10th grade Advanced. Unit 7. Lesson 5. Born or made

👉Communicative area: discussing the role of various factors in the development of a genius; listening and reading for gist and detail

👉Active vocabulary: inattentive, poor (student), persistence, solid, upbringing, mischievous, mentor; word-building: affixes en-, un-, -ment, -tion, -ly, -al, -ive, -able

👉Active grammar: Future Continuous

 

Read the article on the topic. 

Do you think geniuses are born or made?

Do they call you dumb? Do you hate school? It doesn’t matter as you might be a genius, or, at least, a very creative person. There are international chess masters that have below average IQs. Many natural-born geniuses end up as insurance salesmen because of their traumatic school experiences. The “absent-minded professor” isn’t just a cliche. Several of the most famous inventors and scientists, for example, are believed to have ADD (attention deficit disorder) traits. It means they were really inattentive. However, they were curious, playful and enthusiastic. 

There is a ground-breaking palaeontologist – Dr Paul Sereno – who was considered to be a poor student. “I wasn’t reading in the second grade”, he said. “I couldn’t tell time in the third grade, and I nearly failed the school exam”. He was mischievous with rocks and took part in accidents involving knives and bikes. His interest in fossils started after he stole a book from the library. After a trip to the Museum of Natural History, he became “fascinated with stories of palaeontological expeditions”. “I could combine art, travel, science, adventure, biology, palaeontology and geology”, he remembered thinking. “Right then, I knew exactly what I wanted to be”. Since then, he’s led all sorts of expeditions and developed creative theories on how dinosaurs are related to each other. 

It’s amazing how many of most creative and brightest scientists had slow starts at school. Albert Einstein had trouble at school. He was a notoriously poor student. It was only after a relative showed him how to play games with numbers and Albert was moved on to an alternative school that he began to do well. Still, he described himself as a “slow thinker” and had verbal difficulties. Nikola Tesla was also constantly in trouble as a child. Leonardo da Vinci had a great deal of trouble finishing projects. These people had the natural curiosity of children and a different way of thinking. Instead of linear thinking and remembering details, they are global thinkers who are good at picking up concepts, relationships, and they are good creative problem solvers. 

So, are geniuses born or made? Examining closely even the most extreme examples – Mozart, Newton, Einstein, Stravinski – we could say that geniuses are made, not born. They say that there are three keys to success: hard work, persistence and a solid upbringing. All the people who got international fame usually worked with a high level mentor. Perfect practice made them perfect. The genius status is achieved by putting in five minutes of extra work and 10 years of effort more than an average person does. A lot of people think that highly talented people can become good at anything fast, but study suggests that nobody was able to rise without having practised for 10 years. In classical music, it is more than 15–20 years before they start winning in competitions. 

What’s the conclusion then? Don’t despair if you are considered to be a slow learner. Stay curious. Find something that fascinates you. And practise, practise, practise. Who knows? You might become another Einstein.

1. What are some common misconceptions about geniuses and intelligence?

2. Why do many natural-born geniuses end up in careers like insurance salesmen?

3. What traits are often associated with inventors and scientists who are believed to have ADD?

4. How did Dr. Paul Sereno's early school experiences describe him as a student?

5. What sparked Dr. Sereno’s interest in paleontology?

6. How did Albert Einstein’s school performance change over time?

7. What difficulties did Einstein face despite his later fame?

8. Why are many of the brightest scientists described as having slow starts at school?

9. What is the difference between linear thinking and global thinking as described in the text?

10. Do the examples in the text suggest that geniuses are generally born or made?

11. What are the three keys to success according to the text?

12. How important is practice in achieving genius status, according to the text?

13. How long does it typically take for musicians to start winning in competitions?

14. What advice does the text give to slow learners?

15. What can staying curious and practicing consistently potentially lead to?