A woman in her thirties has recently taken up a strange habit: re-learning algebra. As an outgrowth of her studies in graduate school she’s realized that she is actually pretty good at math. Her favorite courses are biology and neurobiology. What’s strange about this picture? Until recently, she had thought that she was bad at math. In fact, she had been fascinated by biology in elementary school, but at some point between middle school and high school she had gotten it into her mind that she wasn’t “good” at it. Partly through her scores and partly through her feelings of discouragement, she was tracked out of the sciences. But now, more than ten years later, she’s getting better grades than ever while studying in a science-related graduate degree program.
According to a study recently published online in Nature (Ramsden et al., 2011), teenagers’ brains are still developing and changing throughout their middle and high school years and even into the first two years of college. The study, which longitudinally compared adolescent performance on IQ tests with corresponding brain scans of neurological activity, demonstrates that IQ scores can grow (or diminish) by as many as 20 points throughout the time a child is 12 until they are 20 (Ramsden et al., p. 113). The study also found that teenagers’ IQ (henceforth intelligence) scores do not increase incrementally; instead, these scores fluctuate throughout development (Ramsden et al., p. 116).
What does this mean for the field of education? The fact that one’s brain doesn’t develop in successive stages means that if a student’s intelligence increases, it doesn’t guarantee it will continue to increase nor does it guarantee that it won’t decrease. Further, these fluctuations may mean that the variability of an adolescent’s performance may be reflective of a natural part of his or her brain development process (Ramsden et al., 2011, p. 116). Finally, these results conclusively contradict a long-entrenched if latent notion that one’s intelligence after childhood is static (Ramsden et al., p. 113).
We in education must ask ourselves why one’s intelligence fluctuates in this way as he or she matures. I am inclined to think that although other factors come into play here: biological, psychological, sociological, and otherwise; one’s educational experiences should be considered as possibly playing a hand in his or her development, too. I hope that someone who focuses on theories of learning teams up with a neurobiologist and studies this issue in depth. The field of education needs to see how different aspects of one’s educational experience may have an effect on his or her intellectual development—the development of his or her brain—not just his or her social and academic development.
Teachers, administrators, and anyone who is involved in the standardized assessment cyborg needs to take this study into consideration. Even if we don’t know how we may or may not be affecting the development of student intelligence, I think it’s important to be mindful that there are indications that we might. What are we doing that tracks students on paths that may empower or inhibit their intellectual growth? How can we imagine education such that we don’t alienate students who learn differently from others? How do we incorporate the notion that one’s unique learning experiences might be affecting their developmental needs such that we need to modify our methods of teaching and assessment?
Coming out of education in an era that was largely teacher-led, I empathize with those students who’ve had experiences similar to this woman. I was there, too, in that math classroom. I remember selecting electives instead of math after sophomore year because I didn’t see the importance of moving on to Pre-Calculus and then Calculus. I never felt encouraged in that area and I know I am not the only one. Although I loved science, I didn’t consider math and science as an option. I can’t say why. I wasn’t bad at it—in fact I was quite good at it; but I focused my energies on my English classes and multimedia, art, and film classes. These classes were engaging, interactive, and fun. Looking back on those two years when I took math in high school, I can’t remember doing anything but sitting in my math desk, either passing papers forward or handing them back, and pseudo-watching/listening to micro-lectures that I didn’t really understand. I never sat in the front. It was very much a Charlie Brown experience. At one point, I realized the book taught me what the teacher had gone over. Something was missing.
I think some educationally-focused research needs to be taken up with regard to how education may influence and/or be influenced by adolescents’ intellectual development. With the importance of STEM and the need for an education transformation, which I am proud to be a part of as a Trojan in the MAT@USC, it’s important not to forget what education is all about: giving each student opportunities, not tracking him or her out of them. We need to remember that if a student isn’t doing well in a subject, it doesn’t conclusively mean that they aren’t capable of doing well in that subject. Maybe he or she just hasn’t been taught the right way yet. Or, maybe it’s a reflection of a natural fluctuation in his or her ability.
Reference
Ramsden, S., Richardson, F.M., Josse, G., Thomas, M.S.C., Ellis, C., Shakeshaft, C., Seghier, M.L. & Price, C.J. (2011). Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain. Nature 479, 113-116. doi:10.1038/nature10514
If you’d like to know more about how MAT@USC can prepare you to earn your teacher certification and make a difference in your city, contact our Admissions office at 888.MAT.1USC or email us at matadmit@usc.edu.
