Re:Why Do We Expect So Little of Our Youth?
by fusiongyro on Monday July 30, 2012 @03:18PM
(#4314138)
My point is that we shouldn't continue to allow people to turn "I have an advantage in math" into "I'm terrible at spelling and won't bother trying to get better." My nephews illustrate that advantages don't have to become liabilities in other areas, which is how this dichotomy is presented in the OP and the article it was responding to. The scientific evidence can certainly illustrate advantages and disadvantages in different areas; getting from there to "some kids are terrible at English and the rest are terrible at math" is a huge, unwarranted leap.
I agree with everything else you have to say.
> The sooner we stop complaining and start doing...
Start doing what? Just in the US, there are over 7 million teachers heavily involved in "doing" education as best they can, and tens of thousands of researchers and policymakers that are trying to structure education effectively. I agree that the author of the posted article is also not making an informed contribution to the field, but it's important to recognize that there are many people who are making real contributions, and many others who are too eager to change things based on their own intuitive (and frequently incorrect) impressions of how to teach.