[Yr7-10it] Multiple intelligences - any evidence ???

Wed Jan 16 22:50:25 EST 2008

Tony mentioned the Flynn effect

IQ question:
What do dogs and rabbits have in common?

Great grand parents: dogs eat rabbits
A child today: they are both mammals

There is a general trend due to richer overall environment to think  more
abstractly, which equals a higher IQ

Even junk media like TV offers far more complex story lines than in the past

I take the above example from a recent audio on the Flynn effect in response
to James Watson's (co-discoverer of DNA structure) racist comments
http://www.newyorker.com/online/2007/12/17/071217on_audio_gladwell

-- 
Bill Kerr
http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/

On Jan 14, 2008 7:47 AM, Tony Forster <forster at ozonline.com.au> wrote:

>  more info to muddy the waters:
>
> The *Flynn effect* is the rise of average Intelligence Quotient<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_Quotient>(IQ) test scores, an effect seen in most parts of the world, although at
> greatly varying rates. It is named after James R. Flynn<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Flynn>,
> who did much to document it and promote awareness of its implications. This
> increase has been continuous and roughly linear from the earliest days of
> testing to the present. "
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> *From:* Kevork Krozian <kevork at edulists.com.au>
> *To:* Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List<yr7-10it at edulists.com.au>
> *Sent:* Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:33 PM
> *Subject:* [Yr7-10it] Multiple intelligences - any evidence ???
>
> Hi Folks,
>
>   Nothing like stirring the pot to start a good chin wag.
>
> Just finished watching "Brain Power" or similarly titled documentary on
> SBS ( Sunday 8:30 pm 13/1/08 ) where several very successful people (
> fighter pilot, quantum physicist, artist, chess grandmaster, music child
> prodigy etc ) were tested for intelligence.
>
>  One comment caught my attention from an expert : " There is little
> evidence to support the theory of multiple intelligences --  (1)
> linguistic intelligence; (2) musical intelligence; (3) logical- mathematical
> intelligence; (4) spatial intelligence; (5) bodily- kinesthetic
> intelligence; (6) interpersonal intelligence; and (7) intra- personal
> intelligence) as proposed by Howard Gardner --  after which I did a quick
> search on the subject.
>
> I discovered the following link as the first hit basically supporting this
> position of lack of evidence of multiple intelligences which leads me to ask
> if we are just tinkering with a fad.
>
>  http://nswagtc.org.au/info/articles/McGuinessMultIntellig.html
>
> Questions:
>
> 1.What do people think about the lack of evidence for multiple
> intelligences ?
> 2. The same site claims talent is rewarded much more highly than
> intelligence. Wow !!  Should we be focussing more on devloping talent in
> that case instead of intelligence if we are there to assist our students
> with maximising their rewards in society ??
> 3.Do we believe intelligence can indeed be improved which would mean with
> enough practice you can eventually qualify for Mensa ?? An
> exaggeration simply made to highlight a point.
> 4. Does learning a set of skills or to apply it to a new situation promote
> increasing intelligence ? Are students being "trained" as per VET type
> subjects, or are they there to "learn" a body of knowledge/set of skills ?
> What exactly is learning in that case ?
> 5. Does the ability to apply knowledge to a new situation mean you are
> more intelligent than someone who is not able to do so ?
> 6. Does successful learning and if that is tied to increasing one's
> intelligence become redefined as society changes and new learning tools are
> introduced ? If so, why are intelligence tests unchanged over the last 100
> years ?
>
> One other conclusion from the documentary was that people who were given
> the intelligence test at age 11 and again at age 79 tended to do better on
> the whole at age 79 than at 11. What does that mean ?  Why does your
> intelligence necessarily increase with age ?
>
> Another was a brain scan of the highest IQ score holder amongst the group
> tested in the documentary. This fellow had an IQ of 162 which I think was 1
> in a million yet he had a smaller brain. This was described as an efficient
> sports car vs a larger sedan - less bulk needed due to higher quality
> engine.
>
>  Lots of issues here, but would be interested in people's perspective on
> the subject(s).
>
> Best Wishes
>
> Kevork Krozian
> Edulists Creator and Administrator
> www.edulists.com.au
> kevork at edulists.com.au
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
> Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
> and
> http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers
> Association Inc
>
> _____________________________________________________
> This mail has been virus scanned by Australia On Line
> see http://www.australiaonline.net.au/mailscanning
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.2/1221 - Release Date:
> 12/01/2008 2:04 PM
>
> _______________________________________________
>  http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
> Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
>  http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
> Authority and
>  http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers
> Association Inc
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.edulists.com.au/pipermail/yr7-10it/attachments/20080116/0ab90817/attachment.html