The Story of Success

Bell Ringer Mastery is a word that you have heard a lot throughout this year in regards to grades. Consider what Malcolm Gladwell says about mastery and what must be done in order for all individuals to achieve mastery. What is being done here to help you to achieve mastery and success in your classes? What could be done in order to improve your ability to achieve mastery and success? (Consider your own habits in addition to the programs and practices here at BBCHS.)

Malcolm Gladwell Writer for The New Yorker Became frustrated with our definition of success Set out to determine why not everyone who is smart, ambitious, and/or talented does not share the same success Outliers: The Story of Success is the answer

What is an outlier? According to Gladwell, “ ‘Outlier’ is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside the normal experience” (312). I.E. A day in August with a temperature below freezing. Gladwell focuses on people who “are so accomplished and so extraordinary and so outside of ordinary experience that they are as puzzling to the rest of us as a cold day in August” (312).

“The Roseto Mystery” Gladwell uses the village of Roseto, Pennsylvania to introduce this idea. 11 Rosetans emigrated from Italy in 1882 and settled in Pennsylvania Stewart Wolf, a physician, began studying the people of Roseto 1950s. Heart attacks were currently an epidemic in the United States and were a leading cause of death in men under the age of 65. This was not the case in Roseto (Gladwell 3-7).

“The Roseto Mystery” In his research, Wolf discovered: No one under 55 died of a heart attack or suffered from heart disease. For men over 65, the death rate from heart disease was half the national death rate. The death rate from all causes was 30-35% lower than the national death rate (Gladwell 7). Wolf then began to test theories for why this may be.

“The Roseto Mystery” 1. Diet & Exercise 41 percent of calories in normal diet came from fat Smoked heavily and suffered from obesity 2. Genetics Rosetans not living in Pennsylvania suffered from heart disease. 4. Location Neighboring towns matched the national death rates.

Where do we go from here? Gladwell chose to research “Outliers” of our society in the same way Wolf studied Rosetans. The book is his published findings about how Outliers achieve success. You will read two chapters – “The Matthew Effect” & One of your choice You will focus on what unique factors help these individuals to be successful – location, education, or culture. Homework: Read “The Matthew Effect” and annotate evidence of location, education, and/or culture influencing success.

Solution Wolf came to the conclusion that it was not the Rosetans themselves, but rather the culture they created. Their tight-knit community and traditions brought over from Italy allowed for a more laidback, stress-free existence.

Exit slip: Considering Gladwell’s definition, why are Rosetans then outliers? What allows them to be outliers?