Pariksha SaathiLesson 7 of 10 · Child Development and Pedagogy
Intelligence, Creativity and Individual Differences: IQ, Gardner, Sternberg and Diversity
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Individual differences
No two children are alike. They differ in physical traits, intelligence, aptitude, creativity, interests, attitudes, personality, learning style, pace of learning, language, socio-economic and cultural background, and in abilities and disabilities. These differences arise from the interaction of heredity and environment. The CTET syllabus asks teachers to understand individual differences among learners, including diversity of language, caste, gender, community and religion, and to treat that diversity as a resource. A single lecture pitched at an imaginary 'average' child fails many real children, so the teacher must plan for variety.
Measuring intelligence and IQ
Alfred Binet, with Theodore Simon, produced the first practical intelligence test in France in 1905 to identify children who needed special help in school, and introduced the idea of mental age - the level of performance typical of a given age. William Stern (1912) proposed the intelligence quotient as mental age divided by chronological age, and Lewis Terman of Stanford University, in the Stanford-Binet scale (1916), multiplied it by 100: IQ = (MA / CA) x 100. A child of 10 with a mental age of 10 has an IQ of 100; with a mental age of 8 her IQ is 80; with a mental age of 12 it is 120. Because mental age stops rising in adulthood, David Wechsler introduced the deviation IQ, which compares a person with others of the same age on a scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. On Wechsler's classification, 90-109 is average and 130 or above very superior, while a score below 70 together with difficulty in everyday adaptive skills indicates intellectual disability. IQ tests are culturally loaded and measure only part of ability, so they must never be used to label a child.
Gardner's multiple intelligences
Howard Gardner of Harvard, in Frames of Mind (1983), rejected a single general intelligence and proposed several relatively independent intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal (understanding others) and intrapersonal (understanding oneself). He added the naturalist intelligence in the 1990s, making eight, and has discussed existential intelligence as a possible ninth. Each child has a unique profile of strengths. A teacher can open the same topic through several doors - a story, a number pattern, a map or diagram, a song, a role play, a group task, a reflective journal or a nature walk - and let children show their learning in different ways.
Other theories of intelligence
Robert Sternberg's triarchic theory (1985) has three parts: analytical or componential intelligence, used in academic problem-solving; creative or experiential intelligence, used in dealing with new situations; and practical or contextual intelligence, the 'street smartness' used in adapting to everyday life. Charles Spearman's two-factor theory (g and s), Louis Thurstone's primary mental abilities, J. P. Guilford's structure of intellect and Raymond Cattell's fluid and crystallised intelligence are also asked. Emotional intelligence, the ability to perceive, understand and manage one's own and others' emotions, was proposed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer (1990) and popularised by Daniel Goleman's 1995 book, which named five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.
Creativity and divergent thinking
Guilford distinguished convergent thinking, which narrows down to the one correct answer, from divergent thinking, which produces many varied answers to an open problem. Creativity tests such as those of E. Paul Torrance score divergent thinking on fluency (the number of ideas), flexibility (the variety of categories), originality (unusual ideas) and elaboration (detail). A creative child may not have the highest IQ, and a child with a high IQ may not be creative. Teachers nurture creativity with open-ended questions ('How many uses can you think of for an old tyre?'), by accepting unusual answers, tolerating ambiguity and mistakes, giving time and freedom, and dropping the idea that every question has only one right answer.
Learning styles and catering to diversity
Children also differ in how they prefer to take in information. The visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (VAK) model, extended as VARK with reading and writing, is widely taught, although research does not show that matching teaching to a single preferred style improves learning; the practical lesson is to present ideas in many modes. Differentiated instruction varies content, process and product according to each child's readiness, interests and learning profile, using flexible grouping, peer tutoring, tiered tasks and a choice of ways to show learning. Gifted children need enrichment (deeper and broader work) and sometimes acceleration; children who learn slowly need more time, concrete aids and remedial support rather than labels. Inclusive education, backed by the RTE Act 2009 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, which lists 21 specified disabilities, means teaching all children together in the regular classroom with the support each one needs.
Key facts
- Binet and Simon (1905): first practical intelligence test and the idea of mental age; Stern (1912): IQ = MA/CA; Terman (Stanford-Binet, 1916): multiplied by 100.
- IQ = (MA / CA) x 100: CA 10, MA 8 gives IQ 80; CA 10, MA 12 gives IQ 120. Wechsler's deviation IQ has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
- Gardner (Frames of Mind, 1983): linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, plus naturalist = eight.
- Interpersonal intelligence = understanding others (leaders, counsellors); intrapersonal intelligence = understanding oneself (self-aware, reflective).
- Sternberg's triarchic theory: analytical (componential), creative (experiential) and practical (contextual, 'street smart') intelligence.
- Emotional intelligence: Salovey and Mayer (1990); Goleman (1995) - self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills.
- Divergent thinking = many possible answers (creativity); convergent thinking = one correct answer. Creativity is scored on fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration.
- Differentiated instruction varies content, process and product; gifted children need enrichment, slow learners need time and remedial support, not labels.
- Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 lists 21 specified disabilities; inclusion means teaching all children together with the support they need.
Quick revision
Individual differences from heredity x environment, diversity a resource; Binet-Simon 1905 mental age; Stern 1912 IQ = MA/CA, Terman Stanford-Binet 1916 x 100; Wechsler deviation IQ mean 100, SD 15; Gardner 1983 eight intelligences (naturalist added later); Sternberg analytical, creative, practical; EI Salovey-Mayer 1990, Goleman 1995; Guilford divergent thinking: fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration; differentiated instruction; RPwD Act 2016, 21 disabilities.