WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Human intelligence is difficult to define. And when it comes to understanding exactly what intelligence is and how it works, there are a number of ways to go about it.

So, why is it so difficult to define intelligence? What is intelligence? How can we measure it? Is there more than one way to be intelligent?

We’re going to look at human intelligence from a number of angles to see if we can broaden our understanding of what intelligence is and how it can be accurately measured.

How Do You Define Intelligence?

So, what is intelligence?

Intelligence can be defined as the ability to acquire and use new knowledge and skills.

But what sort of knowledge? And what sort of skills? It turns out these variables have a greater influence on the way we interpret intelligence than we might realize.

Wisdom Vs Intelligence: What’s The Difference?

Is wisdom the same thing as intelligence? The terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.

When it comes to the wisdom vs intelligence debate, it’s important to recognize that these two concepts are quite different from one another.

Intelligence is the ability to assimilate and utilize new information.

Wisdom, on the other hand, is the ability to use past experiences to make informed decisions about the future.

What Is Intelligence According To Psychology?

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind. So, what is intelligence according to the field of psychology?

Psychology defines intelligence in a number of different ways. And that’s because there are many competing doctrines in the field of psychology.

It’s helpful to think of psychology as the trunk of a tree. Each branch that sprouts from the trunk finds its roots in the same principles and foundations. But each branch takes a different path toward the sunlight.

The way you define human intelligence in psychology depends entirely on the branch of psychology you use to define it.

Generally speaking, psychology recognizes human intelligence as the ability to acquire and synthesize new information.

What Is The Basic Intelligence?

One of the earliest theories of intelligence was proposed by English psychologist, Charles Spearman, back in 1904.

This early theory focused on a single form of intelligence. Generalized intelligence, or “g factor,” was defined as the ability to perform certain cognitive tasks. And it’s from this theory that the very first IQ tests were born.

What Does IQ Mean?

IQ stands for intelligence quotient. It was first coined by German psychologist, William Stern, back in 1912.

Stern used intelligence quotients as a way to standardize the scores he analyzed from intelligence tests.

Believe it or not, the very first IQ test was actually designed by French psychologist, Albert Binet. We know it today as the famous Stanford-Binet Scale.

What Is The IQ Of An Average Person?

Can IQ tests accurately measure intelligence? It’s a tough question to answer because while IQ tests are limited, they are capable of measuring certain cognitive abilities, including fluid reasoning, spatial processing, and deductive reasoning.

The average score for most IQ tests is 100.

But it’s important to keep in mind that your IQ score may not stay the same over the course of your life. In fact, average IQ score by age can differ quite substantially.

What Is The Highest IQ Possible?

100 is the average score for most, but there’s quite a spread in terms of the lowest and highest recorded iq scores.

What’s the highest iq possible to attain on an IQ test? Well, when examining high IQ scores, it’s helpful to look at the scores of the great minds we’ve witnessed throughout history.

Most theorists estimate Einstein’s IQ to have been between 160-190 points. Einstein never actually took an IQ test, so the best we have is an informed guess!

Garry Kasparov’s IQ was a reported 135 points, based on a test he took in 1988.

Dr. Stephen Hawking was also said to have had an impressively high IQ, with a similar range to Einstein: 160 – 190 points. But, just like Einstein, Hawking never actually took an IQ test. He wasn’t a fan of standardized intelligence tests and didn’t believe IQ scores were an accurate representation of human intelligence.

What Is The Lowest IQ Ever Recorded?

So, what about the opposite end of the spectrum? What’s the lowest IQ ever recorded?

While it may be theoretically possible to score 0 on an IQ test, no one has actually ever attained this score.

Generally speaking, any score that dips below 70 points is considered to be below average. Unfortunately, those with scores below 70 often have some form of mental or cognitive impairment.

Will A High IQ Make Me More Successful?

Ever heard the saying: to be fair, you have to have a high IQ? Some use it in terms of grasping certain concepts or learning new skills.

But is a high IQ really necessary to be successful?

Absolutely not.

Just look at Stephen Hawking. He possessed one of the most powerful, influential minds to date. And he couldn’t be bothered to take an IQ test.

The fact of the matter is, IQ tests are an outdated measure of intelligence. And while they are capable of measuring certain abilities, they are very limited.

There are all sorts of genius tests and genius clubs (like Mensa International) that propagate the value of traditional intelligence testing. But the truth is, we’ve come a long way from Spearman’s theory of generalized intelligence.

As Jim Kwik, Author of Mindvalley’s Superbrain Program says, “It’s not how smart you are, but how you are smart.”

How Can I Make Myself Smarter?

The recent science says that through neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, we can grow older but we can actually grow better. We can grow new brain cells and new connections and do things that are extraordinary. — Jim Kwik

Increasing your intelligence has everything to do with the way you choose to define intelligence.

Did you know that emerging theories in human intelligence suggest we actually possess nine different types of intelligence? It’s true! And it’s quite the far cry from Spearman’s theory of a single generalized intelligence.

If you want to learn how to get smarter, it’s really all about improving your cognitive abilities. Increasing your brain power is a worthy endeavor and there are plenty of ways to go about it.

Here are a few ways you can exercise your abilities and grow your brain:

• Adopt a beginner’s mind
• Try the F.A.S.T method
• Exercise regularly
• Meditate
• Try some brain teasers
• Play strategy-based board games
• Teach others what you’ve learned
• Try a new sport or hobby

Becoming smarter is all about challenging your brain to try new things.The more you explore, the more adaptive your brain will become!

Source: https://bit.ly/2TgHloh

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AN OPEN LETTER TO TEACHERS

Dear teachers

During the last three years, I've been trying so hard to think of a best practice for Language teaching in Morocco. I've just come to the conclusion that there's no single method or approach that could work perfectly with the Moroccan system. However, I think I might have the solution to this issue. It's called: "Motivation". Yes, that's the keyword that could make all the teaching methods and approaches a success in language teaching specifically, and teaching in general, in Morocco.

Our primary problem as teachers is that students don't give a damn about schooling, and sorry for the term, but the majority does so. From my personal experience, in a class of 40, only 5 to 8 pupils engage actively with the lesson for what we call a standard good student's attitude. The others are just sitting there and watching and waiting for the bell ring. But guess what, those sitting, waiting and watching students got their moments where I sense that something got their attention, and suddenly they are following the lesson and some are even trying to participate. Well, as teachers who care about their students' performance in class, we should be asking: What happened then? What thing got their attention? Well as I said, something caught their attention ... They got motivated. That's what I'm trying to convey in here. We need as teachers to get students' attention, we need to motivate them.

One of the best practices to get students' attention is to engage them. This should be our main objective while designing a lesson. But how to engage a generation of students that got so immersed in technology that blackboard and chalk or even the whiteboard and markers don't mean nothing to them. They feel or are sure that it's dull. The moments I talked about where the students were excited and tried to concentrate on the lesson and see what's going on in class are those rare moments where I used technology in class.

As you can see, I managed to hang my tablet on the blackboard
and it works!

From time to time I struggle to get my old laptop to class and strive to get a data-show projector and present a vocabulary lesson through pictures or a communication lesson through a demo video. The sessions turned out to be a success. Unlike those normal days where I struggle to teach without any equipment or teaching aids, it's just boring. Every teacher should have his or her teaching aids, from posters to simply A4 paper sized pictures to make it easier for the students to understand. As the saying goes: "A picture is worth a thousand words". Or, if you can't print images or buy posters, just bring your laptop and show them the pictures directly from there or the videos, if you can't get a data show. In addition to that, you can get one of those cheap tablets and fill it with visual aids and use it in class; it turned out to be a success too.

However, there are challenges, I know! Most of the teachers who don't use technology in classes; are because they don't know how to, but a lot of others do so because they don't want to. Those who don't know how to, it's, firstly their responsibility. Since this falls in the scope of professional development. However, the state's also responsible to train its staff to have better teaching practices, through continuous training sessions. But for those who don't want to, I say: "Shame on you". How can't you use anything possible to engage students in your lessons? Stop concentrating on those brilliant students and forget the unmotivated ones. Notice that I didn't say stupid because every one of them is intelligent in some way, it's just that we haven't yet come to the stage where we adopt the multiple "intelligences" theory in our educational system.

Bearing that in mind, the teacher shouldn't be left alone in his classroom and let him, literally, guard the students. As the Chinese proverb says: "It takes a village to raise a child" and not just the teacher, or the parents. And unfortunately, some of the students are not well raised within their families. So, there should be great support from the part of families and the state also should accompany those in need of support through the centres of hearing and listening. Also, Civil Society should interfere more with the schools and organize extracurricular activities to promote school life, beyond lessons and exams. 

All in all, teaching is a noble job. It's the job that teaches all the other jobs, as they say. If we think about this deeply, we would know how important the teachers' mission is. We need to take it seriously and try to get the best of our students and turn an eye on how they behave and not treat them as sloths. They're young, inexperienced, lost and most of all, teenagers. They don't know what's best for them. And, in order to forgive their carelessness, think about when you were a teenager too.

Best regards

By: Nabil Es shaimi

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