Becoming Supergenius, Part I: The Outer World

Becoming Supergenius has grown on the scorched earth that is the current state of learning, teaching, and education.

I asked thirty-five people, with over 1,600 years of accumulated experience, how and why they learned. From their answers I resolved 328 learning secrets that are part of any person's journey to find their full potential.

Learning requires us to explore where our thinking comes from. Thinking is a complicated process. There is truth to every thought and some context in which every thought makes sense. We can't examine every idea, as many are unimportant, but we don't want to focus only on the important few. We need alternatives. We need directions.

Break the process down. There are places we learn in, people we learn from, situations we are subjected to, and resources we learn with. These books are a map through this chaos of possibilities.

Each of the 328 learning secrets open a world of its own. Some of these will nourish you, some may poison you, and others can heal you. They are spices and medicines. Don't use them all at once.

These secrets don't lead to paradise, they are training in the skills of the hero's journey. They are preparation for the real world, which is where you must go to learn, not to hallowed and protected halls.

These books map the territory of the real world. They tells you how to rig and trim your sails. No matter how glorious or miserable you feel about your journey, it's your journey, and you were made for it. The object is not happiness, it's more than that.

The first volume addresses the environment in which we find ourselves. We consider the attitudes people have about learning, the actors and agents we encounter in our attempts to learn, where we find these people, and how they behave. These are the practical issues.

The second volume considers the how, what, and why of our inner thoughts and feelings. The goal is to understand ourselves. The focus is on what we're doing, how we think, and why.

We associate genius with aptitude, skill, intelligence, and success. I've invented the term "supergenius" to refer to something deeper. If geniuses blaze the trails we follow, supergeniuses blaze trails that we're not yet ready to. Genius stands out; supergenius often does not.

The supergenius is someone who not only sees all sides, but also conceives of there being no side, the reality of the ambiguous, and even in this finds direction. Supergeniuses are inspired.

_______________

"This piece of work is as profound as it is elegant. With this work as a guide, the education landscape could be irrevocably changed for the better."—Lewis Ames, Director—Children of the Forest

"These books immediately—no fooling around—help you understand if you are learning anything at all! Here are the most useful questions you will ever ask yourself; crucially important for self-inquiry, self-understanding, and self-esteem."—Ann Hallock, MSW, LCSW, ACSW

"After reading Becoming Supergenius I think I have found my inner voice! It has been sleeping for a long time. I judge a book by how it grabs me emotionally and intellectually and, indeed, Becoming Supergenius locked me in and opened my thinking. Life may never find its 'normal' for a very long time."—Rose. L. Colby, author of Competency-Based Education

"On exceptional occasions at best, a work is produced that gives the world a glimpse at an explanation of it all, some grand analysis in an otherwise incomprehensible world. Stoller has done just that."—Alexander Khost, Founder of Voice of the Children NYC