Intelligence Self-Assessment Can Lead to Better College Major Selection

Intelligence and its various forms influence the fields that college graduates are likely to be successful. Ever since Howard Gardner’s book Frames of Mind was published theorists and educators have been trying to understand the multiple and complex ways of knowledge accumulation. A journal article by Tai Fang-Mei (2014) highlights the forms of intelligence that are appreciated in student learners and how these intelligences should guide career paths.

Intelligence has always been in debate in terms of how to measure and understand it. When Gardner released his book it became possible to see intelligence on multiple planes of existence. He included seven intelligences of verbal/ linguistic, visual-spatial, musical, intra-personal, interpersonal, logical mathematical, and bodily-kinesthetic. Each uses different skills to navigate and understand the environment.

We can see these intelligences at work when a great play is written, a musical piece is masterfully played, and a scientist finds a new discovery. The problem is that not all intelligences are rewarded in society in precisely the same way and different intelligences can lead to higher financial rewards. Society seems to appreciate certain types of intelligences over others even though all have merit at different times and places.

The study seems to focus on encouraging incoming students to understand their intelligences and then using those intelligences to encourage them select a suitable educational and career path. Helping students to understand themselves and where their skill lays also fosters a separation of socially bounded “expected” perceptions their friends have to something they are most likely to be happy with. It is a process of aligning goals with the skills that will get them there.

Putting a student in an art class when their skills are heavily focused in the mathematical domains seems to be a waste of talent unless there is a method of bridging that gap. Perhaps something more focused in mechanical drawing or engineering would be helpful to match interest and skill into something that results in gainful employment. Understanding the student and the employment needs of society seems beneficial to proper placement.

The study found that it is helpful to students when they find out where their intelligences lay and then use that knowledge to select a second major or minor. Students are often unaware of where their skills lay and what that means in terms of future employment. For example, English majors should also rank high in linguistics skills. Helping students become aware of their innate and learned skills is a process of awareness that pays off throughout their educational process.

Today’s Internet offers opportunities to simply help students self-assess through quizzes valid tests they can conduct independently. Such methods would better take student misperceptions about life and employment and let them find matches between their skills and viable career options that further their personal development. The student still has the choice to use or ignore them but administrators have a place to point students that are struggling with majors. Not all things can be measured but they can help an indecisive student make a better decision.

Fang-Mei, T. (2014). Exploring multiple intelligences. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning, 10 (1).

The Influence of IQ, EQ, and Personality on Student Academic Success

Some students excel at learning while others lag behind in the overall process. What makes one student more successful than another has always been an interesting topic for educators. A study by Kiss, et. al. (2014) delves into higher academic achievement and its association with intelligence (IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ), and personality preferences of students. Understanding what types of students are most likely to be successful helps in college selection and advanced placement. 

Intelligence can be something difficult to define as it takes into consideration a broad range of skills that impacts a person’s ability to navigate their environment. It can be seen as, “a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience” (Gottfredson, 1997, p. 13).

Those who are intelligent question their environment and try and understand the world around them. As intelligence rises, the higher the ability to solve complex problems becomes apparent. Intelligent thinkers excel quickly in learning and seem to grasp concepts faster than others. 

Emotional intelligence is also something that can be difficult to comprehend. It can be defined as “a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (Mayer & Salovey, 1993, p. 433). It is a process of awareness of internal and external states of feeling. 

Emotionally intelligent people are not unemotional but are aware of the ranges of their emotions and can monitor them. They may also be more in-tune with the emotional nature of those around them. They can pick up on the cues, behaviors, facial expressions, and logic of language to assess how others are currently feeling. 

The student’s personality type is the way in which the student views the world. It is the style of understanding they are most natural and comfortable with. Tests such as the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator measures introversion-extraversion, sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving planes of personality. Different personality characteristics determine how we understand the world and come to conclusions about it. 

The study found that lower IQ hindered academic performance while education could not indicate individual cognitive differences at higher levels of intelligence. Lower EQ hindered performance while higher EQ improved performance. Success was also associated with introversion-extraversion, thinking-feeling and judging-perceiving. Educational attainment certainly has many other compound factors such as access, cost, and social support that help students be successful but IQ, EQ, and personality influence the success of those that attend higher education institutions. It should not be forgotten that formal education does preference particular styles of learning and those that fit within that style are more likely to be successful than those who do not fit within institutionalized education curriculum. 

Gottfredson, L.S. (1997) „Mainstream Science on Intelligence: An Editorial with 52 Signatories, History, and Bibliography,” Intelligence, vol. 24(1), p. 13-23.

Kiss, M., et. al. (2014). The relationship between intelligence, emotional intelligence, personality styles and academic success. Business Education & Accreditation, 6 (2). 

Mayer, J.D. and P. Salovey (1993) “The Intelligence of Emotional Intelligence,” Intelligence, vol. 17(4), p. 432-442.

Learning About Perception, Creativity, and Science Through Poetry

Few things strike as true as poetry from great artists who pondered the nature of man and the universe. Some poetry is long and some is short but each brings a different perspective about this thing we call existence. The poetry below is about our imaginations and the power of seeing and perceiving the world. Those who feel and see the world do so through their mental faculties built upon the information gathered through their senses.

This knowledge is not reliant only on physical sensation but the interpretation of that sensation. Those with higher cognitive functions adapt, innovate and perceive at a higher level than those who don’t.  They make more connections, understand in greater depth, and can see the impact of decisions from the power of their imaginations.

Consider asking a person with no knowledge on a particular subject to formulate a relevant opinion. Without doubt the far majority will rehash the opinions of other notable people in society.  They may draw from famous thinkers, politicians, or leading figures in an effort to appear knowledgeable.  However, those who use their imagination create something new and truer than simple blind copy.

Imagination is most useful when matched with analytical thinking. We must first make a connection to a concept and then logically and sequentially analyze the truth or falsehood of that new concept. When we do this well we create something called “truth”.  It is a truth based upon new understandings that are supported by fact that create innovative breakthroughs in science and life.

Consider a poem by the British Poet William Wordsworth:

''Imagination, which in truth
Is but another name for absolute power
And clearest insight, amplitude of mind,
And reason, in her most exalted mood.''

The poem discusses perception and the power that comes from understanding. Perception, or “awareness”, mixed with the ability to create a model of an event is based in truth to the perceiver. That model is then tested through thought, experimentation, or experience to develop clear insight for others. Knowledge, perception, imagination, and scientific analysis create ways to innovate. Truth in society is built from generations of people who push forward new truths.

Using Online Professional Development for Teachers of Gifted Students

Gifted education is tricky and many teachers don’t know how to deal with such students. It isn’t often cost effective to implement programs in schools that may host a single or a few gifted children. Little and Housand (2011) discuss the ability to use online education to facilitate learning through multiple school systems in order to raise professional teaching standards and help such students in their precocious development. 

In higher education technology lags behind other industries. The reasons are many but often tradition, skill level, and perception are important considerations. With proper technology professional development in the educational fields has new opportunities. More important, it can help teachers understand their rare students even when such skills are not currently available. There are a few tips when trying to consider the potential success of such programs.

Coherence: The training should match both the goals of the organization, student needs, and teacher needs. The purpose of the training programs should be readily apparent and fit within the national context of gifted learning education. 

Acknowledging Beliefs and Practices: Teachers will need to find relevance with their daily practice and an opportunity to reflect on their beliefs. They need to relate the information to their own work environments. 

Active Engagement and Collaboration: Working with other teachers on professional learning and actively staying engaged with course materials is important. 

Sustained Attention: Single shot education with no follow-up will not likely be remembered. Ensure that attention is supported over time to help in the retaining of information. 

Support from School Administration: School administrators will need to encourage professional development of teachers who work with gifted students.  Time and resources should be allocated appropriately.

Ensuring Quality: Quality professional development is necessary for successful programs. Quality measurements, relevancy, and higher care are needed to make such programs work well. 

The paper highlights the concept that gifted students are relatively rare in the educational market despite a general understanding in the industry. Few teachers actually deal with such students and many schools do not have the resources or support to foster the highest levels of development. Cost can be prohibitive. By helping teachers connect for training from many districts a pool of teachers that have gifted students can work together, lower costs, and provide sound education to this unique population. 

Little, C. & Housand, B. (2011). Avenues to professional learning online: technology tips and tolls for professional development in gifted education. Gifted Child Today, 34 (4).

Giftedness-Nature vs. Nurture?

Giftedness is either seen as genetic or learned in the scientific community. A nativist believes that it is the biological and genetic traits that make giftedness possible while the environmentalists believe that intelligence can be learned.  Winkler and Jolly (2012) explore these concepts in their attempt to help others understand the historical sides of the argument. 

Nativists believe that these traits develop biologically over time and make their way into future offspring. This offspring is born with giftedness and cannot learn it or remove it no matter how hard they try. Giftedness can be enhanced but cannot be learned throughout one’s life. 

The environmentalist believes that giftedness is developed in the environment. You can theoretically take any child and provide books and learning to create a gifted person. In the environmentalists perspective genetics have little to do with this story. 

Thus far both theories have been proved inconclusive and strict nativist or environmentalist perspectives do not seem to have full merit. Most have some level of nature versus nurture in their perspectives. The gifted person is biologically hardwired differently but can only show those higher skills through proper environmental nurturing. 

Gifted tests in the 19^th Century focused on perception, reaction, and bodily abilities that represent a person’s intelligence. This moved in the 20^th Century to specific and general intelligence abilities. Specific abilities were used to solve particular problems. For example, a person who can throw a ball with accuracy, use verbal skills, theorize, etc…were using specific abilities. 

The nativist perspective has been abused by some to indicate that those holding a different race, background, or belief were somehow inferior in intelligence. These perspectives have been used to push policies based in racism and bigotry on the population. All science has the possibility to be misused if the measurements are not accurate, they are theoretically biased, or only give a partial picture.

The truth may stand somewhere in the middle. Without the ability to perceive one’s environment through gifted traits as well as have the right environment to capitalize on those experiences it is doubtful they will fully develop. Giftedness is biologically rooted and socially enhanced. It doesn’t apply to a specific race, religion, ethnicity, or even nationality. It is an event in the human species and hits a small percentage of population ranging from 1 to 50,000 up to 1 in a million depending on level of giftedness.

Most researchers believe that multiple measures must be used to determine giftedness. Standard I.Q. tests often focus more on learned skills and formal education than they do actual traits. These tests can be culturally laden and put out-groups at a disadvantage. Using multiple forms of testing based within the biological receptivity of the individual, general intelligence, specific intelligence, and personality traits of the individual makes a difference. These tests should be culturally neutral and ensure a rounded perspective. 

Winker, D. & Jolly, J. (2012). Nativists and Environmentalists-A History of Disagreement. Gifted Child Today, 35 (2).