4 ms·

Practice Makes Possible: What We Learn by Studying Amazing Kids

13 points by ALee 10y ago

mswen 10y ago
Interesting juxtaposition - this morning I read [1] an interview at Vox.com about how IQ researchers push back that what really consistently correlates with a great diversity of what we label as success is in fact G the general intelligence quotient. Here in this article is an interview with Anders Ericsson about his new book reaffirming his focus on deliberate practice as the key to "success" in any particular field of study or skill development. I would love for these different groups to design studies together. Informally, when talking with my kids I reconcile these viewpoints with a hypotheses about time-to-specific skill levels. - Higher intelligence speeds your journey to a specific threshold of skill (fewer total hours to that threshold) - Higher intelligence means you probably have a higher ceiling in potential skill level - Consistent deliberate practice in the same focused direction will get you to the same place and maybe higher than someone with higher intelligence if they are not as singularly focused - Consistent access to skilled teachers/coaches/mentors also makes a big difference (which means that socioeconomic status matters) - Internal motivation matters because I won't keep bugging you - I might remind you and give you some external motivators at the start of the journey but in the end you need to "want it" - Quantity of effort matters - don't get overly stuck in making one thing perfect - If you are learning to draw - draw a 100 different pictures of birds. Do them very quickly set them aside and start another one. By the end you will have captured the techniques better than if you had obsessed over every little detail and only completed 10 pictures of birds. - If is fine to decide that journeyman level is good enough in a particular skill - especially if you are starting to develop a complementary skill - that is the world needs good multi-disciplinary generalists who can do a variety of things really well but clearly not world class at any one of them. - Your skill ceiling is probably higher than you think. - Getting 'really good' at something may take longer and more effort than you imagine or wish This is how I integrate it for my kids. What do you guys think? [1]http://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11683192/iq-testing-intelligence http://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11683192/iq-testing-intelligenc...
warmfuzzykitten 10y ago
Selection bias by non-scientist who has "studied" a subject as a hobby for 30 years. Of course some people are born with special abilities. One of the dissenting commenters writes "Baloney. I started drawing recognizable human figures when I was two or three years old. At that age and with the parents I had, neither coaching nor practice was involved. At every step of the way, I was far, far ahead of my peers in attaining the typical developmental stages of an artist." The author must know nothing of Srinivasa Ramanujan or Carl Friedrich Gauss. He must have never heard of savant syndrome. Yes, most people work hard to master their professions, but we don't all start off equal and pretending so is delusional.
- warmfuzzykitten 10y ago
  This seems relevant. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inspired-by-genius-how-a-mathematician-found-his-way/?WT.mc_id=SA_TW_MATH_NEWS http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inspired-by-genius...

13 points by ALee 10y ago

mswen 10y ago

Interesting juxtaposition - this morning I read [1] an interview at Vox.com about how IQ researchers push back that what really consistently correlates with a great diversity of what we label as success is in fact G the general intelligence quotient. Here in this article is an interview with Anders Ericsson about his new book reaffirming his focus on deliberate practice as the key to "success" in any particular field of study or skill development. I would love for these different groups to design studies together. Informally, when talking with my kids I reconcile these viewpoints with a hypotheses about time-to-specific skill levels. - Higher intelligence speeds your journey to a specific threshold of skill (fewer total hours to that threshold) - Higher intelligence means you probably have a higher ceiling in potential skill level - Consistent deliberate practice in the same focused direction will get you to the same place and maybe higher than someone with higher intelligence if they are not as singularly focused - Consistent access to skilled teachers/coaches/mentors also makes a big difference (which means that socioeconomic status matters) - Internal motivation matters because I won't keep bugging you - I might remind you and give you some external motivators at the start of the journey but in the end you need to "want it" - Quantity of effort matters - don't get overly stuck in making one thing perfect - If you are learning to draw - draw a 100 different pictures of birds. Do them very quickly set them aside and start another one. By the end you will have captured the techniques better than if you had obsessed over every little detail and only completed 10 pictures of birds. - If is fine to decide that journeyman level is good enough in a particular skill - especially if you are starting to develop a complementary skill - that is the world needs good multi-disciplinary generalists who can do a variety of things really well but clearly not world class at any one of them. - Your skill ceiling is probably higher than you think. - Getting 'really good' at something may take longer and more effort than you imagine or wish This is how I integrate it for my kids. What do you guys think? [1]http://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11683192/iq-testing-intelligence http://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11683192/iq-testing-intelligenc...

warmfuzzykitten 10y ago

Selection bias by non-scientist who has "studied" a subject as a hobby for 30 years. Of course some people are born with special abilities. One of the dissenting commenters writes "Baloney. I started drawing recognizable human figures when I was two or three years old. At that age and with the parents I had, neither coaching nor practice was involved. At every step of the way, I was far, far ahead of my peers in attaining the typical developmental stages of an artist." The author must know nothing of Srinivasa Ramanujan or Carl Friedrich Gauss. He must have never heard of savant syndrome. Yes, most people work hard to master their professions, but we don't all start off equal and pretending so is delusional.

warmfuzzykitten 10y ago
This seems relevant. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inspired-by-genius-how-a-mathematician-found-his-way/?WT.mc_id=SA_TW_MATH_NEWS http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inspired-by-genius...