GENESIS OF GENIUS

The Scientific Basis for High Expectations of All Students

The Scientific Basis of High Academic Achievements by All

“Learning is learned through practice” D. Bagayoko

We are delighted to bring you the good news. The good news is that any child who does not suffer from a severe physiological or mental impairment (ailment) can acquire a highly competitive education—as per national standards. This good news is that there is no known limit to what a given student (pre-K through 12th grade and beyond) can learn or discover.The good news is that the level of wealth or poverty, the ethnic affiliation (i.e., Native American, African-American, Caucasian, Asian, etc.), and gender are not, by themselves, determinants of what a student can or cannot do. They do not determine the academic achievement level of a student on LEAP, ITBS, ACT, SAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, or other standardized tests).

Yes, some changing gaps continue to exist between the achievement levels of different ethnic groups, and different genders! Naturally, some explained—erroneously— these gaps with socioeconomic, ethnic, or gender differences—even though they are not the real reasons for the differences in academic achievement levels. These differences are explained scientifically, rigorously, and correctly by the “Law of Practice” or “Law of Performance.” This law is in two parts. The first part, that applies to individuals performing specific, clear-cut, and simple tasks is known as the “Power Law of Human Performance” or “The Power Law of Practice.” It applies to physical (athletic), artistic (creative), and intellectual (cognitive) tasks. It simply says that our proficiency in performing a task increases when we increase the number of timeswe practice that task.

The second part of the law isdiscussed in published articles [see Education, Vol. 115, No. 1, Pages 31-39, 1994]. Unlike thefirst part, there is no simple formula for this second part that isalso known as “the compound or integrated law of human performance (CLP or ILP).” This CLP results from applying the power law to severaltasks over a long period of time (hours,days, months, and years). It explains how expertise or proficiency is built over time via a sustained practice. This is true for athletes, artists, scientists, engineers, teachers, andall other scholars.It is equally true for a student at any grade level.

The specific actions by parents,students,teachers, and others – as provided here – are aimed at applying the power law and the CLP to promote and toenhance the academic achievement of any student,the teaching orresearch performanceof any teacher or university faculty member, or the accomplishments and proficiency of any individual—in athletic (physical), artistic (creative), or intellectual (cognitive)endeavors.

Specific Actions by Parents

I Health

·Every child must have a medical checkup before the start of the school year to ensure general physical health. 

1.Please ensure that every child get vision and hearing examinations at the beginning of the school year.

2.Please ensure that every child get the vaccination that apply to his/her age group.

·A child must get proper nutrition. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

·Children should be prevented from playing or studying in hazardous environments—i.e.,

lead poisoning from old utensils and paint, or buildings with asbestos in the structure. 

·Children should get regular, physical exercises in moderation. 

IICourse Taking

All courses should be appropriate in scope and depth (as per national standards) at every grade level. This is a critical factor for the genesis of genius. 

·Mastery of the Language

Languages are the vehicles of thought. Hence, it is of critical importance to gain mastery over grammar, syntax, and the vocabulary of the language. (In our case, English). This task is a year-around undertaking in and outside the classroom. 

There is no substitute for learning and applying the grammatical rules extensively (practice).

There is no substitute for extensive reading and writing for building language proficiency or mastery. 

·Mathematicscounts

Mathematics is the language of science and technology. Not to learn it or “speak” it appropriately is to be tracked out of science and technology opportunities.

Failure to acquire mathematics subject content and skills at any grade level can close the doors to science and mathematics to any student regardless of his/her “intellectual quotient” (IQ) or “smartness”.

Mathematics foundation is like a house. Leave out the foundation and there is no house.

A solid mathematics course (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus) should be taken every year of high school. According to the TIMSS reports, many American students do not take mathematics courses in their last years of high school—contrary to what students do in most of the countries in the TIMSS studies.

Parents have to insist, particularly at the lower to middle grades, that children be placed in courses that are up to national standards. National standards recommend at least Algebra I at the 8th grade level.

The Power Law of Performance states that if a child is not in challenging classes, the child’s abilities will not develop. Please see : “Getting Ready for College Early”

(Web page of national standards for each grade)

·Resources are available

Extensive resources are available to parents to assist them in navigating the complex landscape competitive education. “Getting Ready for College Early,” a publication of the US Department of Education, provides (a) rea$on$ toattend college, including financial one$, (b) guideto competitive course-taking, grade by grade, (c) a roadmapfor securing the

financialsupport needed for college education,and more.There are extensive learning-wares on the world wide web.Consultingteachers,professors,and others is one of the best way to identify the best of the availableresources.

(TheTimbuktu Academy can bereached by telephone at (225) 771-2730, by fax at (225)771-4341, by electronic mail at Bagayoko@aol.comor Timbuktu.Academy@phys.subr.edu, and on the web(http://www.phys.subr.edu/timbuktu.htm).

III The Home FrontMatters

The education of a child is one of the most important projects for any responsible parent. Hence, one of the first things successful parents do is to maintain an educational journal where complete information is captured on the child’s education. Daily and weekly tasks are noted and checked when they are done.
Without this journal, experience tells us, some critical issues will fall by the wayside. This journal is the first indicator of a scientific and comprehensive approach to ensuring the competitive education of a child.

Planning for school supplies, summer reading list, and other learning materials should be reflected in this journal. 

Journal entries should show that more time is spent on reading, writing, studying, doing homework assignments properly as compared to watching TV, listening to music, playing regular and electronic games.

Appropriate desk, chair, lighting, and computer should be available at home. If they are not, most parents will postpone the purchase of fancy clothes and shoes, for themselves and their children, until the basic educational needs are met.
(We cannot do without food and shelter but we can do without some extras or luxuries)

Good study habits are acquired from K through graduate school. Many “bright” or “smart” youngsters have failed high school, college or graduate school due mainly to their inability to sit and focus on learning materials and tasks.

Many problems can be avoided if parents and teachers ensure adequate communication. For this to occur, bothhave to work at it. “Not all pieces of paper are delivered to the parents!”Hence,what a teacher may thinkis a lack of interest on the part of a parent may not be so! Similarly, what a parent may think was a failure of theteacher or school toinform her or him maynot be so!The telephone, the electronic mail (e-mail), and the world wide web provide powerfulmeans toguarantee adequate communication between parents and teachers. Prevention works.
“Learning is learned through practice.”

“Character is molded by practice.”

Practice enhances ability itself, not just the results

Character is molded by practice