Ability Grouping in School Essay Example
Have you ever been put into a group labeling you academically fit or not, solely based off of a test? Well when I was in elementary they would split our classes up by color groups such as blue, green, orange and yellow, Now you might be wondering what this means well it simply means that the kids in the blue group were the highest and most advanced, the kids in the green were advanced but not enough to be in the blue group, the kids in the orange group were proficient but struggled in certain areas, and finally the kids in the yellow group were the “slow learners” and least academically fit in the grade. I know this seems like a lot of labeling kids on a tier from most intelligent to least, but the most surprising part is we were only in the fourth grade. But now we are in highschool and I have classes with the kids that were labeled such things as “slow learners” and “least proficient”. Does this mean that I am now labeled a “slow learner” or “least proficient”? Or does it mean that this grouping solely based on numbers on a test actually meant nothing and had zero effect on how well or how much we would learn? Is it possible that the reason we were labeled at a certain intelligence was because the IQ test we took didn’t measure all the different ways intelligence can be shown? The Ideal and most proficient IQ test should be assessed over skills such as dedication and a person's ability to grow.
Dedication is a quality that has a major effect on a person's success but IQ tests do not address. In Malcolm Gladwell's text “Outliers” his studies show that the thing that sets students who are “stars” and students who are “merely good” was the hard work and dedication eachstudent put towards practicing the violin. By the age of 20 the “stars” had a total practice time of 10,000 hours and the “merely good” students had a total of 8,000 hours. One of the most surprising factors of this study was that they couldn’t find any naturals, or people who made the category of “stars” without putting in the hard work of 10,000 hour practice time as their peers did. Neither did they find anyone that did put in the 10,000 hour practice time but just didn’t make it to the “star” category. The study “The 10,000-Hour Rule” proves Gladwell's claim that “Achievement is talent plus preparation. The problem with this view is that the closer psychologist looks at the careers of the gifted, the smaller the role innate talent seems to play and the bigger the role preparation seems to play”.
Another quality that has a major effect on a person's success but IQ tests do not cover is a person's ability to grow. In Carol S. In Dweck's text “The secret to raising smart kids” she talks about how a growth mindset is a crucial part of one's success. 35-plus years of scientific investigations show that overemphasis on talent leads people to be vulnerable to failure, and fearful of challenges that could be the breaking point of their success. Dweck states “Our studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mind-set”, which encourages a focus on “progress” (consisting of personal effort and effective strategies) rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life”. After many schools and teachers started to implement a growth mindset they began to see improved scores in Math and English but they also saw an increase in their students being more engaged and willing to overcome challenges of learning.
In the article “The Origin of Intelligence” the author argues that IQ tests are not solely focused on certain topics, and that many include a wide variety of tests that when the scores are added up that gives you your IQ score. This article had some valid points such as yes they serve apurpose, and no not all IQ tests are the same but, many people think that intelligence is based on certain standards in an IQ test. However, this claim in invalid because many studies and data have shown that there are many different types of standards such as dedication and a person's ability to grow that an IQ test should test for. Limiting the variety of standards on an IQ test will only have a negative effect on growing children and adults. In Carol S. Dweks passage it states “Children hold such an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed, making striving to learn seem far less important than being or looking smart. This belief also makes them see challenges, mistakes, and even need to exert effort as threats to their ego rather than as opportunities to improve. It also causes them to lose confidence and motivation when the work is no longer easy for them.” This just shows the limits and restraints that Iq tests are putting on a person's potential to reach their highest degree of success.
Current intelligence tests measure the skills needed to pass high school and get a job, but they don’t measure every quality that a successful person has. Many successful and creative people don’t do well on standard IQ tests because they have a growth mindset, are dedicated , and are willing to overcome challenges that are blocking their road to success. Seeing the determination, hard work, and growth mindset my peers have isn’t something that a standard IQ test scores. But when an IQ test scores these qualities, it will show their true potential and their true intelligence.
