Chapter 9 New "open-complex theorem"

In fact, there is no genius. --Kai-fu Lee Many years later, Li Kaifu became famous and said a lot of wonderful things, which were first called "Dean's Topic" and later called "Kaifu Topic".There is an article titled "My View on Talent", which is the most exciting part.He believes that today's wisdom The value of wisdom has far exceeded any previous era.For example, he said: "In an industrial society, the best and most efficient worker may be able to produce 20% or 30% more than an average worker. However, in an information society, the best software development People can do 500% or even 1000% more work than an average person.”

This idea has spread on Chinese university campuses, making countless students passionate.One day two years later, Kai-fu and a reporter met again at the Kerry Center in Beijing. They sat opposite each other and talked about this topic again. This time, Kai-fu said: "Actually, there is no genius." Kai-fu was regarded as a "genius" by his teachers and classmates during the year he set foot on the American continent.But it was also in this year that he began to believe that "there are no geniuses". He is in the first grade of junior high school in a Catholic school in Tennessee, USA.One day in math class, the teacher asked: "If you convert one-seventh into a decimal point, what is it?"

Kaifu immediately raised his hand high and replied loudly: "0.142857142857...". All the students opened their eyes wide.The teacher was amazed and said that one of his students had a "genius". Only Kai Fu thought clearly: "Actually, there is no genius. I just moved out what I learned by rote under the supervision of my mother, without even thinking about it." The word "genius" is actually a trap, and many people fall into it by mistake.It has caused many people to overestimate themselves, and many more to underestimate themselves.People often think that some people are outstanding because they have talents beyond ordinary people. In fact, they do not understand that outstanding people have been doing the same things as ordinary people since they were young, just because they encountered some things that ordinary people did not meet. opportunity.Or to put it another way, there is a "genius" deep inside everyone, waiting to one day completely change their life.

Mathematics is not a difficult task for Kaifu, because the mathematics level of elementary schools in Taiwan is equivalent to that of middle schools in the United States.So he won the first place in the state in the math test without much study.He later studied high school math in junior high and college math in high school.His reputation as a "mathematical genius" has grown, but he still doesn't think he's good at math. "That's because American middle school math is too easy," he said, "not because I'm good at math." It is not so much that he has extraordinary intelligence, it is better to say that he is lucky.The teacher encouraged his strengths, such as "mathematical talent", and gave him many opportunities to show off in front of his classmates, but tried his best to tolerate his "weaknesses".

Like all Chinese children who go to the United States, Kai-fu's problem is English.For the first few weeks, he could not understand a word the teacher said. There were very few "little international students" who came to the United States that year. He was the only Chinese in the school. He had black hair, black eyes and yellow skin, and he could casually turn "one-seventh into a decimal point", so in the eyes of those American students Here, this child is very novel.Everyone ran over to him and said, "Can we be friends?" "Come to my house on weekends, okay?" The teacher was happy to help him with English tutoring.Even the headmaster paid special attention to this foreign boy and said to him: "Come to me at noon every day, and I will teach you English."

This situation lasted for a year, until one day, the teacher thought that his English was good enough, so he said to him: "Now you can take the test in class with your classmates." At this time, Kaifu finally realized that this is a completely different world: "The biggest difference is that teachers and students in the United States like to use positive methods to encourage your success, rather than use negative methods to laugh at your success. fail." American children are very enthusiastic and open. Even if they don’t know each other, they can be very affectionate. Unlike Chinese children, they have few friends and don’t like to talk to others. Look at people.The teacher in the United States is also very friendly, unlike the teacher in Taiwan who wanted to beat him and fine him all his pocket money.

The strangest thing is that all the students don't have to memorize the text. The teacher never takes the "recitation" test and doesn't give him homework, but always asks him to ask and answer questions in class. One day the teacher told him that the total score at the end of the semester will not depend on how fluently he recites the text, but on his speeches and questions in class.This surprised him.It took him a long time to realize that American education revolves around problems.But at that time he didn’t understand these things, he just felt a new feeling: “If you give a child a lot of different things to stimulate him, there will always be an impact. I feel that the brain is gradually leaving the track of reciting knowledge. , thinking desperately all day about what to say and what questions to ask.”

It was at that time that Kaifu discovered: "Human ability has two parts, one part needs to be accumulated by memory and understanding, and the other part needs to be practiced a little bit. Like the courage to ask questions in class, the enthusiasm for interacting with classmates, It's all the latter." When he was in Taiwan in the past, he went to and from school every day, followed the steps, never socialized with others, and did not discover these mysteries. Now in a completely different environment, where everyone around him speaks English, he discovers what he lacks the most. Which ones are most needed.Living in my eldest brother’s house, even though we are relatives, is different from staying with my mother. I don’t do whatever I want at my own home, and I always feel that I am causing trouble to my elder brother. Report safe.When he arrived at school, his classmates all came to him and teased him to talk, making him feel that his reluctance to talk and ask questions was not only due to his poor English, but also his lack of communication skills and lack of ability to express himself.

From this point of view, rather than saying that his education in the United States revealed his talent, it is better to say that it was the education in the United States that allowed him to make up for his shortcomings. Therefore, if you want to stand on the starting line of "E-students", you also need to have a sixth concept: don't envy other people's "supernormal children", you are no less than him.