Multiple intelligences were identified by Howard Gardner. Linguistic intelligence, or word smart, is one of the eight we each have. When it’s a strength, you’ll know because these people think with words and talk when they’re excited. Whether it’s a strength or not, adults, teenagers, and children should choose to use it for good and not for harm.
When children study with word-smart abilities, they’re being smart. It’s probably impossible to study without using our linguistic intelligence since it involves reading, writing, speaking, and listening. But, do children and teenagers always use this smart strategically, intentionally, and completely? I doubt it. Here are some suggestions for being smart with our word smart:
- Read things out loud that you need to remember. Emphasize expression and inflection to aid memory. (This is often very effective because it involves reading, speaking, and listening.
- Have someone read things to you that you need to understand and remember so you can concentrate on listening instead of how to correctly pronounce every word.
- Talk with someone about what you’re studying. For instance, after someone reads something to you that you’re studying (see above suggestion) or you and a friend finish reading an assignment, engage in a casual conversation about it. Sometimes this is more effective than a question-and-answer session. But, either way, you’ll benefit by using the vocabulary words. If you do engage in a question-and-answer session with someone who knows the topic, sometimes be the one to ask the questions. You can only do that if you can identify important points so it’s valuable. Plus, your friend’s answers may stimulate new ideas for you. When someone who doesn’t know much about the topic asks you questions, challenge yourself to answer them with rich details like you will want to do in essays and on short-answer tests.
- You may benefit from recopying or typing lecture notes. This is especially beneficial when you talk with yourself about what you’re writing/typing. You can talk inside yourself, but if you can talk out loud without disturbing others, that’s best because it involves speaking and listening. And, because you’re reading your notes and writing them again, you’re using all four literacy areas. This can be powerful.
- Reading other books or materials about your topic, even if they weren’t assigned by the teacher, can help. For example, if vocabulary challenges you, find an easier book on the same topic and read it first. College students struggling in a biology class can get a high school biology book and read/skim the same material as their professor assigned from their college book. This can serve as an introduction to concepts and vocabulary words.
Students who are smart with their word smarts study with words and use all four literacy areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Let’s all be like this – smart!
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