Intellectual Development

Grade 11 Family Studies

Instructions

Get out a piece of loose leaf.All answers should be at least a

few sentences if not a paragraph.

Hand in when you are finished.

What is Intelligence?

Before you start reading. Answer the following Questions:

Q1. What does it mean to be intelligent in our society?

Q2. What abilities do schools value and promote?

Q3. How do we measure a person's intelligence?

Traditional Views of Intelligence

Educators use formal intelligence tests to try to determine the thinking skills of children. The test results can help teachers, principals, and learning specialists understand and meet students’ educational needs.

Intelligence Testing

The first intelligence test was developed by a French psychologist, Alfred Binet, in 1905. In 1916, Lewis M. Terman of Stanford University made a major revision to the Binet test.

Intelligence Testing

Today the test is commonly called the Stanford-Binet and it is one of many tests to measure the intelligence of children.

Intelligence Testing

By having many children take the test, Terman created a mathematical formula that could be used to give a child’s intelligence a number value. This intelligence quotient or IQ, is a number obtained by comparing a person’s test results to that of other children the same age. The average child of any age has an IQ between 90 and 110. Those who score higher or lower than this average are said to be of higher or lower intelligence.

Intelligence Testing

Intelligence tests are composed of tasks and questions. These correspond to the expected abilities of children at different age levels.

Example: Two-year-olds cannot read. An intelligence test for them might include building a tower, and fitting simple geometric shapes into corresponding holes.

There are several problems with using intelligence tests, however:

No one test gives an accurate measure of a child’s mental ability. Also, these tests only measure one kind of mental ability, ignoring other kinds.

A child’s physical or emotional state when taking the test can affect his or her score. Thus, test results are not consistent. The same test given to the same child at two separate times may show a wide difference in scores.

The tests don’t tell much about specific abilities. Two people with the same IQ may have very different strengths and weaknesses.

Problems (continued)

Because of these problems, educators must use intelligence tests cautiously. Decisions about the child’s placement in school should not be made on the basis of one test alone. Today, preschools and kindergartens are more likely to use different techniques to gain an overview of a child’s level of development in all areas, not just thinking skills. If the child falls outside the norms of development for his or her age, then an in-depth assessment of skills can be done. In this way, educators can identify problem areas and plan activities that will help the child.

Multiple Intelligences

In recent years, psychologist Howard Gardner has advanced a new way of looking at intelligence. He argues that humans have multiple intelligences—many different ways of using the mind and body to experience the world.

How many types?

There are 9 different intelligences. 8 intelligences are on the sheet I have given you.

The ninth intelligence is called Existential Intelligence.

This is considered to be the intelligence of being able to ponder life’s big questions: Who are we, where do we come from, is

there a god, what is love .. Baby don’t hurt me.

Questions

Q4. In which of Gardner’s intelligences do you think you are strong in? Why?

Short Biographies of Eminent People

Q5. For each of the following personalities, explain how you would consider them to be intelligent using Gardner’s intelligences. You may find these people display more than one type.

Michael Jordan, former basketball player, Chicago Bulls

The greatest player in the history of the National Basketball Association, Michael Jordan possessed an intellectual understanding of the game of basketball. In addition to his jumping, shooting, running, passing, and guarding skills, Jordan had an uncanny ability to sense what other players would do before they did it, and adjust accordingly, even after leaving the ground. His predictions were based on his understanding of other players’ skills, tendencies, and personalities. Jordan could also visualize the geometry of the game, anticipating with great accuracy where a ball would bounce, how high he would have to jump, and how fast other players could move into position. Jordan’s long career required that he re-create himself as his physical abilities changed with age. As an older player, he couldn’t jump as high, so he developed a mid-range jump shot to get to the basket past younger players.

Mohandas Gandhi, political and religious leader in India

Mohandas Gandhi’s life was guided by his search for truth. He believed one could find truth only through tolerance and concern for others. As a teacher, he taught others to master fear and to practice nonviolent solutions to problems. Gandhi developed a method of direct social action based on nonviolence and truth that reflected his belief that how one behaves is more important than what one achieves. Gandhi’s teachings enjoyed widespread following, ultimately leading to India's independence from Great Britain and the beginning of social change.

Charles Darwin, naturalist and writer

After Charles Darwin received a bachelor’s degree in theology from Cambridge University, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. In 1836 he was a naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, an English science vessel, that traveled throughout the world. On that expedition, Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that closely resembled modern species. On the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, he discovered variations among plants and animals of the same general type. Back in England studying his specimens, Darwin noted each organism's inherited combination of traits. From this work, he developed his theory of evolution and the idea of natural selection as a way to explain why some species disappeared and others changed and survived.

Oprah Winfrey, TV talk show host, actor, producer, educator, philanthropist

Oprah Winfrey is best known as host and producer of her own show, seen by 22 million viewers a week in the United States and aired in 113 countries. She has won prestigious awards in broadcasting, as well as the National Book Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Gold Medal for her influential contribution to reading and books through her Oprah Book Club. Viewers trust Oprah's judgment and suggestions, appreciate the skill with which she engages others in discussion, and admire her forthright candor about her own life and struggles.

Hand in

You are finished.