Besides, the thing he needs to hear most is not that he's smart, but that if he works hard and practices, math will become easier. Research actually shows that if you tell students they're smart, they do worse at math because they avoid difficult tasks in order to preserve the image of being smart. If you tell them that their hard work will make a difference, their scores improve.
Those studies talk about kids. It is different because that relates to training kids.
by the time many are adults, some have such a lack self esteem when it comes to intelligence that they do in fact need to hear it.
The studies like those I read (which were children) were based on the differences between how we talk to males and females, which I thought was especially interesting. That from the beginning, we tell girls how smart they are, making it more difficult for them when something doesn't come easily. Whereas we tell boy children (who are perceived as being wilder and more in need of buckling down) that if they only try really hard, they can do it.
Yep those are the ones I've read as well. I find it fascinating. (Especially as a math teacher where I think it happens a lot)
I don't tell DH that. I do tell him when I'm proud of him for working hard or other accomplishments. He's extremely smart, but he definitely isn't the smartest man or person I know.
I do praise and mock him for his incredibly random knowledge though. He's always popping out with "oh this random invention uses these physics theories and that means pigs actually can fly" or something lie that.
He really is. He coasted through a mechanical engineering degree at a prestige university like it was no big thing.
My BIL did something similar and he double majored while maintaining a 4.0. Also he got a full ride to medical school from how well he did academically in his undergrad.
He really is. He coasted through a mechanical engineering degree at a prestige university like it was no big thing.
My BIL did something similar and he double majored while maintaining a 4.0. Also he got a full ride to medical school from how well he did academically in his undergrad.
It's crazy how some people can do things like this. My H's dad works for the university so he got a free undergrad ride and was able to take more credit hours per semester than was allowed other students. He was taking 20+ hours of calculus, physics, and engineering - barely studied, and graduated suma. Like what? Meanwhile, I was at a state school, taking 14 hours of calculus, chemistry, and engineering - NEVER having any fun because I was studying all the time, and graduated in 5 years with no honors. NOT. FAIR.
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