Hi Everyone!
Last week, we had a meeting during which we discussed different theories and principles in education. There were various interesting topics that were brought up, so I wanted to write a short reflection on my personal thoughts regarding these topics. First of all, we discussed the concept and theories of intelligence and touched base on the idea of different types of intelligence. Traditionally, I feel like most people have thought of intelligence in a one-dimensional sense – oftentimes, it is thought of in an academic nature. For example, one will likely deem a student who does well in school and gets high grades as intelligent, and another student who doesn’t pay as much attention in class and gets lower grades as less intelligent. As a result, a lot of kids may grow up believing that they are dumb simply because they don’t do well in school in traditional subjects like math, science, english. However, one’s grades are not solely indicative of their intelligence – they are also dependent on the student’s environment, their life circumstances, their home situation, how they are taught, etc.. Everyone has their own way of learning best and of displaying their knowledge; however, the way in which kids are taught and tested is standardized and likely can’t cater completely to every student’s unique learning style. These students who may not do well in traditional subjects may thrive in other subjects, such as music, physical education, home economics, etc.; they may have a talent or interest in other things which weren’t traditionally seen as important as Math, Science or English.
Through our afterschool program, we want to help students explore their interests, become more exposed to different hobbies, careers, and parts of the world; teach them core values and life skills so that they can be successful in whatever path they choose. I think a person is intelligent if they are able to problem solve, apply knowledge to novel situations, can flexibly and critically think, and acknowledge their shortcomings and work towards improving themself. I hope we can convey this message to the students who will be participating in our afterschool program so that they won’t have the false belief that they are not smart if they aren’t getting the highest grades and so that their growth will not be stunted from being discouraged by low marks or unideal results at school.
Moreover, we also discussed the idea of nature vs. nurture – is intelligence really inherent or is it also shaped by our experiences? Sometimes, our inherent traits need to be activated by interactions with our environment. The inherent inclination towards certain interests will guide what experiences a child will engage in, and those experiences will further shape their interests and lead them down a path of unique experiences, which will shape them and allow them to grow as a person. I believe the two sides, nature and nurture, both contribute to the development of one’s intelligence.
Thank you for reading, and feel free to comment on your thoughts about intelligence and education!
– Sheila
