ABSTRACT
The models of learning presented in Part II identified ‘intellectual skills’ as one of the characteristics which would affect students’ approaches to learning. In this chapter we examine ideas on how best to classify those intellectual skills which might be relevant to the academic tasks facing pupils or students. But is it even necessary to talk about separate skills? Surely many of the differences in the speed and efficiency of pupils’ learning can be explained by the single term ‘intelligence’. Although this term has been vigorously attacked by some educational theorists, it is still perhaps the most commonly used in everyday life to describe individual differences. Stop and Think
What does the term ‘intelligence’ mean to you?
Does it imply a single quality or a summary of several different ones?
How would you decide whether someone was ‘intelligent’ or not?
Use your own experience to think these questions through carefully before reading on. They raise important issues.
