Awakening the Genius in Every Child

Discovering and Reviving the Natural Motivation that Exists in All Children at Birth

Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. (www.institute4learning.com)

Early Childhood Education Council

Conference 2014 – ‘’The Journey Continues’’

Edmonton, Alberta – November 7, 2014

Three Basic Principles

• Every child is born a genius.

• The genius shuts down in most of us.

• We can (re)awaken the genius.

12 Qualities of Genius

• Curiosity• Playfulness• Imagination• Creativity• Wonder• Wisdom

• Inventiveness• Vitality• Sensitivity• Flexibility• Humor

• Joy

4

Neoteny Neoteny

The retention of juvenile The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adults of a characteristics in the adults of a speciesspecies

““a a major evolutionary trend in human major evolutionary trend in human beings" is ‘greater prolongation of beings" is ‘greater prolongation of childhood and retardation of maturitychildhood and retardation of maturity.’“.’“

J.B.S. HaldaneJ.B.S. Haldane

Theoretical Foundations

• Every Child is a Genius– Neurological Basis

– Evolutionary Basis

– Biographical Basis– Phenomenological Basis

What Shuts Genius Down?What Shuts Genius Down?

• Home-miliation

• Dysteachia

• Media-ocrity

Home-miliation

• Dysfunctional Family

• Disadvantaged Family

• Fast-Track Family

• Rigid-Ideology Family

Dysteachia

• Testing and Grading

• Talk and Tedium

• Textbooks and Worksheets• Tracking and Labeling

Media-ocrity

• Mind-Numbing Violence

• Trivial Content

• Insipid Language• Stereotypical Images

The Eight Intelligences Word SmartWord Smart Logic SmartLogic Smart Picture SmartPicture Smart Body SmartBody Smart Music SmartMusic Smart People SmartPeople Smart Self SmartSelf Smart Nature SmartNature Smart

How to Awaken This Genius

• (Re)awaken Genius in Ourselves

• Provide Simple Experiences

• See Genius in Many Colors

• Create a Genial Climate

Create a Genial Climate

• Freedom to Choose

• Open-Ended Exploration

• Freedom from Judgment

• Honoring Every Child’s Experience

• Believing in Every Child’s Genius

ResourcesThomas Armstrong, Awakening Genius in the Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1998.

Thomas Armstrong. In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Children’s Multiple Intelligences, 2nd Ed. New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2000.

Thomas Armstrong, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, 3rd Ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD: 2009.

Marian Diamond and Janet Hopson. Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child’s Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth through Adolescence. New York: Dutton, 1998.

David Elkind. The Hurried Child. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1981.

Lucas CG, Bridgers S, Griffiths TL, Gopnik A. ‘’When children are better (or at least more open-minded) learners than adults: developmental differences in learning the forms of causal relationships.’’ Cognition. 2014 May;131(2):284-99.

Jane Healy, Endangered Minds. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.

Jonathan Kozol. Savage Inequalities. New York: Crown, 1991.

Ashley Montagu. Growing Young. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1983..

Teaching Tolerance magazine. Southern Poverty Law Center (400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104).

Contact Information

• Email: thomas@institute4learning.com

• Website: www.institute4learning.com

• Blog: http://institute4learning.com/blog/

• Twitter: @Dr_Armstrong