Math can Build Non-Cognitive Skills too!

Studying Math may seem like a purely academic endeavor but it improves focus, persistence and self-advocacy which are takeaways that are "life skills".  This article quotes Dan Pink author of Drive on parents focusing on academics at the expense of "life skills" but school can also fuel these skills and talents that can then be applied to any endeavor whether academic, athletic or otherwise.
New York Times on Determination and Deliberate Practice

How Far Can Math and Patience Take Kids?

Patience is a virtue!!  Math builds space telescopes and also life skills such as persistence and endurance.

Washington Post article on Math and Hubble -- the sky is the limit! has some great quotes from Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, "who gets to peer into the starry great beyond for clues to the origin of the universe. "

"Tyson earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard and a doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia, but it was at the Bronx High School of Science in New York where he learned to not to be deterred when the going gets rough. " 
"I remember the transition from algebra to calculus and thinking: 'I will never in my life figure this out. I better try something else.' How many people do we lose because they don't think they are getting it as fast as they should? What I did was take a little bit at a time. Over the months, it was [as] though a misty fog began to dissipate and I was slowly emerging with a fluency in the new and powerful symbols of calculus."

Author Courtland Milloy encourages schools and parents to inspire students by showing an interest in Math and Science ;)

Rising Above IQ: Perseverance and Drive

Perseverance and drive helped our son learn to read!!!

As a Math peak performance coach and the Mom of a dyslexic son, I can see the fruits of hard work and parental involvement. By the sweat of our brows, an awesome whole-language program (Al Dicker Reading program), an excellent reading teacher weekly and a parent/child half hour daily session for the past 15 months, our 9.5 year old son can now read. This afternoon, we finished Little House on the Prairie. Tomorrow brings On the Banks of Plum Creek.

Below are some comments from March regarding Nisbett's book from my Math Confidence blog:
Innate intelligence as measured by IQ can be increased
IQ is not the most important success factor

Intelligence and How To Get It

From the New York Times review of Richard Nisbett's book

But beyond a certain threshold — an I.Q. of 115, say — there is no correlation between intelligence and creativity or genius. As more of us are propelled above this threshold — and, if Nisbett is right, nearly all of us can be — the role of intelligence in determining success will come to be infinitesimal by comparison with such “moral” traits as conscientiousness and perseverance. Then we can start arguing about whether those are genetic.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393065057

Two important take-aways:

Innate intelligence as measured by IQ can be increased

IQ is not the most important success factor

It's Not Just About the Math!

Math appears content-oriented making students wonder "When Are We Ever Going To Use This Math?". However, the study of Math instills many core values such as perseverance, self-discipline, and excellence, while providing challenge and the opportunity for ‘flow’ experiences. Math is a life-skill that generates critical thinking, broadens career choice, and enhances performance in the classroom and in the workplace. Viewing Math through this lens can positively address the attitudinal aspects of teaching and learning Math helping to develop a life-long appreciation and confidence in quantitative reasoning.