The Gift of Failure: Fostering Intrinsic Motivation and Resilience in Kids

  • Jessica Lahey

Veteran teacher, author, and education journalist Jessica Lahey breaks down the research on motivation, resilience and learning, and explains how autonomy-supportive parenting and teaching not only boosts kids’ motivation, but improves educational outcomes. Using personal narrative and humor, Lahey explores the research on extrinsic and intrinsic motivators, praise, and learned helplessness, while offering instruction and assessment methods that promote deep, durable learning and engagement. Lahey will also accept your questions ahead of the presentation which will impact the direction of the talk.

Speaker Details

Jessica Lahey is an educator, writer, and speaker. She is an English and writing teacher, correspondent for the Atlantic, commentator for Vermont Public Radio, and writes the “Parent-Teacher Conference” column for the New York Times. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. Jessica earned a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts and a J.D. with a concentration in juvenile and education law from the University of North Carolina School of Law. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two sons.

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