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What is your definition of intelligence in relation to your career area?
I was happy to read the part about the Harvard study by Howard Gardner and that he included a "Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence." As an automotive instructor I've always thought some people have this intelligence, which I always referred to as "mechanical inclination" and some are not particularly adept in this area. Students who possess this intelligence, as well as "Spatial Intelligence" will excel as automobile technicians because there are a lot of confined spaces in an automobile where you are required to operate tools and install fasteners. I've seen many students struggle to remember which direction to rotate a bolt to loosen or tighten it, while others have the ability to reach into tight places at awkward angles and still start bolts by feel, without being able to see the work and without cross threading it. These two intelligences together are particularly important to mastering working on automobiles, especially in this era where automakers are making cars smaller with less space to work.
Intelligence is serving the students attending my class, is teaching them how to be successful on their own, is giving them the tools to support their training, is stimulating their interest fo grow beyond the education they receive at school.
Hudson,
Thank you for these excellent remarks about the need to bring the human factor along with critical thinking into the application phase of student training. As you mention having technical knowledge is of little knowledge is students do not know how to apply such knowledge in a way that meets the needs of patients.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Section three of this module discussed taking theoretical knowledge and applying it in a practical way.
In the world of nursing, that skill is everything.
What I often see as a clinical instructor is that many students are able to pass exams in the classroom and essentially memorize what they need to know in order to be successful. However, when you bring some of these students into the clinical setting and ask them to apply what they've learned in real time with a real patient, they struggle to bridge that gap.
For me, the ability to seamlessly marry theoretical knowledge and practical skill is a unique form of intelligence. If you pair that with solid critical thinking, it goes a long way to creating a safe and competent nurse.
we have knowledge,skills,and years of experience in our field "intelligence".Since common sense is no longer a factory option in todays generations we have to try to find ways of tricking them into thinking.we as instructors can relay information,only when we get a student to reach into the archives of the human animal for that "common sense" to asses a situation and find a solution to the problem at hand will they begin to build their proffesional "intelligence".when a student has a "eureka" moment and solves the puzzle at hand it's building their self confidence and skills along with their "intelligence"
The ability to reason, diagnose and classify psychological issues correctly and adapt to the environment, based on cultural norms.
Emotional intelligence is important due to the fact that self-management within any career choice is essential. Individuals with well-rounded emotional intelligence tend to have healthy and successful relationships (Personal and Professional).
Ms. T. Keith
Lisa,
Great definition of intelligence and your inclusion of emotional intelligence is good as well because I believe that it is a critical part of the processing effort when one uses intelligence. It is not how smart you are but how you are smart that makes the difference in being successful in life.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The key word in Waynes comment was "experiance".
Most of the student we have don't have the experiance which make it tough for them to use critical thinking or common sense, once they learn the theory that is when they really start excersising thier intelligence.
I would define intelligence in relation to my career as a working knowledge of the theories of law by being able to effectively communicate with clients to determine what information is needed for a case and then be to determine what documents would be needed. To be able to make this determination one needs to be able to think critically by processing the information that they receive from a client and taking that information to complete the necessary paperwork. I would also say that intelligence in my profession includes emotional intelligence because one needs to be separate themselves from the situation emotionally and not allow themselves to be drawn in to the situation which would in turn affect their ability to make good decisions and judgments.
Tom,
Two key elements of needed to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. They need to be able to see the sequence of ideas and solutions in a way that will enable them to visualize the end results when they propose a solution.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
one who has mastered there craft and also has business accumen as well.Must be constantly learning to keep relevent in our profession
Ellen,
Yes, it is. You can contact me via my email address at MaxKnowledge and I will be glad to share additional information with you.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ellen,
Again thank you for these comments about intelligence. There are some many different forms of intelligence and we as instructors need to help our students to identify and then refine what these intelligences are. I have been researching for the past 30 years ways of assessing intelligence other than through IQ testing. I have developed an assessment called the Talent Key which identifies the three dominant intelligences of the different intelligences that Howard Gardner is found in his research. Helps my students to see how they process information and how they can expand their use of their intelligences to become problem solvers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Intelligence is a critical concept in health care. I believe intelligence means not only having knowledge in your specific discipline, but also practical sense in working with others and the ability to get the job done while still working on the human aspect of patient care. I think it is essential to teach our students to not know only their field, but also be able to engage in collaboration with other fields. Articulating your purpose in health care is also a form of intelligence as we educate patients and other personnel.
Agreed. Simplying knowing information has no bearing on one's ability to apply it to real world situations and decision making.
Ronnie,
Yes, they do. When they are challenged to think critically and then find that they can actually solve problems their confidence grows and expands their potential as being quality workers. They need to see this growth as a part of their educational and career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.