The ways in which accelerated learning can dispel myths of natural talent and IQ

By: Deon Melchior



What are some established myths about children’s levels of creativity and intelligence as supposedly innate abilities?

Possibly one of the greatest myths that children are saddled with is the belief that everyone has a predetermined level of intelligence or mental ability. For countless years, teachers, educators and even parents were taught that a child’s basic intelligence quotient was something that was wholly unalterable. The claim was that if a child was born “dumb” he or she would remain “dumb” for the rest of his or her life. If born a genius, the child will remain a genius and if born average than no matter what people do, the child will remain average. In fact, the results of an academic or intelligence test do not reveal how brilliant, average or backward a child is; rather, they reveal only how well the child performed when taking that particular test.

Another myth about the abilities children are born with is to do with the creativity level of each child. For some reason, our culture is such that the production of any piece of art –painting, sculpture, and the like– is viewed as the presence of creativity; when in fact creativity alone is nowhere near enough o produce a masterpiece. Learned principles such as persistence and patience are completely overlooked, and it is assumed that without the presence of “creativity”, the work of art could never have been accomplished. The belief that all people are born with the innate urge to create is likely far closer to the truth, and certainly the one that is most manifested in young children. Unfortunately, too often the creative urges in children are overlooked or ignored; at the very best they are too often underdeveloped. This leads to the misconception that children have different “degrees” of creativity, rather than the far more likely truth that all children are born with creative instincts, but only some children are fortunate enough to be encouraged to pursue these endeavors.

Why are these myths so harmful to children’s social, academic and emotional development?

Because these myths are cultural misconceptions largely based on existing cultural constructs, they are damaging to the children who by nature do not conform to them. Children may be made to feel inadequate due to their inability to measure up to expectations held by the traditional school system and parents who have a limited concept of the various intelligences. Similarly, children who under perform with regards to their peer groups may be made to feel different or ostracized simply because they do not meet the perceived “requirements” of their school system.

How can accelerated learning be applied to dispel these myths about children’s supposedly innate abilities?

Thanks to the principles of accelerated learning, children are encouraged to develop a wide variety of abilities according to their own preference, meaning that the often-overlooked creative abilities are given a better chance to develop. Furthermore, the child’s various abilities are then focused on as a variety of means by which he or she may be encouraged to learn in an enjoyable and accessible fashion. The previous concept of one basic form of intelligence has been largely negated by the exploration of students’ abilities to excel once their key learning styles are targeted and focused on. Once parents and educators understand that accelerated learning is meant to embrace a wide variety of forms of intelligence in children, previous conceptions about intelligence quotient will become increasingly outdated as more people discover there are kinder and more accurate ways to measure children’s ability to perform and likelihood of success.




Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com