Genius
When you hear stories about genius and smart kids on the news, you often find the public in awe at how amazing these kids’ brains work.
What is hard to solve for us is just something they consider as an easy math problem.
Sometimes, we hear stories about them doing certain tasks that are meant for smart and responsible adults. Now isn’t that fascinating?
In a study conducted by Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY), 5,000 children who were considered to be the smartest in America were tracked since 1971. Considered to the longest-running study that focuses on the top 1%, 0.1% and 0.01% of all students.
Here are the things they learned about raising genius kids with an education system that prioritizes on helping those who perform poorly in class instead.
With a 45-year run, the study revealed that despite their advantage in being able to process information faster, these genius kids still need their teachers to reach their full potential.
Unfortunately, kids who are regarded very smart in subjects such as science and math do not get enough attention in class or get the help they need to further develop their mental capabilities. According to the report, teachers prefer to focus their attention on the under-achieving kids.
This affects the genius kids’ lives as they grow older. Instead of being able to gain the skills they need to invent or lead, they may end up with less influential roles in their communities.
Another thing revealed from the study is how helpful it is for a kid genius to skip a grade. Researchers found out that the kids who opt to skip a grade were more likely to excel in their chosen fields related to STEM.
The study suggests that when parents and teachers notice that a kid is gifted they should help one further develop their gifts. Providing them with tougher materials to keep them intellectually stimulated will help them check the kid’s limit. In short, these kids still need an adult’s guidance to achieve the best of their capabilities.
Jonathan Wai, a psychologist at the Duke University Talent Identification Program, shared in an interview with Nature, “Whether we like it or not, these people really do control our society. The kids who test in the top 1% tend to become our eminent scientists and academics, our Fortune 500 CEOs and federal judges, senators and billionaires.”
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Article Source: Business Insider
