Sunday, January 8, 2012
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 has some interesting comments but I found something exciting hidden on page 82, the 12 qualities of genius (Armstrong, 1998). I really liked the titles, curiosity, playfulness, imagination, creativity, wonderment, wisdom, inventiveness, vitality, sensitivity, flexibility, humor and joy. The qualities remind me of people such as the late Steve Jobs, and they also remind me of the people around me each day that possess a high intellect. These are not the boring people, they are the people that get things done, and done with flair, with creativity and with joy. What I want to do now is take this to the next step. I want to read more about Armstrong's study and I want to share this with my students, especially with my students who are "C" or "B" students but could be "A" students if given more motivation. I want to put these twelve qualities on a poster, put them in the hall, etc. It takes a lot to get me this excited after 24 years of teaching but I really like this concept and I am glad I read the chapter.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Kris: Sandy, these are very interesting topics here. The genius section caught my eye as well, because many of the words there I think most people would not expect. Playfulness, wonderment, imagination, humor, joy, and others are words we think of when we think of children. That is very interesting. I saw a study once that tested many levels of students and concluded the level of creativity goes down significantly the older we get. Children are the most creative thinkers. It goes on to conclude that how we teach and integrate students into classrooms and society contributes to this steep decline. As teachers, we must always encourage creativity and thinking outside the box. Allow imagination in the classroom. I find it fascinating that children are so curious for knowledge, always asking "why?", yet somewhere along the line they lose that pure thirst for knowledge just for the sake of knowledge. Teachers must work to enhance children's creativity, not to destroy it. Perhaps then more geniuses would emerge.
ReplyDelete