INTELLINGENCE

[Marouane]

INTRODUCTION:

We speak of smart, clever, brilliant, wise, bright, gifted, brainy and crafty without knowing the differences between those notions. What is sure is That they are all linked to the concept of INTELLIGENCE which generally means in our minds the ability to learn or understand things or to deal with new or difficult situations. Yet, we unconsciously use different synonyms for different situations and behaviors. In the same way when speaking Arabic we use adjectives as”…Arabic word…”, ”…Arabic word…” or “…Arabic word…” to speak of intelligence. Thus we can accept the idea of different forms or “shades” of intelligence. For example reading a road map upside-down and generating synonyms for the word "brilliant" are two very different skills. Nevertheless each is a measurable indicator of general intelligence, a construct that includes problem solving abilities, spatial manipulation and language acquisition.

So, how can we define the concept of intelligence considering those shades ?

In order to answer this question we will first study the notion of intelligence .Then we will organize intelligence into 7 principal categories according to Howard GARDNER theory .Finally we will answer a test to identify our intelligence type, learn how to improve it and how to use it in our daily life.

[Saad]

I. INTELLIGENCE:

DEFINITION:

Intelligence has been defined in many different ways such as in terms of one's capacity for logic, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, learning, emotional knowledge, memory, planning, and problem solving.

Intelligence is most widely studied in humans, but has also been observed in animals and in plants. Artificial intelligence is the simulation of intelligence in machines.

DIFFERENT VISIONS:

As a matter of fact, the concept of intelligence is not totally mastered by humans. That is to say that there not one single definition of intelligence. Consequently scientists and psychologists developed diverse visions of intelligence. Some of those theories are exposed here:

SCIENTIST VISION OF INTELLIGENCEAlfred Binet Judgment, otherwise called "good sense," "practical sense,"

"initiative," the faculty of adapting one's self to circumstances ... auto-critique.

David Wechsler

The aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment.

Lloyd Humphreys

"...the resultant of the process of acquiring, storing in memory, retrieving, combining, comparing, and using in new contexts information and conceptual skills."

Cyril Burt Innate general cognitive abilityLinda Gottfredson

The ability to deal with cognitive complexity.

Sternberg & Salter

Goal-directed adaptive behavior.

Reuven The theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability describes intelligence

Feuerstein as "the unique propensity of human beings to change or modify the structure of their cognitive functioning to adapt to the changing demands of a life situation."

Howard Gardner

To my mind, a human intellectual competence must entail a set of skills of problem solving — enabling the individual to resolve genuine problems or difficulties that he or she encounters and, when appropriate, to create an effective product — and must also entail the potential for finding or creating problems — and thereby laying the groundwork for the acquisition of new knowledge.

This last theory is the one we will develop in the second part of our presentation.

II. HOWARD’S THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES:

[Marouane]

Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, as outlined in his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983).

This theory suggests that traditional psychometric views of intelligence are too limited. Gardner first outlined his theory in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, where he suggested that all people have different kinds of "intelligences."1 Gardner proposed that there are eight intelligences, and has suggested the possible addition of a ninth known as "existentialist intelligence"2.

In order to capture the full range of abilities and talents that people possess, Gardner suggests that people do not have just a intellectual capacity, but have many different intelligences including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual and linguistic intelligences3

While a person might be particularly strong in a specific area, such as musical intelligence, they most likely possess a range of abilities. For example, an individual might be strong in verbal, musical and naturalistic intelligence.

Here is a recent version of Howard GARDNER theory.

[Saad]

1. Naturalistic Intelligence

Ever wonder why certain people are able to connect with animals just like that? Have you ever encountered someone that posses what is commonly referred to as a “green thumb”? Well, those people are great examples of “nature smart” individuals. Naturalistic intelligence refers to a human being’s sensitivity to the natural world. This is the ability to distinguish among nature’s different features such as animals, plants, rock configurations, cloud formations, and other such things. In the past, the naturalist intelligence was undoubtedly of great value in a person’s survival. Farming

and hunting were clearly among the activities that relied on this type of intelligence. Today, naturalistic intelligence remains a vital component of roles like being a chef or botanist. This type of intelligence is also seen in the way consumers discriminate among products.

Characteristics of Naturalistic Intelligence

Interested in subjects such as botany, biology and zoology Good at categorizing and cataloging information easily May enjoy camping, gardening, hiking and exploring the outdoors Doesn’t enjoy learning unfamiliar topics that have no connection to nature

2. Musical Intelligence

While other people gravitate towards nature, there are also those who tend to be drawn to the musical arts. These “musical smart” people are usually more sensitive to sounds that most individuals aren’t aware of. The intelligence involved in this ability to recognize tone, rhythm, timbre, and pitch is musical intelligence. With this type of intelligence, people are able to detect, generate, reproduce, and contemplate music as clearly exhibited by attuned listeners, musicians, composers, vocalists, and conductors. You’ll find that young adults with musical intelligence are frequently drumming, singing, or any other activity that demonstrates a melodic inclination. It is also interesting to note that a connection has been shown to exist between emotions and music as well as mathematics and music.

Characteristics of Musical Intelligence

Enjoy singing and playing musical instruments Recognizes musical patterns and tones easily Good at remembering songs and melodies Rich understanding of musical structure, rhythm and notes

3. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

Who can forget that classmate of yours in high school who seemed to know the answer to every mathematical equation your teacher asked?  Who can also fail to remember that peer of yours who could reason his way to winning every argument? They are the perfect embodiment of logical-mathematical intelligence. This type of intelligence equips a person with the ability to calculate and carry out mathematical operations as well as mull over hypotheses and propositions. Those who are “number or reasoning smart” tend to easily recognize relationships and patterns, demonstrate sequential reasoning skills, and generate and use abstract thoughts. When logical intelligence is dominant in young adults, you’ll see them especially attracted to logic puzzles, experiments, strategy games, and arithmetic problems. Later on, you might see these youth going on to become detectives, scientists, and mathematicians.  Logical-mathematical intelligence has been closely linked to fluid intelligence and general intelligence.

Characteristics of Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

Excellent problem-solving skills Enjoys thinking about abstract ideas Likes conducting scientific experiments Good and solving complex computations

4. Existential Intelligence

Even as other people go about their daily lives without devoting much thought to their existence, people with existential intelligence tend to mull over “deep” thoughts. These thoughts may include the why’s and how’s of life and death. While most people just shake these kinds of thoughts away, individuals who are particularly keen to their own existence are drawn to exploring such questions like why are people born, how do they get here, and why do they die. They also have the capacity and sensitivity to tackle thoughts about what lies beyond life and death. Though not much discussion has been done about existential intelligence, it has also been called spiritual or moral intelligence.  Those with high existential intelligence are deeply philosophical.

[Marouane]

5. Interpersonal Intelligence

You might have observed that there are certain persons who have the seemingly unique ability to get along superbly with others. These “people smart” individuals, with the use of their interpersonal intelligence, interact with others in such a way that they are able to understand and communicate well. Interpersonal intelligence makes it possible for a person to effectively communicate through verbal and nonverbal means, to distinguish among others, to sense the temperament and moods of people, and to consider various points of view. You’ll usually find this type of intelligence manifested by politicians, social workers, actors, and teachers. This type of intelligence can also be found in young adults who hold leadership roles.

Characteristics of Interpersonal Intelligence

Good at communicating verbally Skilled nonverbal communicators See situations from different perspectives Create positive relationships with others Good at resolving conflict in groups

6. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

Know how you tend to embarrass yourself with your two left feet and see your best friend practically floating on the dance floor? Well, there’s an explanation for that “injustice.” While clumsy people have the tendency to be awkward in all things physical, “body smart” people possess the capacity to stay graceful and coordinated when using a range of physical skills and manipulating objects. People with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence have an almost perfect sense of timing, and their mind-body coordination is nearly faultless. Even as a number of persons struggle to become well-coordinated, people who possess this type of intelligence usually grow up to become craftspeople, dancers, surgeons, athletes, and other careers involving exceptional mind-body union.

Characteristics of Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

Good at dancing and sports Enjoy creating things with their hands Excellent physical coordination Tends to remember by doing, rather than hearing or seeing

7. Linguistic Intelligence  

Being the intelligence most commonly shared by humans, linguistic intelligence involves the human capacity to think in words and use these to make oneself understood. It is this type of intelligence that allows a person to appoint complex meanings and express these through the use of language. Though this human competence is widely used, it is most evident in the way effective public speakers, novelists, journalists, and poets make use of their meta-linguistic skills. In the early stages of life, linguistic intelligence is exhibited in a person’s enjoyment of crossword puzzles, storytelling, reading, and writing. So the next time you think of these as “geeky” activities, you’ll do a better job of describing them as activities “word smart” people take pleasure in.

Characteristics of Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence

Good at remembering written and spoken information Enjoys reading and writing Good at debating or giving persuasive speeches Able to explain things well Often uses humor when telling stories

8. Intra-Personal Intelligence

People who have the remarkable ability to understand themselves, their thoughts, and their emotions and are capable of using this knowledge to plan their lives possess intra-personal intelligence. While intra-personal intelligence does involve self-appreciation, it also comprises a wider understanding of the human condition. As young adults, “self smart” people possess a deeper awareness of their own

emotions, are self-motivated, and tend to be shy. Examples of people with evident intra-personal intelligence include philosophers, spiritual leaders, writers, and psychologists.

Characteristics of Intrapersonal Intelligence

Good at analyzing their strengths and weaknesses Enjoys analyzing theories and ideas Excellent self-awareness Clearly understands the basis for their own motivations and feelings

9. Spatial Intelligence

The last domain is spatial intelligence, which is defined as the human capacity to consider things in three dimensions. This type of intelligence involves the following core capacities: a dynamic imagination, image manipulation, mental imagery, artistic and graphic skills, and spatial reasoning.  People with spatial intelligence are highly creative.  At a young age, people with high spatial intelligence are deeply entrenched in solving jigsaw puzzles or mazes, or they may be using up their extra time by daydreaming or drawing. Spatial intelligence is demonstrated mainly by “picture smart” people such as architects, sculptors, painters, pilots, and sailors.

Characteristics of Visual-Spatial Intelligence

Enjoys reading and writing Good at putting puzzles together Good at interpreting pictures, graphs and charts Enjoys drawing, painting and the visual arts Recognizes patterns easily

Now that we distinct those types of intelligence, it is time to identify ourselves to one category.

III. IDENTIFY YOURSELF AND USE MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE THEORY:

[Saad]

A TEST: ( see papers given to students) you have 5 min . Be spontaneous .

WE ARE DIFFERENT:

Each human is gifted in a domain .So we have to adapt our behavior and communication to those different types of intelligence in order to maximize the potential of everybody. For example, let's take the concept of learning the continents on earth and show what the learning activity could look like to address the intelligences.

Verbal Linguistic: The child could prepare a report, essay, concept web, teach somebody else about the continents or listen to an audio or video about the continents.

Logical-mathematical intelligence: The child could rank the continents by size and name and or population, would analyze why there may be six or seven continents, would design a quiz or game about the continents, or could compare each of the continents using a specific rationale.

Spatial intelligence: The child could create a mural, poster or drawing. The child could make a diagram or fill in a graphic organizer or story board.

Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence: The child could construct a model of each of the continents, role play a skit about the continents, play guess the continent by drawing in the air the outline of the continent, or make a paper mache of each of the continents.

[Marouane]

Interpersonal intelligence: This student could work in pairs or triads to discover and learn about the continents, could discuss and brainstorm with peers, could survey individuals to gather information or do a group project related to the continents.

Intrapersonal intelligence: The student could work alone on a report, narrative, diagram or journal and consider the various reasons as to why there may be 6 or 7 continents.

Naturalist intelligence: Studying about land is a naturalist's strength. The student could conduct their own research about the continents and make discoveries and comparisons between the continents and his/her own continent. The student could

classify the continents based on specific criteria, find out about the habitat and wildlife throughout the continents.

[Saad]

CONCLUSION:

To sum up, according to this presentation the word skill is the most appropriate to define INTELLIGENCE .So everyone is intelligent at his way: natural skill is not enough and have to be strengthen with hard work.

Moreover there is no superior form of intelligence .

Thus, even if you are not gifted, you have to develop all those aspects of intelligence through hard work to keep balance. We all agree that the real form of intelligence is “WILL POWER”.