A Multidimensional Approach
Education and intelligence are two subjects, when combined, creates many issues, much controversy, which motivates research. Over the past century, the dynamics of the issues concerning intelligence, intelligence testing and education have changed drastically. The relationship between intelligence theory, testing and education has proceeded to become a highly sophisticated multidimensional approach emphasizing the explanation of differences in cognitive functioning and treatment of learning disabilities. The technical, more advanced multidimensional approach to intelligence provides school psychologists, as well as teachers, with useful information necessary for a more optimistic future in education. The transformation of theory, testing and educational practice and policy is a product of an outdated conceptualization of intelligence. Old conceptualizations were limited to a unidimensional approach, focusing on predictions of academic success, paying no attention to explanation or treatment. This view challenges the traditional methods of teaching and assessing students because, traditionally, all students are taught and assessed the same way.
Today in the United States a free and appropriate education is available to everyone under the age of 21. “Only recently – indeed, only in the past century – have societies advanced the notion that every individual in a community should be educated” (Gardner, Kornhaber & Wake 1996). Furthermore each state has set mandates specifying what is appropriate by outlining requirements and standards each student is expected to obtain. For those students who are at risk of failure or students who are suspected of a learning disability are required by the ...
... middle of paper ...
...996). Intelligence Multiple Perspectives. Philadelphia: Harcout Brace College Publisher.
Heller, K. A., Holtzman, W. H., & Messick, S. (Eds). (1982). Placing children in special education: A strategy for equity. Washington, DC: National Academy press.
Heward, W.L., (1996). Exceptional Children An Introduction to Special Education Fifth Edition. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill.
Kranzler, J.H., (1997). Educational and Policy Issues Related to the Use and Interpretation of Intelligence Test in the Schools. School Psychology Review, 26, 150-162.
Reschly, D. J., (1997). Utility of Individual Ability Measures and Public Policy Choices for the 21ST Century. School Psychology Review, 26, 234-241.
Sadker, D.M., Sadker, M.P., (1997). Teachers, Schools, and Society Fouth Edition. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.
http://www.ips.k12.in.us/mskey/
The study required that participants must be given IQ tests, and also that they be observed in a classroom setting while interventions were put in place. Thus the adminsitratiors were able to draw results both from IQ scores and actual classroom preformance.
Hehir, T. (2009). New directions in special education: Eliminating ableism in policy and practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
The Bell Curve is a book originally published in 1994. It was written by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray to explain the variations of intelligence in American Society. They accomplished this by using statistical analysis, for the purpose of raising warnings regarding the consequences of the intelligence gap. This was also made to propose a national social policy with the goal of mitigating bad consequences that have been attributed to this intelligence gap. Much of the information is widely considered controversial. An example of this is the low African-American scores compared to whites and Asians, and genetic factors in intelligence abilities. The introduction of the book starts with a brief history of intelligence theory and recent developments in intelligence thought and testing. The author creates six assumptions that has to do with the validity of the “classical” cognitive testing techniques.
A longstanding national issue that continues to concern the public is the disproportionate representation of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in special education. The fact is that the proportion of minority students in the population of school-age children has risen dramatically to over 35%, which is increasing the diversity of students in many public schools throughout the nation. This makes the phenomenon of disproportionality especially troubling. With a growing population of minority children comprising a greater percentage of public school students, we must be responsive to the growing needs of an increasingly diverse society. The overrepresentation of minority students in special education has been posed as an issue for more than 3 decades, but it is worth asking whether the efforts of legislative actions, educational reforms and legal challenges have really made improvements to this issue. More importantly, disproportionality should be examined as a correlation to underlying conditions that can pose a great effect upon not only the quality of a child’s education, but also ______.
Intelligence tests have been developed by scientists as a tool to categorize army recruits or analyze school children. But still discussing what intelligence is, academics have a difficult time defining what intelligence tests should measure. According to the American researcher Thorndike, intelligence is only that what intelligence tests claim it is (Comer, Gould, & Furnham, 2013). Thus, depending on what is being researched in the test and depending on the scientist’s definition of intelligence the meaning of the word intelligence may vary a lot. This essay will discuss what intelligence is in order to be able to understand the intelligence theories and aims of intelligence tests.
Ormsbee, C. (2001). "Ending Discrimination in Special Education/Achieving Educational Equity (Book Review)." Intervention in School & Clinic; Sep2001, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p48.
Harry, Beth (1994, August 1). The Disproportionate Representation of Minority Students in Special Education: Theories and Recommendations. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov:80/PDFS/ED-374637.pdf.
...osh, D.E., Dixon, F. Newton, J.H., & Youman, E. (2010). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition, With A High-Achieving Sample. Psychology in Schools, 47(10), 1071-1083.
Overall it is evident that standardized testing has affected the education in the United States negatively. The main flaw is that policymakers made standardized testing the center of our education system, which intern led to vast changes in curriculum where educators were forced to teach to test rather than teaching materials that fosters creativity, and enhances knowledge. Howard Gardner, famous for his work on multiple intelligences, stated he was unconcerned that American children were ranked last among the major industrial nations in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. He reported that tests measure exposure to facts and skills not whether or not kids can think (Ritter 5).
Mazurek, K. & Winzer, M.A. (Eds.). (1994). Comparative Studies in Special Education. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
This is an essay about the different theories of intelligence; it will discuss which theory is best at determining intelligence in my opinion. The information provided will help describe the pros and cons of each of the theories being used to define intelligence, explain why is it important to assess children’s intelligence, and discuss the type of intelligence I possess. The different theories of intelligence are complex and understanding the elements of each can help an individual choose the one that they believe is the best for determining intelligence. Comparing the positive and the negative elements of each theory of intelligence will allow an individual to see both sides of the theory and the flaws that may be twisted
The study of IQ and how it operates in the education field has been argued through various theories. Theorist such as Howard Garner, R...
Sadker, D.M., Sadker, M.P., and Zittleman, K.R.,(2008) Teachers, Students, and Society (8th ed.).New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Heward, W. L. (2013). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Turnbull, R., Turnbull, A., Shank, M., Smith, S.J. (2004). Exceptional Lives: Special Education in Today's Schools. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.