There isn’t a The Student Success Project presentation where I don’t get asked what constitutes success. But at this last presentation a dad asked – “if you can bring out success, can you bring out genius?”
Can every student be a genius? If you subscribe to the popular belief that intelligence is an accident of genetics or fate, fixed at birth, the answer is a resounding no. But contemporary scientific research suggests that intelligence is changeable through time—and even believing you can be smart makes you smarter.
A tough question, since some kids even at a young age are book smart while others are street smart. Some build towering block skyscrapers while others paint word pictures in poetry and prose. Some win the school election while others know just what to say to make you feel better.
The word genius, as used in academic scholarship, refers to that “high level of intelligence as measured by standardized tests designed for that purpose.” In this regard, there really is no difference between the two except that genius merely refers to that high degree of quality known as intelligence.
And to put this out there – intelligence is a relative word with nine known types. All students fit in at least one and maybe more.
The 9 Types of Intelligence (alphabetical order)
1. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Bodily kinesthetic intelligence is the capacity to manipulate objects and use a variety of physical skills. Athletes, dancers, surgeons, and crafts people exhibit well-developed bodily kinesthetic intelligence.
2. Existential Intelligence
Sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, why we die, and how did we get here.
3. Interpersonal Intelligence
Teachers, social workers, actors, and politicians all exhibit interpersonal intelligence. Students with this kind of intelligence are leaders among their peers, are good at communicating, and seem to understand others’ feelings and motives.
4. Intra-personal Intelligence
Intra-personal intelligence is the capacity to understand oneself and one’s thoughts and feelings, and to use such knowledge in planning and directioning one’s life. It is evident in psychologist, spiritual leaders, and philosophers. These students may be shy. They are very aware of their own feelings and are self-motivated.
5. Linguistic Intelligence
Linguistic intelligence is the ability to think in words and to use language to express and appreciate complex meanings. Young adults with this kind of intelligence enjoy writing, public speaking, reading, telling stories or doing crossword puzzles.
6. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Students with lots of logical intelligence are interested in patterns, categories, and relationships. They are drawn to arithmetic problems, strategy games and experiments.
7. Musical Intelligence
Musical intelligence is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. Musical intelligence enables us kids to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as demonstrated by composers, conductors, musicians, vocalist, and sensitive listeners. Students with this kind of intelligence are usually singing or drumming to themselves. They are usually quite aware of sounds others may miss.
8. Naturalist Intelligence
Naturalist intelligence designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations).
9. Spatial Intelligence
Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in three dimensions. Students with this kind of intelligence may be fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing or daydreaming.
But as I have said time and time again – a better indicator of future life success than an IQ, SAT, ACT, GPA score is a student with a smile on their face, a sense of self-confidence, self reliance and self sufficiency.
(Thanks to XQ for getting me to really think on this one!)
This column is by Ritchie Lucas, Founder of The Student Success Project and Think Factory Marketing. He can be reached at 305-788-4105 or via email at ritchie@thinkfactory.com and on Facebook and You Tube as The Student Success Project.
