The notes I made while reading, using that function on my Kindle, highlight that our quintessential thinkers, in Western civilisation, have always suspected that giftedness’ was a ‘process’. For example, Nietzsche described ‘great artists as being tireless participants in that process’ while Einstein claimed that it was not that he was ‘smart’ but that he stayed ‘with a problem longer’.
Is Shenk broadly correct when he says that ‘persistence can be nurtured parents and mentors’? The answer to this question is the heart of his thesis: that everything we have thought about genetics, talent and IQ is incorrect. Some have argued that persistence is an ‘inborn biological component’ but I prefer to pursue Shenk’s ideas as the potential for us all to (believe we can) grow is more than just merely important, it is essential!
Shenk says, ‘in the end, persistence is the difference between mediocrity and enormous success’. I’d suggest what many would call ‘luck’ is also a player though, in a number of guises.
A note made while reading, that is particularly important to my value system as an educator, relates to a study Shenk cites about teacher ‘praise’. One group were praised for their hard work and diligence, the other for their inborn intelligence. In follow-up tests these groups were asked to extend themselves with a choice of puzzles. More than 90% of the group praised for hard work chose the most difficult puzzles, while less than half of the ‘intelligent’ group chose to take the most challenging option.
I often say to my HSC classes, over the years I have noticed students who are ‘hardworking’ do much better than those who are merely ‘smart’. Striving is a core competency and skill.
Shenk imparts much wisdom during the course of the book. I particularly liked the notion, ‘set high expectations, but also show compassion, creativity, and patience’ as this is a set of principles that works well in any area of our culture and society. A fine sentiment, indeed!
The most annoying thing about the book is more to do with the format, as much as I like the eReader. The Kindle does not have page numbers but percentages read. There were many notes in this book and it led one to believe there was much more to read as it was only at about 40%, from memory, when concluded, as the footnotes were so extensive.
It was with great expectation that I sat down to read Paul Theroux’s latest novel, Burma Sahib, the story of Eric Blair’s experience as a colonial policeman during the 1920s. A much experienced and admired master of the art of travel writing, who better to breathe life into the historical setting, landscape and people of the period? […]
Orwell & Empire Douglas Kerr Oxford University Press, 2022, pp 240 ISBN: 978 0 192 86409 3 Once there was a British writer, an Englishman who was born in India. He was privately educated in England, did not go to university, returned to the East after leaving school, and lived and worked there for a […]
This review originally appeared in George Orwell Studies Volume 3 Number 2. George Orwell continues to have an extraordinary influence on how the English view England, writes Darcy Moore in his review of an important contemporary work of history. The English and Their History: The First Thirteen Centuries (2014) by Robert Tombs has deservingly been described as […]
“…flipping the system is about changing education from the ground up by allowing teachers to take the lead as a trusted and meaningful part of global education conversations.” Flip The System Australia: What Matters in Education edited by Deborah M. Netolicky, Jon Andrews and Cameron Paterson situates Australian education policy, research and practice within the context of […]
Visiting the Stedelijk Museum with my family, after three rewarding but long days of getting value for money from our museum discount card, was one highlight of our time in Amsterdam. By this stage we were weary and in danger of becoming jaded with even the most fabulous cultural artefacts, but such was the excellence […]
This is my madness, and I can’t tell it as it is. Madness is anti-story, anti-chronology, anti-plot, anti-character. It breaks language. It throws mud in the face. It makes story impossible. The minds within the mind won’t let me be. I know Michael in my soul while at the same time I don’t know him […]
I think I will put this book on my reading list. It is interesting to note that even in the most recent thinking about gifts and talents namely Gagne’s DMGT model says that gifts are an innate ability that if not nurtured will not turn into a talent. This is consistent with the views by Shenk.
I call it the “turn up” principle. Our innate abilities are never realized until we pitch in with a whole mind/body commitment. Does that prioritize experiential process based learning above other multiple intelligences? If it does then I will add the courage to “turn up” as an attitude to be nurtured. I often receive compliments for being intelligent and creative. My reply is always that we are all intelligent and creative, I just practise a lot.
Georgiac
I think I will put this book on my reading list. It is interesting to note that even in the most recent thinking about gifts and talents namely Gagne’s DMGT model says that gifts are an innate ability that if not nurtured will not turn into a talent. This is consistent with the views by Shenk.
Victor Davidson
I call it the “turn up” principle. Our innate abilities are never realized until we pitch in with a whole mind/body commitment. Does that prioritize experiential process based learning above other multiple intelligences? If it does then I will add the courage to “turn up” as an attitude to be nurtured. I often receive compliments for being intelligent and creative. My reply is always that we are all intelligent and creative, I just practise a lot.