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The 10,000 hour genius... a case
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The old axiom that practice makes perfect seems to have some scientific basis. Researchers studying achievement claim that hours of practice make the biggest difference between those who are good and those who are great. This seems to hold for music, mathematics, science and athletics. Sometimes it's a chicken and egg thing with a certain level of skill leading to more practice and then true excellence. I like it so I do it. In Canada we see practice and tutoring take place all the time in games such as hockey. The kids get attention all the way from their first skating attempt through house leagues and beyond. Those that achieve practice a lot. Students in school attend classes and do homework, but very few spend 10,000 hours on a subject by the time they graduate from high school or university. They don't put in their apprentice time. To put 10,000 hours in perspective, it amounts to 5 normal working years of 2000 hours per year. If you want excellence, you have to put in the time. Do you know a parent who keeps track of their child's mathematics practice time?
We read two interesting books that revealed some secrets about the problem and the eccentric genius.
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The one thing that stood out about Perelman was his constant practice. He was lucky to have great talent, but it was practice that made him a genius. He was exposed to problems every day by a gifted teacher and he attended a mathematics club that did nothing, but solve problems. In the summer he attended mathematics camps competing with other students on constant problem solving. The gifted coach/teacher did some unusual things. He had the individual students go over each of their proposed solutions before the entire class. Of course some were wrong and that was pointed out, but each student had the benefit of their peers thought process. The students got better and better each day. Of course Perelman is now thought of as a mental giant and he is, but it's sure that he far exceeded 10,000 hours of practice by the time he was 18. We think 50 minutes a day and some homework will do it. It's far from the case. Practice does make perfect ... watch the Olympics and you'll see it there. We don't see it much in mathematics and science. Sometimes we see it in music and it's essential in art. There is something strange about those 10,000 hours. Researchers say that there is a big difference between good at 8,000 hours and great at 10,000+ hours. It might be well to teach the parents how to coach the kids. That might help.
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 for
world news,
books, sports, movies ...Friday, January 29, 2010 |
Recently
the world's scientific attention was drawn to the reclusive genius Dr.
Grigory Perelman of Russia. He was lauded for his solution to a
very difficult unsolved problem called 'The Poincaire Conjecture'
