![]() ![]() In a sense, we are neurological engineers of our brain. Some children choose to spend six hours per day looking at a phone, time that could be used cultivating the intellect. ![]() Others might practice four hours per day, every day. ![]() Again, some people practice thirty minutes a day, three days a week. Some people read books, move their bodies, work harder than others, sleep more, and best of all for connecting the whole brain – play the piano. Hence the variation in ability and intelligence. Whilst everyone has about 86 billion brain cells, people vary enormously in the number of brain connections they have – up to 80 trillion- based on what they do. Intelligence is a result of working the brain to make new connections and then strengthening them. Brains are shaped by early childhood experiences and by what we do. Our brains, which control muscular movement and expression, are very similar in capacity and capability. It was discovered that among our 19000 genes (rather than the more than 100 000 they expected to find), 99.9 percent of them are identical. No variant genes associated with intelligence or innate talent in music or anything else were discovered, and the report concluded they would probably never be found. Nevertheless, what is the evidence for genetic talent? The world’s largest investigation about this – the international Human Genome Project spanning 16 years or so, found none. In one sense, it does not even matter what the truth of the “talent” argument is, because perception controls reality. Stanford University research concludes that the “learning mindset” person works harder, persists for longer, likes to be challenged, learns from criticism, seeks feedback, pursues excellence and as a result, broadens their potential. Sticks and stones might break our bones, but words can do real harm! Hence, if we want to develop healthy learning dispositions for our students, we should cultivate a learning mindset, which we do through our words, feedback, and the way we praise. The “talent mindset” person works less hard (because talent means I shouldn’t have to work as hard as others), is likely to quit much sooner, is less adventurous in seeking challenges, seeks feedback less readily, is paranoid about protecting this “talent” image at the expense of learning, and as a result, underachieves over time. Learners with a “talent mindset” develop less effective learning dispositions than those with the “learning mindset” that attributes achievement to the quality and quantity of effort. “I am who I am through my own efforts,” said Beethoven (OBM). How do I know? Because everyone tells me so. One – because I am gifted, talented, a natural. The question “how come you are you good at playing the piano?” might generate two responses. Some people think the word encourages effort and builds self-esteem, but a significant body of research suggests otherwise. The uniqueness of “talented” and its relative “gifted” brings an implication of natural ability requiring less work and effort. How often have you heard someone say, “that student is talented”? Perhaps you say this yourself? Why talented? One could use words like competent, accomplished, capable, able, strong, skilled or phrases like “very good at it” and “has much potential”. ![]()
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