The Secret to Raising Smart Children

[Blue Dragon]

I ran across this article today:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-se...&print=true

And I tend to agree with them. I don't know why this is thought to be all of a sudden ground breaking since it was one of the premises of the Motivational Psychology class I took almost 15 years ago, although applied to adults and not children.

I haven't seen the computer virtual lab, "Brainology", they refer to, but am wondering if the same principles could be applied to a children's toy? Something that would elicit "praise" from "hard work" or effort ... SO, a) create a toy on this principle and then b) test to see if playing with the toy has long-term motivational advantages? .. What do you think Wilkey?

 

[tigger]

Oh man, now you've done it...

 

[mmburtch]

That ought to get him down to about two hours of sleep a night.

 

[Ginseng]

Oh ferchrissakes. Scientific American sure has gotten sensationalist in recent years. Sheesh.

This information has been in the educational research literature for decades and certainly for at least 10-12 years with regard to school-aged children. Compelling studies came out in the mid to late 1990's and I've been teaching on this subject to freshman elementary education students (pre-service teachers) since 2006.

"Praise for effort, not for intelligence" is a simple statement but one that encapsulates an essential aspect of human motivation and learning. Key concepts related to this are mastery versus performance orientation, attribution theory, intellectual resiliency.

Let's just say that that "toy" already exists, Cory. It's called a "parent" or alternatively a "teacher."

Wilkey

 

[kiltedcraftsman]

Let's just say that that "toy" already exists, Cory. It's called a "parent" or alternatively a "teacher."

Wilkey

Here, here Wilkey! Damn right!

 

[Blue Dragon]

Let's just say that that "toy" already exists, Cory. It's called a "parent" or alternatively a "teacher."

Wilkey

Here, here Wilkey! Damn right!

But I want something like an Xbox game or DVD that I can plop him/her in front of for several hours so I can do my own thing.