WEEK 6 Testing For Intelligence

"According to the American Psychological Association, intelligence describes a person's ability to understand complex ideas, to adapt to the environment, to learn from experience, and to engage in reasoning and decision-making in all sorts of situations ( both new and familiar)" (Oswalt, 2010, p.1). Children are learning how to do these things from birth. I was recently talking to my daughter's teacher and she was telling me about her oldest son. He struggles with reasoning skills and being able to adapt when it requires him. He does not have the back ground in how to problem solve. His brothers and sisters all have the ability to accomplish these skills. So what makes him different? His mother contributes it to being in the public school system versus home school. All of his siblings were home schooled from an early age. He chose to stay in the public school system.  So, is intelligence an environmental issue as well. My children are very smart and I wish I could say that I am bragging but it goes beyond that. My 9 year old is 1 year ahead in school and all my children can problem solve very well. I have tried to raise them to understand the world they live in, they are allowed to explore the world. So back to the question what is the point of intelligence testing?

As a child is growing and developing we have charts that we compare their height and weight to an average child. There is room to move on the scale and the doctors like to keep a good tab on the growth of each child just in-case there is developmental issues. So why do we not do this with cognitive ability. I do believe how ever that the word intelligence is the wrong would to use because all of us are individuals.  my daughter's school has placement test at the beginning and end of school to measure the progress of each child. They use the beginning of school test to place them in the correct class. We have many 8th grades in 3rd or 4th grade grammar as just and example it does not matter your age but the learning environment is about ability. In the early 1900's Alferd Binet used intelligence tests to help the French educators from discriminating against special needs children. He realized that you have to take in account a child's age because then your data would be wrong. You have to consider age because a child's ability and capabilities expand over time. Leis Terman revised Binet's scale in 1916 and it is now what we call "IQ" (intelligence quotient). The IQ is based on a mathematical comparison of a child's age and mental age. So, it has evolved from just understand a child's learning level to mathematical comparison. I understand why Binet originally started the testing and it makes sense but I think it has gotten off course from helping understand a child to saying if you do not reach this score you are not smart.

Another topic about intelligence is emotional intelligent. Children have so many things going on in their lives that they do not always understand how to deal with their emotions. Raising and emotional intelligent child is very important.  Parents want a child to be complaint and obedient but they do not always understand why a child is misbehaving. Learning to be an emotionally-coaching parent can help your child have more general abilities in the area of their emotions (Gottman, 1997). Emotion coaching also helps parents maintain a close personal relationship with your child as the grow and mature. "The key to successful parenting is not found in complex theories, elaborate family rules, or convoluted formulas for behavior. It is based on your deepest feelings of love and affection for your child, and is demonstrated simply through empathy and understanding" (Gottman, 1997, p. 18). Good parenting begins with your heart and continues with listens and moment to moment working through a child's emotions. You have to listen and help a child work through emotional ups and downs not just ignore them. You need to understand your child and why they are having feelings.

"People in Western cultures, he suggests, tend to view intelligence as a means for individuals to devise categories and to engage in rational debate, while people in Eastern cultures see it as a way for members of a community to recognize contradiction and complexity and to play their social roles successfully" (Benson, 2003, p.1).  Some communities that have not yet been influenced by western schools do not distinction between social competence and intelligence. It has also been found that no matter what the problem is if it is in a familiar context whether in an industrialized country or non-industrialized country then that person can solve the issue. Many cultures that have not been exposed to western school measure intelligence differently and are concerned about other skills and abilities.
My believe is that intelligence testing should be used in a positive way to help understand a child as a whole and to help them succeed in society. Culture is a big part of understand intelligence and that needs to be factored in the test itself. I believe that children in Western society should be tested only to understand them and not as a measuring device to compare them. Parents need to understand the true intelligence of their child.


References
Benson E. (2003) Intelligence across cultures. Retrieved on October 4, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/intelligence.aspx

Gottman, J (1997) Raising an emotionally intelligent child.New York, NY, Simon & Schuster Paperback

Oswalt, A. (2010) Intelligence: the measurement of cognitive capabilities. Retrieved on October 4, 2015, Retrieved from www.mentalhelp.net/articles/intelligence-the-measurement-of-cognitive-capabilities/s.