It might be said that encouraging children to think that they are intelligent would be a good strategy, one to implement as soon as possible. Especially these days, as it fits with the daft idea that tiny children should be taught numeracy and literacy. This can be monitored, so we can then tell just how intelligent they really are.
Dream on! Anyone who spends time with children and takes the trouble to observe them can see that intelligence is in most cases too flexible a concept to be easy to fathom, especially as it bears no relationship to achievement.
Research shows that cleverness contributes little to success, and children who are told they are clever end up doing worse than their classmates. What counts is application. Teachers and parents who focus on this rather than individual intelligence get much better results.
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