According to Jim: the chore of being counterintuitive.Most everyone who has had a number of years to observe others has already formed a pretty clear portrait of talented children and adults. Yet, much of what we have observed ourselves may turn out to be mistaken or misinterpreted. The truth, in fact, may be "counterintuitive coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive adj. Contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate: "Scientists made clear what may at first seem counterintuitive, that the capacity to be pleasant toward a fellow creature is ... ," that is, contrary to common observation. Perhaps the most outstanding example of our daily perceptions being wrong is that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west every day. It is perfectly obvious to anyone that the sun circles the earth. We can see it with our own eyes! The truth turns out to be counterintuitive and quite hard to swallow. There are several commonly held assumptions about giftedness where the truth appears to be counterintuitive. Here are just a few: 1. Gifted males are superior in mathematics; gifted females are superior in social skills. 2. Intelligence is inherited. Smart people have smart children. 3. Students who are accelerated will have socioemotional problems. Since we all can observe the "truth" of each of these statements in our personal lives it may be distressing to find that the truth of these matters is at least partially counterintuitive. A recent comprehensive literature review by Spelke (2005) in the American Psychologist The American Psychologist is the official journal of the American Psychological Association. It contains archival documents and articles covering current issues in psychology, the science and practice of psychology, and psychology's contribution to public policy. points out that of the five basic cognitive skills cognitive skill Psychology Any of a number of acquired skills that reflect an individual's ability to think; CSs include verbal and spatial abilities, and have a significant hereditary component lying at the heart of mathematics, none show a gender difference developmentally. But we can "see" the difference! Yes, perhaps this is the result of years of telling girls they were not good at math, and boys that math is a masculine thing. We tend to practice the skills that we are expected to be good at, and such practices and resulting rewards create differences. For those who doubt this conclusion I refer you to another obvious perception. Only a generation ago it was widely believed that girls could not play basketball. They throw the ball poorly, and can't run fast or shoot the ball through the basket. If you believed that and watched the Women's NCAA basketball tournament There are six main NCAA Basketball Tournaments.
We can "see" that intelligence is inherited by observing who has the smart children. Well, the answer may well be counterintuitive, at least partly so. We have the Human Genome The human genome is the genome of Homo sapiens, which is composed of 24 distinct pairs of chromosomes (22 autosomal + X + Y) with a total of approximately 3 billion DNA base pairs containing an estimated 20,000–25,000 genes. Project to thank for major advances in our understanding of genes and chromosomes and it seems clear now that the consistent and sequential heredity heredity, transmission from generation to generation through the process of reproduction in plants and animals of factors which cause the offspring to resemble their parents. That like begets like has been a maxim since ancient times. x environment interaction with a continuing responsive environment results in superior performance, and bright parents tend to create responsive environments (Bioinformation and the Human Genome Project, 2003). The increased interest in the preschool years comes, in part, from the realization that early events have multiplier effects that project powerfully into the future, both positive and negative. Students who are accelerated surely will have socioemotional problems. Who hasn't observed a gifted person who was accelerated and had some adjustment problems? Well, Nick Colangelo and his colleagues (Colangelo, Assouline, & Gross, 2004) recently wrote a comprehensive review entitled A Nation Deceived A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students is The Templeton National Report on Acceleration, a report written by Nicholas Colangelo, Susan G. Assouline, and Miraca U. M. Gross. pointing out that the research gives a clear positive advantage to acceleration and has done so over the years. The negative experience noted above turns out to be a rather rare occurrence. Our job as educators of gifted students is to point out to our colleagues in education, and to the general public, the counterintuitive truths of these and many other matters (giftedness is linked to insanity, for example). We should not expect gratitude for our actions anymore than Galileo or Copernicus received gratitude for their counterintuitive truth. Indeed, we may be asked kindly to go away and not bother others with such strange tales. But we should persevere per·se·vere intr.v. per·se·vered, per·se·ver·ing, per·se·veres To persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement. anyway since the truth, as best we can determine it, is an essential basis for good education. REFERENCES Bioinformation and the Human Genome Project. (2003). Biological Science Curriculum Study, Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, city (1990 pop. 281,140), seat of El Paso co., central Colo., on Monument and Fountain creeks, at the foot of Pikes Peak; inc. 1886. It is a year-round resort and a booming military, technological, and commercial city. , CO: BSCS BSCS Biological Sciences Curriculum Study BSCS Bachelor of Science in Computer Science BSCS Business Support & Control System BSCS Black Sea Coastal States (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine) . Colangelo, N., Assouline, S., & Gross, M. U. M. (2004). A nation deceived: How schools hold back America's brightest students. Iowa City Iowa City, city (1990 pop. 59,738), seat of Johnson co., E Iowa, on both sides of the Iowa River; founded 1839 as the capital of Iowa Territory, inc. 1853. Among its manufactures are foam rubber, animal feed, paper, and food products. The city is the seat of the Univ. : University of Iowa Not to be confused with Iowa State University. The first faculty offered instruction at the University in March 1855 to students in the Old Mechanics Building, situated where Seashore Hall is now. In September 1855, the student body numbered 124, of which, 41 were women. Belin-Blank Center for Gift ed Students. Spelke, E. (2005). Sex differences in intrinsic aptitude for mathematics and science: A critical review. American Psychologist, 60, 950-958. |
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