Psychologists 45 years studying 5000 brilliant children. Here are 6 key insights

2017-09-22 15:11

Psychologists 45 years studying 5000 brilliant children. Here are 6 key insights
One of the main conclusions: even children with high IQ need teachers to help them achieve their full potential.

If 4 and a half decades to study thousands of gifted children, we can understand something about how to improve their level of academic achievement, reports Rus.Media.

One of the main conclusions: even children with high IQ need teachers to help them achieve their full potential.

Since 1971, the project “Study of mathematically gifted youth” or SMPY tracks 5000 smartest kids in America — top 1%, 0.1% and even 0.01% of all students. This is the long-term study of gifted children in history.

That’s what results the project has come.

Top 1%, 0.1% and 0.01% of children live an exceptional life

Within SMPY (pronounced “simpy”) first tested the intelligence of children using the techniques of the SAT entrance examinations to universities and other IQ tests. Subsequently, researchers began to explore additional factors such as College education and career path later in life.

They found that most gifted children continued to study at the doctoral and graduate school, and received far more patents and money for research than their less gifted comrades. Most of them are among the 5% most highly paid scientists.

“Whether we like it or not, these people are really in control of our society,” — said recently, “Nature” Jonathan Wai, psychologist program of identification of talent at Duke University.

Children geniuses do not get enough attention

The trouble is that children are geniuses often receive too little attention from their teachers, who may tend to discount some of the brightest students because they have already reached their potential.

When the SMPY researchers have studied how much attention teachers gave to these gifted children, they found that the vast majority of time in class was spent trying to help underperforming pupils to reach the average level.

Scientists project SMPY suggest that teachers should avoid teaching standard for all of the curriculum, and instead focus on creating individual lesson plans for students.

Transfer in the grade above works

To help children to reach their full potential, teachers and parents should think about how to translate the gifted child in the grade above, offers SMPY.

When the researchers compared the control group of those who were not transferred to the high school with those who did, found that the last 60% more likely to have obtained patents and scientific titles — and more than twice as likely to have received a doctoral degree in a field related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

Intelligence is very diverse

Be smart — not just the ability to remember facts, names and dates. SMPY has repeatedly shown over many subsequent analyses that some of the smartest kids have a great ability to lengthy arguments.

These kids have a talent for visualization systems such as the human circulatory system or the structure of the car. In 2013, following the polls found a strong link between the skills of spatial thinking and number of patent applications published peer-reviewed articles.

Standardized tests are not always a waste of time

Standardized tests — SAT one of the most famous — can’t measure everything teachers and parents need to know about the baby.

However, SMPY data indicate that the SAT and other standardized measures of intelligence have some predictive power, but takes into account factors such as socio-economic status and level of practice.

Camilla Benbow (Benbow Camilla), one of the researchers working in the SMPY project, noted that these tests are best suited to determine the inclinations of the children, so that teachers can focus in different areas.

It is important to notice cognitive abilities

Psychologist Carol Dwek found that successful more prone to so-called “thinking growth”, not “fixed thinking”. They see themselves as fluid, changing creatures that can adapt and grow — they are not static.

SMPY agree with that assessment, but also found that early signs of cognitive ability in children can predict how well they will act later in life, ignoring the whole practice, which may or may not happen to them.

Recognizing such a future, parents and teachers need to work actively at an early stage and to give as much attention to the development of such kids.