The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better
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“Our education systems are shortchanging far too many teenagers. This book is brimming with insights on how to change that. It’s an engaging, evidence-based, and practical read about how to develop a generation of lifelong learners.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking
A powerful toolkit for parents of both checked-out and stressed-out teens that shows exactly what to do (and stop doing) to support their academic and emotional flourishing.
Adolescents are hardwired to explore and grow, and learning is mainly how they do this. But a shocking majority of teens are disengaged from school, simultaneously bored and overwhelmed. This is feeding an alarming teen mental health crisis. As kids get older and more independent, parents often feel powerless to help. But fear not, there are evidence-backed strategies to guide them from disengagement to drive, in and out of school.
For the past five years, award-winning journalist Jenny Anderson and the Brookings Institution’s global education expert Rebecca Winthrop have been investigating why so many children lose their love of learning in adolescence. Now, weaving extensive original research with real-world stories of kids who transformed their relationships with learning, they identify four modes of learning that students use to navigate through the shifting academic demands and social dynamics of middle and high school, shaping the internal narratives about their skills, potential, and identity:
• Resister. When kids resist, they struggle silently with profound feelings of inadequacy or invisibility, which they communicate by ignoring homework, playing sick, skipping class, or acting out.
• Passenger. When kids coast along, consistently doing the bare minimum and complaining that classes are pointless. They need help connecting school to their skills, interests, or learning needs.
• Achiever. When kids show up, do the work, and get consistently high grades, their self-worth can become tied to high performance. Their disengagement is invisible, fueling a fear of failure and putting them at risk for mental health challenges.
• Explorer. When kids are driven by internal curiosity rather than just external expectations, they investigate the questions they care about and persist to achieve their goals.
Understanding your child’s learning modes is vital for nurturing their ability to become Explorers. Anderson and Winthrop outline simple yet counterintuitive parenting strategies for connecting with your child, tailoring your listening and communication styles to their needs, igniting their curiosity, and building self-awareness and emotional regulation.
From the Publisher
ASIN : B0CZXRWZGN
Publisher : Crown (January 7, 2025)
Publication date : January 7, 2025
Language : English
File size : 12.0 MB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 343 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 059372707X
8 reviews for The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better
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Jena Abrahamsen –
Dives into the “Why” our teens are disengaged
Excellent and relevant for parents and teachers.I like the way this author broke down the disengaged teens into 4 categories and then discussed how each are struggling in their own way.The research/data was plentiful and thorough. Not persuasive, just informative.In addition, it gave plenty of suggestions to help at home/classroom that were beyond the “take away tech” philosophy.I plan to implement a lot of this suggested metacognitive instruction with my students/children as it focused on visualizing our future selves.
Eleanor Bell –
Great and helpful read!
This book is super helpful for anyone focused on understanding the complexities of teenage education. It is full of practical tips and strategies to help parents support their teenagers.
Robert Keet –
A Must Read For Parents And Other Educators
This book helps unravel the mystery of teen motivation or lack thereof. Heartfelt relatable vignettes will have you saying “aha”. The authors empower you with clear and actionable strategies to help your teen feel seen and understood. As a parent and grandparent, I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
ML –
Terrific and relevant!
This book was incredibly helpful. It has helped me better understand my two teenage children, appreciate everything they are navigating, and build stronger relationships with them.
Kindle Customer –
Great read!
Recommend this book to any parent that needs a simple framework to better understand and support their teen.
Mary Hanna –
Super helpful!
I wish every parent of teens would read this book. It’s full of practical tips and strategies that truly work. I can’t wait to implement these ideas and truly help my daughters in the very important area of “doing life”.
Omar –
Interesting
New approach for me. Probably useful for pre and post teens as well.
jk –
Engagement is the key to successful teenage years
Anderson and Winthrop have distilled decades of work in education and parenting into a clear, cogent framework for helping navigate the challenges of modern teenage years. As a parent, this resonated with me and I’m looking forward to working with my kid on finding her path to engagement.