How can you raise a smart
child who loves to learn? Many people believe that intelligence is static;
either you're smart or you're not. But it turns out that intelligence is
like a muscle: it can be developed with use. What's more, if you believe that's
true, your brain has more potential!
Stanford researcher Carol Dweck ran an experiment with junior high schoolers. If they helped the kids to
think they could develop their intelligence, would the kids' math grades
improve?
In less than two hours over
eight weeks, they taught the students concepts such as: Your brain is like a
muscle that can be developed with exercise; just as a baby gets smarter as it
learns, so can you. The results were astonishing: the brain-is-a-muscle
students significantly outperformed their peers in a math assessment, without
additional math teaching.
So our goal
as parents is to raise kids who believe in their ability to build mental
muscle.
These kids are perpetual
learners - they can learn what they need to in new situations and are always
curious to learn more.
Although intelligence is often
equated with scores on IQ tests, most scholars now believe that IQ tests assess
only part of a person’s intelligence. Traditional IQ tests basically measure
the child's retention of verbal and mathematical knowledge. Unfortunately, this
limited dimension is then equated with the child's intellectual potential.
Experts also question the
obsession in our culture with pushing children to read or achieve academically
before kindergarten age. Toddlers and preschoolers have other, more critical
work to do, from building with blocks, to playing with rhythm and color, to
learning how to get along with their peers.
Even Verbal and Logical
Intelligence actually begin with talking and wondering, when kids participate
in thousands of everyday conversations about life. That's why kids who are
lucky enough have quality discussions with parents as toddlers and preschoolers
do better as they make their way through school. (Such quality discussions are
not the norm with daycare and nannies, unfortunately.)
Dr. Howard Gardner describes seven different kinds of intelligence
that are important in human functioning, all of which kids need an opportunity
to develop:
- Verbal Intelligence
- Bodily / Kinesthetic Intelligence
- Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
- Musical Intelligence
- Interpersonal Intelligence
- Intrapersonal Intelligence
- Visual / Spatial Intelligence
Our job as parents? Encourage our kids’ natural curiosity and
strengths, from dancing to reading to drawing. And make sure our kids know
they can choose how smart they are – it’s intellectual lifting that builds
brainpower.
“In times of change learners
inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to
work in a world that no longer exists.”
Eric Hoffer
Source:
http://www.ahaparenting.com
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