Learning Outside The Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution
Criticism for the public school system in the United States is nothing  new; kids of all skill levels are slipping through the cracks at every age and  in every city. Rather than attempting to change the system or point out it's  failures, Jonathon Mooney and David Cole have created a practical guide to help  kids jump through the necessary hoops to achieve whatever larger, postschool  goals they may have. While much of the material is written for kids who've  received the label LD or ADHD, many of the suggestions can be just as helpful  for those who've been labeled "gifted," or any other student who feels  frustrated with the daily routine of standard education.The introduction (personal histories of the authors) is great reading for  parents of LD or ADHD kids, and much of it has a humorous tone that makes it  equally appropriate (and approachable) for discouraged adolescents. From the  terror of weekly spelling tests to the few inspiring teachers and tutors the two  encountered, the tales are equal parts entertaining, poignant, and encouraging  to others who may well be experiencing quite similar events. There's little  discussion of what methods are right or wrong--ultimately, both authors take a  fundamentally pragmatic view, and it's "right" if it worked. A steady focus on  study skills fills the majority of the book, and Mooney and Cole take what are  generally pretty familiar stands on note-taking and test preparation and break  them down into easily digestible concepts. With different methods for different  types of learners (visual thinkers are encouraged to use maps and brightly  colored markers), students will find plenty of help in creating notebooks,  focusing their attention, and even appropriate ways of conducting the infamous  all-nighter. Including information on how to recover lost class notebooks, how  to make the most of a syllabus, and "The Seven Habits of Highly Disorganized  People,"Learning Outside the Linesprovides students with plenty of  tools to further each reader's personal idea of success.--Jill Lightner