Interesting Links for 04-01-2014

[andrewducker]

• Collecting data in the "right" way allows you to show just about anything is significant.
  (tags: statistics )
• Why you shouldn't praise kids for their intelligence
  (tags: intelligence psychology education motivation parenting children )
• How to create your own epic sound effects
  (tags: sound audio movies effects )

Comments

[vanessagalore]

I really liked that article about praise. I teach (and play) music, and I'm uncertain about the existence of a thing called "talent." So therefore I assume that all students have equal ability to achieve success (this comes from exposure to Suzuki philosophy "Every Child Can"--Suzuki isn't perfect but it has some interesting ideas about how to teach). When parents ask me if their child is talented, I say that I think "talent" is just drive, discipline, and desire. Sure, there's innate coordination or quicker reflexes, maybe a body particularly suited to a particular instrument, but why not just assume that everyone is capable, if they do the work. My sister is also a musician, and she finds the concept that there is no such thing as "Talent" to be incredibly threatening. It's a really easy way to aggravate her (when I'm feeling evil).

So in other words, praise the work, don't praise the talent for greatest effect. And I like to tell my students that every bit of practicing causes their brain to grow new connections and develop new abilities.

You continue to post a lot of articles that I enjoy. Hope your wife is doing well. Some of your posts make me very emotional, and I don't even know you.

[andrewducker]

That makes a lot of sense to me. After all, even if there is such a thing as "talent", then assuming that there isn't, and working to improve, will produce better results than not.

Glad you enjoy the articles - I'd add you back, but your posts are all fic, and my to-read list is already so long I'll never get to the bottom of it! Are there non-fic posts that I can't see? If so I'll happily add you to keep track of those :-> And thank you for the nice thoughts.

[vanessagalore]

Don't sweat adding me ... there's no reason to friend my journal unless you are obsessed with Logan and Veronica, and have enough time to read 1,000,000 words about them. I used to post personal stuff but LJ went kablooey and I got nervous, nuked most of my personal posts and made the rest private. I am a bit of a nut about privacy, and since I'm a teacher I'm careful about associating my real life with an NC17 author. You might find the notes to my big fic interesting however, because I talk a little bit about what was going on in my life while I was writing it. Just skip all the drivel about the fic itself.

I think you were writing about Star Trek: The Next Generation recently? I'm doing a rewatch and enjoying it tremendously. In the eighties, I was playing mostly bad gigs and it was so comforting to know that STNG was waiting for me on my VCR when I got home (it aired on Sat. nights). It's not a perfect show, but I love it so much.