Monday, January 12, 2009
Being "Smart"
Students tend to believe that being smart is something you are born with and they believe only the smart people are successful. How can you help them realize that these are myths? How can you help them see that “smart” is mostly a matter of how many hours you put in and that often people who seem really smart aren’t successful and those people thought weren’t so smart do great?
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Perhaps by giving them proof that they are myths. Finding more and more stories about successful people in life who started with the same background that they have. Giving them stories from personal experience and telling them often how being smart only comes from experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jennifer insofar as providing students with "real life" examples of people who were not considered "smart" in school, but became successful. I'm wondering if I could do an experiment with my students, one that involves the same amount of class time everyday, to see if we all reach the same place at the end. Maybe drawing or something that no one, even me, has prior knowledge of and turn it into something we could all learn together.
ReplyDeleteUp until recently I believed that being smart is something you were born with (or I was more in the nature camp than the nurture camp). By providing actual examples and data, as Jennifer has said, they will believe us. Seeing the tangible examples (eg. The Beatles, Bill Gates) shows them that their grandpa was right when he told them about the value of hard work. And good idea Christy; discovering something new with the students will allow them to see that you only got where you are by practice and experience.
ReplyDeleteI think there are some prodigies out there that are the exception, but you have to show the students that even those people are successful because they put time into something they love. Examples of success stories should be shared as Jennifer said. I would also focus on what the students excel in to make them realize that they themselves have put more hours in being successful in that area whether that be math, science, band, orchestra, sports, etc.
ReplyDeleteTime = success. The time you spend working and reworking drawings is evident in the final product so why would it not be the same in regard to the time we put into our students and the time they spend working on their skills. The idea to discover some new idea or skill along with them is brilliant and that it shows that we don't know and could not possibly know everything. Being able to show your students the time you put into work is also important. Like maybe I would have an example of a photograph that I had printed over and over again with subtle burning and dodging changes each time until the product was exactly the way it was meant to be or have spec drawings up for an idea that I was working out to begin a final work. Things like this provide great examples to students and show time you spent doing something. Leading by example is so important. And to students seeing is believing.
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ReplyDeleteAs everyone has said, time equals success. I agree with Jennifer we need to give students examples of these real life stories such as the ones that Cynthia had shown in class. This gives students the opportunity to see how to be successful you need to put in the time, that you are not born smart or talented. Although I do believe that some students have the ability to pick up certain skills quickly while others take a little bit longer and more practice and effort may be needed
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christine and her idea that there are prodigies out there that are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part the more time you put in the more success you will have. Showing more examples of people who have put in a lot of time could help break these "myths" students have about being smart. I was surprised about some of the stories that were shared in class strongly believe that the more real life situations that are exposed to our students the more their eyes will be opened to myths such as this one.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of prodigies...I recommend everyone go to this site
ReplyDeletehttp://www.akiane.com//home.htm
It's the young artist I was talking about in class.
Scroll all the way down to a link that says "To View more Akiane Art Click Here" On this page you can see art work from when she first started painting to about now. Keeping in mind that ever since she started drawing, she's been putting in like 5 hours a day of practice. I can't do that math...to tired. It's extremely interesting and and ties in well to this topic.
I also believe that there are some people who can be called prodigies. Two people may put in the same amount of time into something and may not come out with the same skill level. I think that sometimes people possess certain skills that make them better at somethings than other people, but I also dont think this is a bad thing and sometimes it makes us who we are. I believe we all have certain skills that we were given. I do like the idea of giving students examples of successful people who they can relate to. Students are impacted more when they can relate specific things.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of time has something to do with being successful, and some of these opportunities are by luck but many of them the person has to seek out themselves. It all boils down to how motivated a person is in seeking out success. Someone usually has to introduce a student to an opportunity to be successful. We, as teachers, must look for opportunities for our students that they would not normally be exposed to.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's ideas are really great so far and I agree with all of them. I was thinking that I would probably want to do an experiment in my class too. Assign all of the kids something to do, and have them log the hours they put into it. At the end, you should be able to tell that the students who spent more time on it were more successful. You could do this over a whole semester. For every project that a student works on, have them log the hours that they spent working on them. At them end of the semester, have them evaluate their own work, comparing and contrasting the works that had more time involved compared to others. See what they come up with.
ReplyDeleteI also believe in a "prodigy". But for someone to be called a prodigy they need the opportunity to be discovered or to discover there natural talent. But being smart and talented are not necessarily the same, although you need one or the other to become an expert. I think that we as teachers should always stress that if you love it and want to become great you should practice whether it comes easy for you or if it is a difficult task for them. Practice I believe can not hurt anymore it is something that is beneficial. ---Jenn V.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the project where students compare work they have done through the semester. One of the things we did last semester with our students was give them a "test" called "How smart are you?". Every student has certain skills or things that they are good at, and once they finish the assignment they chart it in a bar graph. It gives them a chance to see that they do have strengths. It is just a good way to give students confidence early on in the semester.
ReplyDeleteI think another way to debunk the "smart myth" is to value everyone's contribution in class equally. That sounds like something we all do, but it is actually a lot of work to do and is often not done. We, as teachers, have to erase those lines of distinctions we sometimes make by calling on the same kids to answer, giving one or two kids more of a voice in class discussions, or comparing one child to another. It is easy to fall into those patterns due to time constraints or other reasons, but I think we have to be an example for our students and "practice what we preach." I'm not saying that we shouldn't praise students for good work, but as a group, we should to value each individual member equally.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the comment that as teachers we have a responsibility to expose our students to all types of experiences that they might not have the chance to see or do at home. They might find themselves really enjoying an activity and begin to spend extra hours on it to make themselves an expert at art, writing, or science to name a few examples. The more time these kids spend on a subject will then help them ultimately become successful in life.
ReplyDeleteI like what Christy said about equally valuing every students contributions. Making them feel big all of the time is key but also allowing them the opportunity to have this feeling from their class mates as well. I think that even if you don't think that he or she is the smartest student that you should tell your students every day as many times as you can stand it that they are the smartest student that you have every had. Even if it is not necessarily true if you say it and they hear it enough it could eventually have an impact on their and your perception of them. Plus it couldn't hurt.
ReplyDeleteCJ makes a good point. I think it is fine is some people are naturally better (or more inclined to be better) at certain things. As long as the find the thing that makes them tick. I honestly believe I am naturally worse at math than others. My mind just doesn't think that way, but that's ok. If everyone were equally good at writing and teaching then I may have trouble finding a job! I guess the important thing is to help others find out what they are good at and encourage them to put in their 10,000 hours.
ReplyDeleteI think along with real life examples, there should be a connection to their own life. As we tell them stories like those of the Beatles and Bill Gates, I think it is also important to get them thinking about skills of their own and how they gained them. For example, I have friends who follow basketball and can tell you almost anything you want to know, but they cannot make a basket to save their lives. Most of our students however, would be a different story when talking about their skill level. How did they get so smart at the methods of basketball? Were they born with it?
ReplyDeleteI liked Christy's idea of valuing everyone's strengths the same. But it definitely is easier said than done. I also liked CJ's idea about finding what the child is good at and have them keep track of that all semester.
ReplyDeleteYou could also ask the kids to think of a time when they were very successful at something, and have them think really hard about the reasons why they were so successful at it. Having them see examples in their own lives may help to show that that it is not all about "smarts".
Make them watch the TV show Judge Mathis. Seriously. The opening monolgue of the show is of Judge Mathis mildly explaining how he was a thug, served time, and twelve years later became a judge. More specifically, he stole from the white suburbs and sold and used drugs such as heroin. But, with his deep affection for his mother and choosing to take care of her when she was diagnosed with colon cancer, he made the choice to work hard and overcome the odds stacked against him. Some of those odds included failing the bar exam the first time and being denied a lawyer license because of his criminal past.
ReplyDeleteLesson being, I feel as if "smart" is often viewed as something you have or you don't have. Really, "smart" is a choice. Greg Mathis isn't smart because he was successful, he was smart because he chose an alternate, more positive path in his life and he fought to ultimately persevere in the thing he believed in--himself.
I am one of the many that agree with CJ and I also enjoyed the multiple intelligence tests we did with our students, too. Going along with that concept, a method to help kids understand "smarts" is to have them each make their own definition. Work with each individual on their definition by making them set personal goals in a specific area to seek improvement that they would feel would achieve "being smart." Again, like CJ suggested, having these students keep track of their own progression while occasionally checking up on them, creating responsibility and ownership for their words and actions while becoming "smart."
ReplyDeleteWe need first to reclaim the word "smart"; I don't think that quiz bowl appearances and a large check from the Jeopardy! people necessarily entail brilliance. Being able to recall a great deal of information is just that; I don't find it to be a particularly good indicator of intelligence. The smart ones, rather, are the ones who teach themselves what they need to know and are always open to learning new things. The intelligent can teach themselves and thereby have mastery over their own intellectual development. They have the brainpower to do what they deem necessary to succeed. At this point, the resources question comes into play, but the larger question here entails effort. "Smart" may not be a word we can throw around for everyone; effort is required here.
ReplyDeleteAs for these examples, let's not forget that these kids, I suspect, know a few folks themselves who may qualify as being from the select few who have broken through and been "smart" despite being behind a table full of 8-balls. These are figures that the kids themselves can go to church, the store, wherever, and talk to. They are examples that step out of the tv screen and ipod.
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