solid, firmly established research as a foundation and then fill in the rest with your own experience and wisdom. In this case, the authors took established science (particularly attachment theory), wove it together with childrearing wisdom from their indigenous culture, and utilized the combination in their work with children with trauma. This hybrid approach is obviously not fully scientific. However, I would argue that it's the most scientifically responsible that's currently available, because: a)it is clear and honest about which parts are based on research and which are based on the wisdom of the individual, b)if done right, it cites research that's replicated and solid, and c)it's a good way to access approaches that are effective, even if we don't understand why they work.
My primary criticism of the book is that, even with updated research, it's still very dated. Just look at the title. No one today would use terminology like "reclaiming" to talk about work with children who have trauma. Moreover, it has a very 90s-monolithic view of indigenous culture that's strange to read in 2021. However, none of this really matters in the end. This book has a lot of wisdom to share that remains very relevant.
Education has incredibly shoddy methodology. I routinely see studies that claim to show the efficacy of an intervention based on a sample size of ten and no control group. Educational research routinely employs methods that would make results unpublishable in other fields. Educational research is a mess. You can't base an approach on good science, because there isn't enough good science to bear the weight.
Teachers and educational thinkers deal with this problem in several ways. One is to turn a deaf ear to all research ("You can spin the research to make it say anything, so why bother listening?). Another is to mindlessly accept the flawed research and write extensively footnoted works that end up being valueless, because the underlying research was wrong. A third approach, and the one taken by this book, is to use methodologically solid, firmly established research as a foundation and then fill in the rest with your own experience and wisdom. In this case, the authors took established science (particularly attachment theory), wove it together with childrearing wisdom from their indigenous culture, and utilized the combination in their work with children with trauma. This hybrid approach is obviously not fully scientific. However, I would argue that it's the most scientifically responsible that's currently available, because: a)it is clear and honest about which parts are based on research and which are based on the wisdom of the individual, b)if done right, it cites research that's replicated and solid, and c)it's a good way to access approaches that are effective, even if we don't understand why they work.
My primary criticism of the book is that, even with updated research, it's still very dated. Just look at the title. No one today would use terminology like "reclaiming" to talk about work with children who have trauma. Moreover, it has a very 90s-monolithic view of indigenous culture that's strange to read in 2021. However, none of this really matters in the end. This book has a lot of wisdom to share that remains very relevant.
April 25, 2023
A quick read textbook that blew my mind. I will not be able to forget the Circle of Courage and outline of Culture of Respect vs. Culture of Dominance as long as I live. Big recommend for anyone that works with youths and wants to center Indigenous perspective.
March 17, 2021
Independence, Mastery, Generosity and Belonging principles to live by in this wisdom filled book.
October 22, 2021
A book that every North American educator should read.
March 30, 2022
“Adversity by itself does not need to destroy you. It can strengthen you and especially help you give back to others.”
April 26, 2024
a great companion book to 'Schools That Matter', relying on the tenets of the Circle of Courage as a foundation for schools today
September 30, 2024
An amalgamation of a variety of theories and research; I would have liked it more if it were firmly rooted in indigenous belief systems.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews