Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Outliers Reflections

[Outliers Reading Group]

We've covered several concepts and ideas so far in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers.

Of the issues that we've covered concerning Gladwell's book, what's one topic or concept that you've found yourself continually think about since you read it? Why?

35 comments:

Unknown said...

The one concept that I have found myself thinking about lately is the 10,000 Hour Rule. I really found that interesting and it makes me wonder if others will in my desired field will proceed me simply because they practiced longer.

Aliyah Butler said...

I've been thinking about the 10,000 hour rule. The main reason why it has crossed my mind is because it broke down mastering a skill in such an easy way. Yes, it would be extremely hard to practice a skill for roughly 3 hours a day for 10 years straight. But, the idea that this is all it would take intrigues me and sometimes makes me think about creating my own 10 year plan.

Aliyah B.

Aja J. said...

I found myself thinking a lot about Gladwell’s ideas about practical intelligence. I also thought about all the opportunities presented to the people in Gladwell’s book. Many people aspire to be successful and I think having a certain type of intelligence that determines the level of success one reaches is fascinating.

Taylor Morgan said...

I also think that the 10,000 hour rule has stood out the most to me. It makes sense. If I reviewed the same subject everyday for that long, I don't see how I could forget it. I envy his determination to pull through and do his work everyday.

Olivia Slater said...

I found myself contemplating the 10,000 hour rule. I had never thought of mastering a skill in such a simplistic way. When I read this, it gave me a burst of motivation to continue furthering my education, because it only takes 3 hours a day. In retrospect, that is a great trade off for mastering something.

Unknown said...

I thought about the 10,000 hour rule. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it because if you studied for that long or practiced for that long, I do not see how you could not excel when you set your mind to it.

Unknown said...

I have found myself constantly thinking about "The Matthew Effect" chapter and the concept of accumulative advantage. Before reading this chapter, accumulative advantage was something I didn't know about, but after learning what it was, I realized how big of an impact it has on student's learning. It made me realize how some people are truly at a disadvantage academically, and not even necessarily due to anything
they've done.

Heidi Looker said...

What I have continued to think about is the idea of demographics that seems to be repeated through the first half of the book. Success rates seem to depend greatly on when, where, and what is going on in the world for a person to be successful. I never really though about how important the part of the year a person is born for them to be considered smarter or even athletically more talented. Someone who is bright and intelligent may just have tried to be successful at the wrong time like we saw with Maurice Janklow. This topic has interested me the most in this book thus far.

Mikaela Suggs said...

The one concept that I have found myself thinking about is accumulative advantage. Although I have my own opinion, it was interesting to hear how others thought in comparison to me.

Sydney J said...

I find myself thinking about the 10,000 hour rule. It is such a simplistic concept to think about about. It sounds simple but when actually thinking about it, that would be such a difficult task to complete.

Alicia Sears said...

The concept that I thought about the most was the 10,000 hour rule. As I sat and really though about it I wish I had knowledge of this as a child so that I could have mastered some skill. Alicia Sears

Peyton Dunne said...

The 10,000 hour rule has stood out to me the most because it can, by theory, be applied to anything. With that in mind, I have been studying more and focusing on school so I can succeed.

Tashawna Nash said...

One concept that I have found myself continually thinking about since I read it is the accumulative advantage concept because it still seems to amaze me that someone could be better or well learned/taught just because of when they were born. Accumulative advantage really does put many people at a disadvantage and some at more of an advantage when you think about it without having to do anything.
~Tashawna N.

Anonymous said...

One concept that I found myself continually thinking about is "the Matthew effect". Before I read this chapter I didn't know what accumulative advantage was and to what extent its effect was on a lot of people. After reading this chapter I now see how that is a major problem in our society and how it's inhibiting others from reaching full potential and how common these antics are.
****Brittany Perry

Kellsey H said...

I've pondered upon the concept of the 10,000 hour rule quite frequently. I feel as though it has given me insight into what it will take to truly succeed.

Terri mcfadden said...

The first chapter of the book talked about cut off dates. This intrigued me because I have a childhood friend who was born a month after the cut off date and did better in class with everything since preschool. She had an extra year to learn the fundamentals and later had a better work study process than the rest of the class. She started out and ended like the hockey players because she had the advantage then did the work. Therefore, she is chapter one.

Jasmine Williams said...

The one concept that stands out is the 10,000 hour rule. I've actually heard of the concept before even reading the book. This concept proves that perfection does not come easy; it takes years of hard work. Also, it proves that only those with a lot of motivation and dedication will become the most successful.

Unknown said...

I agree with Tashawna, "The Mathew Effect" is intriguing. The concept of accumulative advantage baffles me. The fact your birthday can simply sometimes determine whether or not you are better at something then someone else is amazing. There are many factors that can put someone at a disadvantage; race, sex, and now even when you are born.

DuAuna Carraway said...

One of the concepts I find myself repeatedly thinking about is the Matthew Effect. The fact that when you were born could possibly determine what you're capable of now or later baffles me. It was even brought up in the 10,000 hour rule chapter, showing how the top richest people were all born within a few years of each other. My favorite by far was showing the months when top athletes were born because I have mentioned before that people born in the same season seem more similar and actually learning about it was interesting. I also believe that an actual study/experiment should be done with elementary students by putting those born within a few months of each other in the same class to see if their learning styles may be different.

Unknown said...

The concept that I've found myself continuously thinking about is those that are born with natural abilities and do nothing with them and those that are born with natural abilities and enhance them. I feel like this is a topic I highly identify with. It causes me to question whether or not I'm doing enough in my everyday life to enhance me natural abilities. As well as do I want to be in the category of those who posess talent and do nothing with them, but rely on them to go far, or if I want more than that. - Tiera W.

Alexandra Donaldson said...

The 10,000 hour rule really stuck with me. Although I do believe it is unrealistic nowadays, it gives me something to strive for in a sense. It makes me want to focus more and set some better goals for myself.

Unknown said...

I found the idea of that just feeling that there are children that are said to have accumulative advantage still makes no sense. I still feel that every person in the 21st century all have the same opportunities. They may be harder to come by or take more work to achieve the same amount of success as someone else but everyone has the same opportunities.

Monet Evans said...

The concept that stood ou tthe most to me was the 10,000 hour rule. This stood out to me because one day I will have a career to be dedicated to. Although I probably won't spend 10,000 hours I will spend a lot of time perfecting my craft

Jacquesia H. said...

I Think the 10,000 hour rule was the one that stuck with me the most. It has me wondering if this is really possible and if there is time enough in a day for that many hours of practice.

Unknown said...

The concept i think about the most is the 10,000 hour. I wonder if the people in the story will ever have enough time. Time to do anything

Unknown said...

I think the 10,000 hour rule was unusual and unlikely. It takes too long to achieve and then the determination would go down. It makes me wonder if some people actually thought about doing this.

Adryan Brooks said...

The !0,000 hour rule was something that really stuck with me because I partially think that its insane for someone to have to put in ALL that time to try and excel in something. It has to be some leeway point.

Tameah Foley said...

The 10,000 hour rule is odd enough to be stuck in my mind because it basically says there is no way to master a skill while your in college.

Deborrah Blackburn said...

One of the concepts that I think about the most is Gladwell's idea about demographics. It is very interesting because if you think about it, a person's success does sometimes depend on when and where they were born, and also what was going on in the world at that time.
D. Blackburn

Unknown said...

I find myself thinking about the 10,000 hours rule a lot because I was always taught that practice makes perfect. I honestly do believe that this rule is true when it comes to certain jobs and aspects of life. I feel you do need to put in a lot of hours of practice into something that you are patient in especially if it will lead you to your career path.
Sierra L.

Lindsey McCall said...

The concept that has stuck with me most is how your family's history affects your success. This has caused me to really reflect on my family's history and identify the things I dislike about it and the things I like, I then make a decision of how I will change what I dislike and continue the tradition of the things I like.

Unknown said...

One thing I've found myself constantly thinking about is the cut off dates. It's strange to know that cut off dates set by other people have effects on whether or not you're good at something or not.

Courtney said...

The concepts of success. How Gladwell explains why some people are successful and some aren't. But not just the success, i guess its more the concept of outliners. The fact that i have a predisposition of not being one because of all the attributes and aspects described. That some people have to work harder than others to make great gains and be noted for their success.

Unknown said...

The one concept I've thought about the most has been the 10,000 hour rule. Mostly because I am not sure that rule applies to every single person or just the naturally gifted.
Kahli C

Unknown said...

The 10,000 rule has intrigued me because it makes sense because practice makes perfect but also it makes me think if it is realistic considering everything else that I have to deal with.