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“Millions of children, every year, start school excited
about what they will learn, but quickly become disillusioned
when they get the idea they are not as ‘smart’ as others,” writes
Jo Boaler. That’s because parents and teachers inadvertently give
out the message that talent is inborn — you either have it or you
don’t.
As a math professor, Boaler has seen this firsthand. Many
young adults enter her class anxious about math, and their fear
about learning impacts their ability to learn.
“The myth that our brains are fixed and that we simply
don’t have the aptitude for certain topics is not only scientifically
inaccurate; it is omnipresent and negatively impacts not only
education, but many other events in our everyday lives,” she
writes. Even though the science of neuroplasticity — how our
brains change in response to learning — suggests learning can
take place at any age, this news has not made it into classrooms,
she argues.
Some of our misguided visions of talent have led to racist
and sexist attitudes, she writes. For example, many girls get the
message early on that math is for boys and that boys are better at
it, interfering with their ability to succeed and leading to gender
disparities in fields of study related to math. Similarly, people of
color may also have to overcome stereotypes about fixed
intelligence in order to thrive.
How understanding your brain can help you learn.
Internet: <greatergood.berkeley.edu> (adapted)