I recently read the exceptional book, Hidden Potential by Adam Grant. It's choc-full of insights backed up by world class research. I captured my key takeaways around education.
Finland excels in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) - Maths, Reading and Science - due to its unique culture:
- Emphasis on potential of all students, not just the best and brightest 🏅
- Smallest gaps between schools and students worldwide 🌍
- Culture: practices, values and underlying assumptions 🤔🇫🇮
- Looping: same teachers and students for multiple years 🔄
- Principal as practitioner 🏦
- Student welfare team: teacher, nurse, social worker, psychologist, special education and principal ⚕️
- Individualised learning plans for each student 📈
- Extra break time for personal development 🧘♀️
- Limited focus on standardised testing 📊
- Most important lesson: learning is fun 😍
- Promoting entrepreneurial thinking for sixth-graders 💼
- Reading is key to intrinsic motivation 📚
- Talking about books at home, seeing children read and giving books as gifts 📖
- Failing English class: choice of books increases passion for reading 📕
- Reading, reviewing and sharing/critiquing books 📝
- Prioritise wellbeing over performance 🌱
Research suggests that excellence depends less on natural talents than we might assume. A Tennessee experiment demonstrated a correlation between success and who taught kindergarten classes. Having an experienced teacher led to over $1000 in additional annual income in their 20s and over $320,000 in additional lifetime income. Students who outperformed their peers in pro-active behaviour, pro-social skills, discipline, and determination by 2.4 times. They were also better at predicting future performance than standardised reading and math testing. 📈💰🏫
An Economist study from birth to 55 revealed that young people with lofty aspirations progressed further in their education and careers.
Leadership, teamwork abilities and mastery orientation are predictive of graduation rates above grades and test scores. 👥🏆
Grade Point Trajectory (GPT) is an essential consideration in addition to Grade Point Average (GPA) for assessing university candidates. 📊📈
A Florida study revealed that Freshman GPA grades predict nothing, sophomores' GPA grades were worth a 5% increase in income a decade later for every point higher, and seniors' GPA points were worth a 10% increase. However, the most significant predictor was whether students improved over time. 📊🚀
Adjusting skill exceptions based on access to opportunity ensures that individuals with potential who have faced significant adversity are not overlooked. 💪🏽🌍
I see character as less of a matter of will and more of a set of skills. Character is a learned capacity to live by your principles. 🤝🏽🧘🏻♂️
Taking breaks enhances learning. A study revealed that a 10-minute break following learning improved recall by 10-30%. Spaced repetition significantly improves learning and lessens the impact of the forgetting curve.
Group study versus solo learning: medical students absorb comparable knowledge from their peers as from lecturers/faculty. Also, reference the "Golden 13".
Students who instruct significantly enhance their comprehension of the material they teach. The tutor effect extends to novices; the best method for learning is teaching it. 🏫🤝🏽
Families with multiple children: the firstborn has a significant advantage in teaching younger siblings.
Children from the top 1% income bracket were ten times more likely to file patents based on third-grade math scores, even if cognitive skills were equal. Opportunity shapes who ultimately innovates. Missed Einsteins. Wealthy children gained exposure to innovators, mentors, and guides. Aim bigger, reach higher, and venture further. 🌠🌍➡️🔬💡