Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined summary

The first modern IQ test was developed by Alfred Binet around 1900 and was quickly adopted as a standard measure of intelligence. It’s changed over the years but still rests on the same logic today.

Shortly after the IQ test was developed, school authorities in France started using it to root out intellectually disabled students so they wouldn’t slow down other students. Binet himself opposed this. He intended his test to be a qualitative, not a quantitative measure, and was against using summary IQ scores.

It takes practice to learn a skill. To excel, you need deliberate practice: structured practice in which you work hard to improve on your weaker areas. Mentors and teachers are particularly helpful here.

A study conducted in the Music Academy of West Berlin is often cited in discussions about practice. Researchers there found that most violinists practiced for 50 to 60 hours per week, regardless of how established they were.

Creativity is elusive. We can’t really explain what it is or how it arises but we know it’s very powerful.

Creativity is about developing new and useful ideas. It’s an essential part of problem-solving.

Our tools for measuring intelligence didn’t change much over the years – until recently.

Kaufman has developed a new theory of intelligence that’s more holistic than traditional approaches. Traditionally, theories of intelligence haven’t considered traits like passion or willpower to be connected to intelligence. They’ve just compared the ways in which people solve the same abstract problems – without considering how those people might face real-life obstacles or pursue personally meaningful goals.

Most children around the world would agree that standard schooling methods need to change.

Education is supposed to be beneficial and meaningful for the students. We saw earlier that people strive to develop their skills when they’re invested in a goal they find meaningful. So if education is to help the students make the most of their potential, it needs to cater to them and their interests.