Release date: 02/25/2011
ISBN: 1453896376
Synopsis: Finally, the nature-nurture debate has been reduced to a simple but comprehensive explanation. This provocative recap of how childrens’ brains and personalities develop into adults broadens our understanding of what we mean by “intelligence.” A serious critique of today’s educational methods and a helpful guide to parents concerned about turning their unruly kids into mature and responsible adults.
The author makes the case for a fuller awareness of what constitutes human capability, the source of genius, the essential role of pragmatic thinking and the limitations of abstract thought.
Greene has coined the term “TCQ” to describe a new yardstick that measures all of a student’s abilities–emphasizing that “school boy smarts” are just one small part of a person’s worth. He shows how recent events in Washington and Wall Street have proven that having sheer brain-power is not enough–and can be dangerous when not balanced by other essential human capabilities.
“Our children and our society suffer from the failure to help all our kids reach their full potential, a totally avoidable gap that the author appropriately calls “Wasted Genius,” a loss primarily attributable to the current obsession with SAT scores and the over-valuation of abstract thinking.
I hope every parent and every teacher reads this book. The future of our children—and our society—may depend on it.”
Kathleen J. Wikstrom – President, Center for Libertarian Thought, Inc.
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Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 – How much can parents do?
- Chapter 2 – The IQ Sham: Shortchanging our Children
- Chapter 3 – Is IQ an Accurate Predictor of Success?
- Chapter 4 – What is “Real” Intelligence?
- Chapter 5 – How the Meaning of Intelligence Has Changed
- Chapter 6 – The Determinants of Personal Success
- Chapter 7 – Helping Our Children Grow
- Chapter 8 – The Determinants of National Success
- Chapter 9 – School Reform to Truly Leave No Child Behind
- Chapter 10 – How Culture & Family Trump Race & Genes
- Afterword
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index