MODULE 17

STERNBERG'S SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE

THEORY AND WICS MODEL

Activity:

Let's say that in your child and adolescent class you finished the lesson
about the causes and effects of bullying. Your teacher will now test what you
learn from the lesson.

The teacher said you may choose to answer one of the tasks below. Which
of the following evaluation tasj that you prefer or like to answer. Please check
one.

Task # 1. Answer a set of fill-in-the-blank items about bullying.

Task # 2. Read a true story about bullying and analyze the case.

Task # 3. Create a poster or write a song or poem to stand up against

bullying.

Task # 4. Make a plan for a teacher to implement or do to address or

handle bullying in her classroom.

ABSTRACTION OR GENERALIZATION

The task in the activity above corresponds to the for skills of intelligence
theory of Robert Sternberg.

Task # 1 : Memory skills

Task # 2 : Analytical skills

Task # 3 : Creative skills

Task # 4 : Practical skills

ROBERT J. STERNBERG--

is a cognitive psychologist who is currently the Provost and Professor of

Psychology at the Oklahoma State University. He did an extensive work in the field
of intelligence. As a youngster, he had difficulty with intelligence tests. This might
have fueled his interest in the field that led him to come up with the Triarchic Theory
of Intelligence in the 1980's.O ver the years, his theory evolved from the more
complicated, componential Triarchic Theory to the simpler, successful Intelligence
theory. More recently, in collaboration with other prominent psychologists, he
roposed the WICS (Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, Synthesized) Model. It is an
alternative paradigm to deliver more relevant admission, instruction and assessment
in education.

SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE THEORY

The four skills included in the theory are described below:

1. MEMORY SKILLS--

help us recall facts and pieces of information. It helps us retain the

knowledge we acquire.

2. ANALYTICAL SKILLS--

help the person determine if a certain idea is good.

3. CREATIVE SKILLS--

allow a person to come up with a new idea, usually to answer a need or

solve a problem. It makes one flexible and able to adjust to changes in one's
situation.

4. PRACTICAL SKILLS--

enable a person to apply what one has learned. It also allows one to
carry through or implement a plan.

Sternberg believed that traditional views of intelligence focused heavily on

memory and analytical skills.

Memory and analytical skills are very much necessary. Being able ro recall
information or have knowledge is needed to begin thinking creatively. He also
emphasized creative and practical intelligence creativity is what moves people
forward. It gives birth to new and better solutions to problems. Without creativity we
will get trapped in things and ways that don't work anymore. Practical intelligence
makes us apply what we learned. It gets us to actually do what needs to be done.

According to Sternberg Successful Intelligence is "the ability to succeed in

life, given one's own gials, within one's environmental contexts". It is
maximizing it's one's own strengths not only to adapt to one's environment, but to
also contribute significantly to society.

Theory of successful intelligence points " that some students who do not
do well unconventional courses may, in fact, have the ability to succeed, if
they are taught in a way that better fits their patterns of abilities".
 It is vital that we remember what we learn (memory) use critical thinking to
evaluate the things we learn (analytical); be innovative in finding better ways of doing
things and solving problems (creative); and apply and put to action what we learn
(practical).

THE WICS MODEL

Intelligence is viewed as a set of fluid abilities to learn from experience amd to

adapt one's surroundings. Individuals possess abilities that can be nurtured into
competencies and further cultivated into expertise. The WICS is a more recent
model of how humans thinks and reason that can help us understand how students
will learn most effectively. It aims to develop basic abilities to true expertise.

WICS stands for Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, Synthesized. Sternberg

(2010)-- the basic idea is that citizens of the world need creativity to form a vision of
where they want to go and cope with changes in the environment. Analytical
Intelligence to ascertain whether the creative ideas are good ones, practical
intelligence to implement their ideas and to persuade other of the value of their
ideas and wisdom in order to ensure that the ideas will help achieve some ethically-
based common good, over the long and short terms, rather than just what is good for
them and their families and friends.

"Your role as a teacher is not to educate the mind alone, but to educate
the soul as well". Accept this not just as a job but embrace it as a mission.

Sternberg proposed that while education develop analytical and practical

intelligence as well as creativity, wisdom should be an integral part of the whole
process. Whatever topic you will be teaching, it is important to integrate questions,
tasks or activities that target the development of wisdom. You should also come up
with creative ways for your learners to put together or synthesized intelligence,
creativity and wisdom.

APPLYING THE WICS MODEL

The uses of the WICS model include admission, instructions and

assessment.

TEACH ANALYTICALLY? Make your students use critical thinking. Design tasks
and activities that provide opportunity for your learners to;

1. Analyze
2. Critique
3. Judge
4. Compare and contrast
5. Evaluate
6. Assess
TEACH CREATIVELY? It is important for you to encourage and sustain your
students creative ideas. Design tasks and activities that help students to;

1. Create
2. Invent
3. Discover
4. Imagine if..
5. Suppose that...
6. Predict

TEACH PRACTICALLY? Have in mind real life situations where students can use
what they learn to meet their own and also others' practical needs. Design tasks and
activities tgat allow your students to;

1. Apply
2. Use
3. Put into practice
4. Implement
5. Employ
6. Render practical what they know

TEACH FOR WISDOM? One of the goal is for learners to learn to see and
understand the point of v of others. It is important for your learners to balance one's
own needs wi the needs of other people and also that of the world or the
environment. It is developing your learners to constantly act based on positive ethical
values. You teach for wisdom when you are able to move your students to;

1. Try to find a common good

2. See things from others' points of view
3. Balance your own interests with those of others and of institutions
4. Look at the long term as well as the short term
5. Reflect about how one can base his every decision on positive ethical values
6. Appreciate that in life what is seen as true and effective may vary over time
and place.

The WICS Model has been use not only for instructions but also for admission
and assessment. Sternberg and his colleagues proposed, tried out and studied
creative ways of doing student admission as well as assessing students' learning .
Based on their studies, the WICS Model was successful for teachers and their
learners because it (1) celebrated the differences of learners through a supportive
learning environment (2)made students remember what they learned, (3)build on
the strengths of the learners, and (4) strengthened the motivations of learners.

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