IQ Hazards and Boosting Intelligence (Lecture 9)

My comments:
The lecturer is suspect of IQ students, as am I. My mom always said that it wasn't IQ but rather I DO. I think his tips are helpful dealing with the fact that IQ tests are here to stay and what you can do about it.

Recommendations:
Tip 1: Resist the temptation to have too much faith in the accuracy and importance of your IQ test.

Because IQ tests are here to stay, here are some tips to increase performance on IQ tests.
Tip 2: Get children blocks to play with. Lots of evidence points to blocks being correlated to high IQ scores. (Look for studies behind toys that claim to increase intelligence.)
Tip 3: Get kids daily exercise.
Tip 4: Learn to play a musical instrument.  (Some of the data may be correlation rather than causation. Others support the connection.)

And dealing with the stereotype effect.
Tip 5: Talk with children about intelligence as a changeable quality.
Tip 6: Praise children for effort instead of "smarts".  For great reading on this, read Carol Dweck's Mindset.

Other notes:
IQ generally has 100 is average. Every 15 points represents 1 standard deviation away from the mean. So if your IQ test shows 130, you are at 2 standard deviations above the average.

There are many variations of the test. Five are the most popular in the US.  IQ scores can vary widely by test (8 to 12 points).

As a parent, you want to know if and when your child is given an IQ test.

IQ tests can lead to the "stereotype" effect. The belief that you're good or bad at something can create that effect.

Current children taking older IQ tests tend to perform better than children at that time.

There was an interesting discussion of  Crystallized and Fluid intelligence. Crystallized intelligence is intelligence with your current experience. Fluid intelligence has to do with the idea of your ability to confront new and novel problems.

The Joy of Reading and the Place of Phonics - Lecture 8

Scientific Secrets for Raising Kids Who Thrive

My comment: I agree with the lecturer on the importance of reading. I'm skeptical of his suggestion of transitioning to a "whole word" approach, especially if it happens too early. 

Our use of words is uniquely human and reading allows us to know people from different times and places. Reading is an "all access pass".

Tip 1. Read to your kids and let them hold the book as early as possible.

Tip 2. Start with phonics.

Tip 3. Move to a whole word approach. (?)

Tip 4. Get an alphabet book. (He like's Dr. Suess's.)


One study showed that pop up books are fun, but actually hamper learning.

Reading typically start reading between 5 and 7 years old.

Encourage children to be comfortable around books.

At some point, children will start learning words by context in the text of books.

Expert reading level starts around 11 or 12.

Some TV shows help children learn letters.  (Between the Lions on PBS.)

Phonics related songs and materials.

As adult readers, we start to recognize whole words that don't matter what order the letters are in, and we can decipher them. We fill in information with context.

Some issues in reading: dyslexia