These are the handouts to a keynote presentation I did for the 29th Annual MicroSociety Conference on July 12, 2022, a virtual conference. It focuses on the importance of seeing each child and teen as a genius. Every child comes into life with natural curiosity, creativity, imagination, inventiveness, and playfulness. Educators need to learn how to not interfere with this incredible birthright by listening to kids, asking them what they need, providing them with stimulating learning environments that allow them to come up with new ideas and discoveries, and opening up to a re-discovery of the natural genius in ourselves as educators.

1. Awakening Genius in the MicroSociety
Classroom
Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. (www.institute4learning.com)
29th Annual MicroSociety Conference
Ask the Kids: Fresh Perspectives on Learning
July 12, 2022

2. THE ROOT MEANINGS OF ‘’GENIUS’’
•GENIUS - GENESIS = TO BE BORN
•GENIUS - GENIAL = TO BE JOYFUL
•GENIUS = TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE JOY OF LEARNING

3. •CURIOSITY
•IMAGINATION
•CREATIVITY
•INVENTIVENESS
•PLAYFULNESS
5 QUALITIES OF GENIUS

4. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
EVERY CHILD AND TEEN IS A GENIUS:
• NEUROLOGICAL BASIS
• EVOLUTIONARY BASIS
• PHENOMENOLOGICAL BASIS

5. 5
Neoteny
The retention of juvenile characteristics in
the adults of a species
“a major evolutionary trend in human beings" is ‘greater
prolongation of childhood and retardation of maturity.’“
J.B.S. Haldane

6. HOME-MILIATION
•DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
•DISADVANTAGED FAMILY
•FAST-TRACK FAMILY
•RIGID-IDEOLOGY FAMILY

7. DYSTEACHIA
•TESTING AND GRADING
•TALK AND TEDIUM
•TEXTBOOKS AND WORKSHEETS
•TRACKING AND LABELING

8. THE FIVE C’S THAT KILL CREATIVITY
•CONFORMITY
•COMPARISON
•COMPETITION
•CONTROL
•CONSTRAINTS

9. HOW TO AWAKEN THIS GENIUS
•RE-AWAKEN GENIUS IN OURSELVES
•PROVIDE SIMPLE EXPERIENCES
•SEE GENIUS IN MANY COLORS
•CREATE A GENIAL CLIMATE

10. CREATE A GENIAL CLIMATE
•FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
•OPEN-ENDED EXPLORATION
•FREEDOM FROM JUDGEMENT
•HONORING EVERY CHILD’S EXPERIENCE
•BELIEVING IN EVERY CHILD’S GENIUS

11. CONTACT INFORMATION
•EMAIL: THOMAS@INSTITUTE4LEARNING.COM
•WEBSITE: WWW.INSTITUTE4LEARNING.COM
•TWITTER: @DR_ARMSTRONG