Testing for intelligence?






I clearly remember a conversation I had with my mother regarding my son’s choice in taking drama classes for his elective class during middle school. My mother highlighted the fact that my son was diagnosed as a gifted and talented,(Gate) student by the age of eight years old. She stressed that he should focus on math, science, or computers so he can excel in life. As much as I considered my mom a great resource for advice and support, I encouraged my son to follow his talent of heart and enroll in drama classes.

According to, Berger, K. S, (2018), children initially have multiple intelligences, Berger, K. S, (2018). For instance, some children are musical, some are artistic, and some children have exceptional communication skills. Gardner described nine kinds of intelligence, Berger, K. S, (2018), and I believe that children should be viewed in a holistic manner, and their screening should be accordingly Berger, K. S, (2018. For instance, at school, there should be offered various ways to measure the children’s knowledge and not just by offering written standardized tests. An assignment could be made by creating a piece of art, planning a game or debate or any other way that will portray the child’s talent and strength.in addition, According to, Berger, K. S, (2018), the sociocultural, Berger, K. S, (2018), has a direct effect on the children’s strength and talents, and assessing children only by the standardizing tests, will not portray the accurate knowledge and IQ of a child, in an accurate manner.




I checked for the way children are assessed in Israel. According to, Get Help Israel,(n.d), the tests that are offered to elementary school children are varied. They are mainly based on standardized tests that check the children’s cognitive and psychological abilities and challenges, Get Help Israel,(n.d). In addition, in order to have an in-depth and holistic opportunity to learn more about the children, parents, and teachers fills an assessment of the child as well. Although the additional information that parents and teachers add to the whole view of the children’s competencies, I believe that standardized tests are not designed for all children and do not have the ability to portray the many talents children have.

In a final note, I will add that my son graduated high school majoring in Drama and Tech-lab. I believe that these classes and educational path he took, contributed to his self-esteem, self-growth, and confidence. I have no doubt, that choosing the predictable path that was apparently the one that most of the mainstream children would have chosen, would have shown a completely different outcome. Follow your children’s dreams and support their strengths. There is more than one way to portray intelligence.




References:

Berger, K, S, (2018). The developing person through childhood (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Get Help Israel, A brief guide to school assessment in Israel

Retrieved from:

https://member.gethelpisrael.com/guide-school-assessment-israel/



Comments

  1. Jessica StallingsApril 12, 2020 at 4:01 PM

    Hi! I also have a gifted daughter and I applaud you in letting your son pursue something he is interested in. My daughter loves softball and has played since she was 6 years old. I think it is important to raise well-rounded kids who have multiple interests. Often smart kids get pigeon holed in only academic endeavors especially when it comes to schools. We, as parents, need to encourage them to find all the areas that interest them.

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  2. Coloring, Reading & DaydreamingApril 26, 2020 at 11:27 AM

    Great post! I agree with you in the idea of creating assignments, etc. that are created in the best interest of the child and will showcase their strengths. As an educator, I believe it is our duty to teach the necessary content, but in a way to ensure the students will learn best. I agree that standardized tests aren't the best for all students, and with so many learning styles, they aren't portraying information appropriately. Thanks for your hard work on this!
    Lea Ann

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