The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Hugh Pickens writes "Scientific American has an interesting article on the secret to raising smart kids that says that more than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings. In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depresses motivation more than does the belief that lack of effort is to blame. One theory of what separates the two general classes of learners, helpless versus mastery-oriented, is that these different types of students not only explain their failures differently, but they also hold different "theories" of intelligence. The helpless ones believe that intelligence is a fixed trait: you have only a certain amount. Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. Mastery-oriented children think intelligence is malleable and can be developed through education and hard work. Challenges are energizing rather than intimidating offering opportunities to learn."

scool

[Anonymous Coward]

so duz this meen i cin git more smartz or will i allays be like dis ? i don unnerstand.

Chemicals

[cthulu_mt]

The early intake of PCB's seems to have made me [NO CARRIER]

Tried & Tested

[CmdrGravy]

Keep young children in the walled garden, those that survive and escape can be schooled those that don't are no longer a drain on my resources.

Re:People are different

[Anonymous Coward]

Sentences are capitalized. Remedial English at 12.

Uh-oh, the ground is trembling,

[Anonymous Coward]

Small mammals are scurrying for cover,
All the birds have taken wing.

The hordes of self-proclaimed geniuses who wander the halls of Slashdot approach.

Re:Tried & Tested

[somersault]

Yeah - make it like the Truman show, but with more gorillas and crocodiles!

Re:Chemicals

[smittyoneeach]

To ingest the powerful spirits living in the chips and become one with them.
Was this a rhetorical question, or are you just living up to your nick? ;)

Re:Re:People are different

[smittyoneeach]

Marxists reject das capitalization. Remedial timekeeping at 13.

Re:Article makes sense to me

[techpawn]

That's why every 4 levels you can bump your int score right?

Re:Mental Disabilities

[Benanov]

> I can't spell for shit, have poor grammar...and my writing looks like a horrible mess.

But you know where the shift key is, and you placed your apostrophes correctly. :)

--BK

Re:scool

[sm62704]

Yue musspilled "skule"

Re:Implicit Critique

[cerberusss]

when shown the results of a psychological experiment, most people think the results were obvious. And yet - when people are asked to predict the results of those same experiments, they're no better at it than chance.

I could've told them that. That research funding could've been spent a hell of a lot better.

Re:Mental Disabilities

[cheater512]

Your here on Slashdot so I'm guessing your better at Maths and Sciences.

Do you see where I'm going? :)
Your just not a all rounder.

I'm the same.
I never picked up another language after spending years on it yet given a month I can master a programming language.
Frustrating yes but it does have advantages.

Although I do try to keep my spelling/grammar impeccable on the net just to try and hold back the wave of IM speak.

Re:Tried & Tested

[BooRolla]

and with hookers! and Blackjack! In fact, forget the Truman show.

Re:Mental Disabilities

[Anonymous Coward]

>Your here on Slashdot so I'm guessing your better at Maths and Sciences.
>Although I do try to keep my spelling/grammar impeccable on the net

I see it's not working out so well.

Re:The secret to smart kids?? easy...

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, I've come to interpret "I have no counter argument left but to construct a strawman out of the most extreme case of your argument I can think of, then argue against that" as "I concede your argument in its totality."

I wish there was some way to fit that on a bumper sticker.

Re:Mental Abilities

[blackcoot]

"C'mon, do you really believe that a four year old Mozart sat down at the piano by himself and composed an opera while drinking earl grey tea?"

No. Mozart was long dead before Earl Grey tea was known as such (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Grey_tea [wikipedia.org] and compare with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart [wikipedia.org])

Re:Mental Abilities

[PopeRatzo]

At 11, I was just learning the finer points of nose-picking and paste-eating. I think the most advance artistic achievement I had by age 11 was a birthday card I made for my Mom from construction paper and a doily.