Talent vs Hard Work

Am I to Be or Not to Be a “Math Person”, That is the Question

The last few weeks, we have explored how our views in math can hinder us from succeeding. By adopting a growth mindset, we can overcome our struggles and learn from our mistakes. But what if you don’t struggle? We discussed phrases such as “I’m not a math person”, and “I’m just not good at math” and challenged it saying that “everyone can be a math person with the right attitude”. But what if you are a natural “math person” and math comes easily to you innately? Does talent exist or are “math people” just work harder than the rest of us? I believe that some people are naturally better at math than others. This does not mean that if you are not born with natural talent you cannot be a “math person”. It just means that more work is involved to get to the same level. 

Being someone who has struggled with math, growth mindset and learning from mistakes is an applicable strategy that I can embrace. I want to improve, and I know that I will succeed if I persevere through my mistakes and learn from them. I am growing my brain and learning valuable skills through my effort. But how does talent benefit a “math person”? Is it better to be talented or to work hard? 

Level: Minimal Effort

This idea of talent verses hard work reminds me of my musical experiences growing up. I was always told I have a talent for singing, and my experiences reinforced this idea. I barely practiced, yet I succeeded through each lesson. Each year in competitions, I received high marks and often placed in first and second place. In my teens, I represented my city in provincials five years in a row. And I did all this with minimal practice. I breezed by on talent and little effort. I still learned new techniques to improve, but I didn’t have to work very hard to apply the techniques like others in my studio. Even when I went to university for singing, and was rudely awakened to the concept that talent only gets you so far, I was still able to learn songs the night before a lesson and be praised for the “hard work you clearly put in this week”.

I’m not trying to brag. It was just my reality. And I’m not sure having this talent was a good thing. I struggled a lot through university when my talent didn’t cut it, and I think I hit walls harder than those who might not have had it so “easy”.

Does Talent Only Get You So Far? 

A study conducted by David Hambrick and Elizabeth Meinz explores if talent or hard work ultimately fares better in the real world. Their findings conclude that while talent initially fares better, hard work almost always wins out. This is because people who are talented are often LAZY.

Yes, I’ll admit it, I am! Why should I work hard if I can naturally get away with minimal effort and still succeed?

Except my talent only got me so far. When techniques and repertoire being challenging, I didn’t have the growth mindset skills to persevere and work hard. I just despaired and struggled and resisted. I was too lazy to try to work hard. And it killed me that I wasn’t “good” anymore, and I suffered with mental health issues in my final year. Those in my program who might not have been at the same level I was at when I first arrived at school were now surpassing me. Those rare gems who were talented AND knew how to work hard were superstars. But it was the people who knew how to work hard that really understood the craft. They embraced their struggles, learned from the mistakes, took the time to develop their skills. This allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of how to sing.

Mistakes? What Mistakes? 

In our math classrooms, we need to emphasise the importance of making mistakes to learn. We also need to make sure we challenge our students enough to allow them to make those mistakes. We focus a lot on the students who struggle with math. But we also need to remember that maybe those students are better off than those who don’t struggle with math. They will know how to persevere, how to develop a plan to improve, and the many components of a concept. Those with talent might miss out on all those valuable lessons, and become content with a shallow understanding of math.

Creating Hard Working and Talented Superstars 

How can we differentiate our instruction to allow all students to develop perseverance and hard work, even if they are “talented”?

One solution suggested is the use of open ended math problems. These allow all students to explore a variety of solutions to a problem that might not have a definitive answer. Focusing on the HOW they solved the problem rather than only their final answer will teach students how to break down their problem-solving skills and gain an understanding on a deeper level.