I am not an educational psychologist, just an ordinary class teacher who is trying to do his job. I have tried to read quite a few reports by Educational Psychologists and I regret to say that, unless you happen to be an Educational Psychologist, they are rather difficult to understand. Of course it is true that teachers also tend to use a lot of educational jargon, but most reports from Ed Psychs are almost unintelligible. It has to be admitted that the recommendations at the end of most reports are usually written in simpler language, but often the conclusions reached are so blindingly obvious that one wonders what all the fuss was about.
I did not give my class some work on converting currencies because I thought that it was an IQ test; it was simply part of the Numeracy scheme we use at my present school, The British School of Bucharest. (If you really want to know, it is in Book 5 of the New Heinemann Maths scheme.)
What, if anything, do IQ tests tell us? Well, perhaps they can show a student’s potential, in some areas, but there are so many other factors that affect a student’s ability to make progress, whether it is in Art, Algebra or Ancient Greek. Memory, concentration, and motivation also affect a student’s performance and let’s not forget the importance of a proper diet (it always amazes me that children eat so little for breakfast, if indeed they eat anything at all) and then there’s that dear old favourite: a good night’s sleep.
I have been a teacher for more than twenty years, both in the U.K. and in several international schools. On the whole, I have to say that IQ tests do not mean much and they certainly do not take into account the possibility that “intelligence” is not one thing, but many. Let me explain. I think that we can agree that Einstein, David Beckham, Jesus, Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Mozart and Napoleon probably were (or are) “intelligent”, but it is pretty obvious that they were “intelligent” in very different ways. The probability that “intelligence” may exist in many different forms seems to undermine the value of IQ tests, since it is most unlikely that one type of written test will accurately assess such diversity.
Well, what does this mean for teachers and parents? It ought to mean that schools should present students with a stimulating and varied curriculum, so that as many children as possible will have the opportunity to excel and to discover new talents. It also should mean that parents ought to be less concerned about IQ tests and much more interested in what their children are actually doing, both in the classroom and out of it.
Dear Mis-Cat, I am sorry that your memories of your school days are not happy ones, but it does not have to be that way. Recently, my present school, The British School of Bucharest, decided to experiment with something we called “The BSB University”. Parents, teachers’ assistants and teachers all thought up a “course” for the children: magazine publishing, mural painting, bread making, gardening, yoga, rocket science… The list was very varied! The children then had to choose a “course” that they wanted to do and write a letter of application, explaining why they should be accepted onto the course and what they thought they would learn. Isn't this the kind of thing that makes learning fun for children, whatever their IQ?
Dear Mis-Cat,
I am not an educational psychologist, just an ordinary class teacher who is trying to do his job. I have tried to read quite a few reports by Educational Psychologists and I regret to say that, unless you happen to be an Educational Psychologist, they are rather difficult to understand. Of course it is true that teachers also tend to use a lot of educational jargon, but most reports from Ed Psychs are almost unintelligible. It has to be admitted that the recommendations at the end of most reports are usually written in simpler language, but often the conclusions reached are so blindingly obvious that one wonders what all the fuss was about.
I did not give my class some work on converting currencies because I thought that it was an IQ test; it was simply part of the Numeracy scheme we use at my present school, The British School of Bucharest. (If you really want to know, it is in Book 5 of the New Heinemann Maths scheme.)
What, if anything, do IQ tests tell us? Well, perhaps they can show a student’s potential, in some areas, but there are so many other factors that affect a student’s ability to make progress, whether it is in Art, Algebra or Ancient Greek. Memory, concentration, and motivation also affect a student’s performance and let’s not forget the importance of a proper diet (it always amazes me that children eat so little for breakfast, if indeed they eat anything at all) and then there’s that dear old favourite: a good night’s sleep.
I have been a teacher for more than twenty years, both in the U.K. and in several international schools. On the whole, I have to say that IQ tests do not mean much and they certainly do not take into account the possibility that “intelligence” is not one thing, but many. Let me explain. I think that we can agree that Einstein, David Beckham, Jesus, Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Mozart and Napoleon probably were (or are) “intelligent”, but it is pretty obvious that they were “intelligent” in very different ways. The probability that “intelligence” may exist in many different forms seems to undermine the value of IQ tests, since it is most unlikely that one type of written test will accurately assess such diversity.
Well, what does this mean for teachers and parents? It ought to mean that schools should present students with a stimulating and varied curriculum, so that as many children as possible will have the opportunity to excel and to discover new talents. It also should mean that parents ought to be less concerned about IQ tests and much more interested in what their children are actually doing, both in the classroom and out of it.
Dear Mis-Cat, I am sorry that your memories of your school days are not happy ones, but it does not have to be that way. Recently, my present school, The British School of Bucharest, decided to experiment with something we called “The BSB University”. Parents, teachers’ assistants and teachers all thought up a “course” for the children: magazine publishing, mural painting, bread making, gardening, yoga, rocket science… The list was very varied! The children then had to choose a “course” that they wanted to do and write a letter of application, explaining why they should be accepted onto the course and what they thought they would learn. Isn't this the kind of thing that makes learning fun for children, whatever their IQ?