Is your child a genius?
Children deemed to be spatial learners – those that think first in images and only afterwards in words, such as the likes of Einstein – can often be sidelined in school and pushed towards more manual subjects and professions.
But these children often excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and design subjects, if they are spotted early and given the right support.
At school Einstein, for example, was regarded as a dreamer. Even the famous inventor James Watt, who went on to create the steam engine, received a school report in which he was described as “dull and inapt”.
Although the modern school has a greater understanding of the different learning styles of children, the majority of teaching is based on verbal or language-based tasks (even science is taught with books) and so gifted spatial thinkers can often be left behind.
GL Assessment has today published a new edition of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT), the UK’s most popular test of reasoning abilities for children aged seven – 16 years.
Anything that can help spot our future designers and engineers and put them on to the path of success has to be applauded
CAT is currently used by 50 per cent of UK secondary schools to determine a student’s potential exam results and learning preferences. The new edition, CAT4, contains a greater emphasis on uncovering those deemed to be spatial learners, children who have the potential to be our future scientists, designers and architects.
It also provides guidance for teachers and parents of how to support these types of learners at home, such as using online resources, videos and books with plenty of pictures that will help them remember key facts and information.
Pauline Smith, senior psychometric consultant and developer of the CAT4 tests at GL Assessment, said: “Educators have tended to define intelligence as those who work well on writing and language-based tasks. However, the reality is that much intellectual achievement has sprung from the minds of spatial thinkers such as Einstein or Watt.
“By including a clear measure of spatial ability in CAT4, the potential of such children can be identified early and acted upon.
“We need to identify and nurture our scientists, technicians, designers and engineers just as much as our writers, managers, historians and teachers. The education system cannot afford to ignore these intellectual Cinderellas any longer,” she said.
Mark Wilkinson OBE, OLM, group design director at Mark Wilkinson Furniture, a modern day spatial thinker, endured a turbulent education, blighted by dyslexia and a strong leaning to think in pictures not words.
“My school years were vile, violent and humiliating,” he recalls.
Mark eventually realised an innate talent for making objects. Today, Mark is hailed as one of this century’s leading designers of fine British furniture with an illustrious client portfolio that includes society figures, top industrialists, the country’s leading chefs, sports stars and celebrities.
“Despite my personal experience, I do believe that we all have an innate ability to achieve and succeed. Anything that can help spot our future designers and engineers and put them on to the path of success has to be applauded," he said.
Sue Thompson, Senior Publisher of CAT4, GL Assessment, said: “CAT4 will help to identify students who have the potential to pursue careers where spatial skills are needed, as well as how to support their learning in the classroom – and beyond.”
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