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soyb3an's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
vperini's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I am not sure who is the intended audience of this book. I found it by chance at a bookstore and was intrigued by the inside jacket summary.
As a school psychologist, I am more than open to critiques of our current special education system and was excited to read Dr. Bliss's perspective and learn from her expertise. I do agree with most of her points. I appreciate discussion of growth mindset and the negative impacts of stress on the brain. The referencing of neuroscience studies are insightful as that is not my area of expertise. (I do however have expertise in special education which is heavily discussed in this book). I did struggle to find real solutions for public education.
Particularly in Chapter 9, Dr. Bliss wonders why we would use IQ tests in schools when we could just "directly test" in the area of concern, and lists memory (short- and long-term) or visuo-spatial ability as examples. She says we have tests that directly test these abilities and we should use these instead. This is quite literally what my cognitive tests are measuring! I regularly assess crystallized intelligence, short-term memory, long-term memory, visual-spatial processing, cognitive processing speed, fluid reasoning, phonological processing etc. And while yes, these tests will yield an overall "IQ" score, what is most meaningful to us as special educators are the composite scores that can highlight individual strengths and weaknesses. We do not make decisions based off one score only (enter: years of graduate training, professional judgment, and data-based decision making from your local school psychologists, SLPs, and special education teachers). I say all this as someone who DOES criticize the wide use of IQ testing in education!
On the very next page, Dr. Bliss says that schools use IQ tests only because they are "cheap and convenient," "they do not require that an expert administer the test," and "they most certainly do not require one-on-one interaction." Which tests are we talking about here? All of my assessment work is done in a 1-1 setting. The tools aren't cheap and it easily takes over an hour to complete a full cognitive battery on one elementary student. to. As far as the "no expert required," I really don't know what to say. Are we only talking about "screeners" like the COGAT, are we only talking about state-mandated standardized tests (these are achievement tests, not cognitive)? In much of the book she is referring to IQ tests being used for special education identification--these are all done in a 1-1 setting by trained professionals. I am also wondering if in some sections of this book, "IQ tests" and "standardized tests" are used (mistakenly) interchangeably.
I am not writing all this to defend the use of cognitive testing at a large scale, but to defend the special educators working within the confines of our state and federal regulations. This book, in many places, seems to suggest that we make decisions for students based off a singular score given at one point in time, and for those of us really working in the school buildings, we know that is not the case.
Again, I picked up this book because I am very eager to learn about alternative ways of measuring intelligence and how new research can inform the future of special education. I continue to be open to these discussions. However, I think we can do so without insulting our current public educators, our expertise and credentials, and our fight for a better public ed system for the future.
As a school psychologist, I am more than open to critiques of our current special education system and was excited to read Dr. Bliss's perspective and learn from her expertise. I do agree with most of her points. I appreciate discussion of growth mindset and the negative impacts of stress on the brain. The referencing of neuroscience studies are insightful as that is not my area of expertise. (I do however have expertise in special education which is heavily discussed in this book). I did struggle to find real solutions for public education.
Particularly in Chapter 9, Dr. Bliss wonders why we would use IQ tests in schools when we could just "directly test" in the area of concern, and lists memory (short- and long-term) or visuo-spatial ability as examples. She says we have tests that directly test these abilities and we should use these instead. This is quite literally what my cognitive tests are measuring! I regularly assess crystallized intelligence, short-term memory, long-term memory, visual-spatial processing, cognitive processing speed, fluid reasoning, phonological processing etc. And while yes, these tests will yield an overall "IQ" score, what is most meaningful to us as special educators are the composite scores that can highlight individual strengths and weaknesses. We do not make decisions based off one score only (enter: years of graduate training, professional judgment, and data-based decision making from your local school psychologists, SLPs, and special education teachers). I say all this as someone who DOES criticize the wide use of IQ testing in education!
On the very next page, Dr. Bliss says that schools use IQ tests only because they are "cheap and convenient," "they do not require that an expert administer the test," and "they most certainly do not require one-on-one interaction." Which tests are we talking about here? All of my assessment work is done in a 1-1 setting. The tools aren't cheap and it easily takes over an hour to complete a full cognitive battery on one elementary student. to. As far as the "no expert required," I really don't know what to say. Are we only talking about "screeners" like the COGAT, are we only talking about state-mandated standardized tests (these are achievement tests, not cognitive)? In much of the book she is referring to IQ tests being used for special education identification--these are all done in a 1-1 setting by trained professionals. I am also wondering if in some sections of this book, "IQ tests" and "standardized tests" are used (mistakenly) interchangeably.
I am not writing all this to defend the use of cognitive testing at a large scale, but to defend the special educators working within the confines of our state and federal regulations. This book, in many places, seems to suggest that we make decisions for students based off a singular score given at one point in time, and for those of us really working in the school buildings, we know that is not the case.
Again, I picked up this book because I am very eager to learn about alternative ways of measuring intelligence and how new research can inform the future of special education. I continue to be open to these discussions. However, I think we can do so without insulting our current public educators, our expertise and credentials, and our fight for a better public ed system for the future.
ranahabib's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 9.5/10 **top 10 of 2023**
Duration: 1 day
Book Overview:
In her book Rethinking Intelligence, genetics expert Dr.Rina Bliss redefines what it means to be intelligent. Through the lens of Genetics (the study of genes and heredity), Bliss introduces a new intelligence paradigm.
According to Bliss's argument, intelligence is not fixed; it is not confined to a select few's DNA or quantifiable solely through standardized testing. Instead, intelligence is a journey and a process that can be nurtured in the right environment.
Likes:
1. Writing: Dr.Rina Bliss is a great writer. Despite the intricate concepts explored, Bliss does an incredible job of explaining her research and ideas, making the book an easy and enjoyable read.
2. Unique approach: Bliss's approach to exploring intelligence is through the lens of Genetics, the study of genes and heredity. In my experience, most books on intelligence focus solely on neuroscience research. Although Bliss does incorporate neuroscience research into her argument, the foundation of her ideas is based on genetics research. By delving into topics like epigenetics, Bliss emphasizes the significant influence genetics can have on our intellectual capacity.
Dislikes:
1. Bliss claims that her new intelligence model is radical but I disagree. Given the amount of emerging research on neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and behavior/mindsets, for the most part, people have a general idea that intelligence isn't fixed or linear and can be nurtured.
Notes:
> Our DNA is set but recent studies show that based on our environment (who we hang out with, what we consume, beliefs about ourselves, etc) we can up or downregulate our genes to change their expression.
> Stress can harmfully impact our ability to learn (affects our genetic expression negatively)
> Our brains are plastic, meaning that they are constantly growing and evolving as we learn and experience things.
> Connection, whether it's with others or ourselves, can help us become better learners. In other words, you learn better with hands-on experience, especially those shared with others.
Duration: 1 day
Book Overview:
In her book Rethinking Intelligence, genetics expert Dr.Rina Bliss redefines what it means to be intelligent. Through the lens of Genetics (the study of genes and heredity), Bliss introduces a new intelligence paradigm.
According to Bliss's argument, intelligence is not fixed; it is not confined to a select few's DNA or quantifiable solely through standardized testing. Instead, intelligence is a journey and a process that can be nurtured in the right environment.
Likes:
1. Writing: Dr.Rina Bliss is a great writer. Despite the intricate concepts explored, Bliss does an incredible job of explaining her research and ideas, making the book an easy and enjoyable read.
2. Unique approach: Bliss's approach to exploring intelligence is through the lens of Genetics, the study of genes and heredity. In my experience, most books on intelligence focus solely on neuroscience research. Although Bliss does incorporate neuroscience research into her argument, the foundation of her ideas is based on genetics research. By delving into topics like epigenetics, Bliss emphasizes the significant influence genetics can have on our intellectual capacity.
Dislikes:
1. Bliss claims that her new intelligence model is radical but I disagree. Given the amount of emerging research on neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and behavior/mindsets, for the most part, people have a general idea that intelligence isn't fixed or linear and can be nurtured.
Notes:
> Our DNA is set but recent studies show that based on our environment (who we hang out with, what we consume, beliefs about ourselves, etc) we can up or downregulate our genes to change their expression.
> Stress can harmfully impact our ability to learn (affects our genetic expression negatively)
> Our brains are plastic, meaning that they are constantly growing and evolving as we learn and experience things.
> Connection, whether it's with others or ourselves, can help us become better learners. In other words, you learn better with hands-on experience, especially those shared with others.
nextfavoritebook's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
teachergirl89's review against another edition
2.0
This book should have been a newspaper article and nothing more as it offers nothing new to the already ripe conversation on how to more equitably define intelligence.
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