The document discusses ways for teachers to promote intelligent behavior in the classroom. It suggests encouraging listening skills, flexible thinking, questioning, precise language, creativity, and cooperation among students. For example, it recommends having students actively listen during lectures and discussions by taking notes on questions. It also suggests promoting flexible thinking by changing problem-solving scenarios. Teachers can foster questioning attitudes by having students discuss open-ended questions on articles. The document stresses that incorporating these behaviors prepares students for real-world challenges.

1. Promoting Intelligent Behavior in the Classroom
Andrew O’Neal
University of Phoenix
Med/560

2. What is Intelligence?
Defining intelligence exactly is a very complicated and
controversial topic. In general, intelligence is how one can make
a quality decision in a situation and the ability to think
abstractly. In more detail, there are multiple theories of
intelligence. According to Spearman, intelligence is defined in a
general term and everyone possesses an over
all g score. However, there is also the theory of multiple
intelligences where individuals possess intelligence in specific
domains. As an educator I see the theory of multiple intelligence
on a daily basis at school. For example, some of the students I
know that struggle in English and math excel in their auto tech
courses and can literally fix anything. In contrast some of the
best writers in our school are weak in hands on activities. To me
both are intelligence and both are needed in our
society. (http://blog.brainfacts.org/2012/12/what-is-
intelligence/)

3. Promoting Intelligent Behavior
As teachers, one of our greatest challenges is promoting intelligent
behavior in the classroom. In this presentation I will show how
teachers can promote intelligent behavior by promoting the
following in their class room;
-Listening to Others
-Flexibility in Thinking
-Questioning
-Precision of Language and Thought
-Creativity
-Cooperation

4. Listening to Others
-“some cognitive psychologists think that the ability to listen to
another person and understand their point of view is one of the
highest forms of intelligent behavior”. This seems simple, but if
you honestly evaluate yourself and your students this may be
happening less than you think
-Encourage your students to actively listen to all class activities
(lectures, student presentations, and videos). For example, if you
ask your students to watch a video there is a good chance they will
hear the video, but not really actively listen. In contrast if you ask
the students to list 3 question they have on the video or lecture, they
will have to actively listen and think about the information being
presented
-Have your students turn in weekly listening logs. For each lecture,
video, or student presentation they should have recorded questions.
If they do this enough, it will become a behavior.
-http://humancapitalleague.com/Home/4397

5. Promote Flexible Thinking
-“Mental flexibility, or the capacity to shift attention refers to updating or
shifting cognitive strategies in response to changes in the environment”. If
we can get our students to think more flexibly they will be better problem
solvers and more capable in a real world scenario where routines are changed
and nothing goes according to plan.
(http://bitsofwisdomforall.com/2011/09/16/how-to-build-flexible-thinking-
skills/)
-As teachers we can change the environment or scenario in problem solving
in order to make our students think.
-For example, in an athletic training course you cover dehydration. The
problem our athletes were having was dehydrating in the later and colder
stages of our outdoor seasons (October and November). Logic tells us that
the students should have lost less fluids in these months than in the Summer
months when dehydration was not an issue. Ask your students to brainstorm
about why this is occurring? As the environment changed to cold students
drink less water through out the day. Then their sport exertion is the same
and they become dehydrated.

6. Promote Questioning
-Often in education and life we do not think for ourselves enough. Encouraging
questioning in your class room environment will lead to more intelligent thought and
less memorization. According to Clifford H. Edwards, “inquiry into authentic questions
generated from student experiences is the central strategy for teaching”.
(http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/workshops/promoting.html)
-In a science class, teachers can promote reading interesting articles on scientific
phenomenon. Then the teachers can promote dialogue in group discussion or though
written response. The questions should focus on self inquiry instead of specific facts
from the article.
-For example; Have students read an article on the use of stem-cell research. Then ask
them to discuss the following questions;
-What are your thoughts on stem-cell research? Why?
-Is stem-cell research moral? Why?
-Is stopping stem cell research moral? Why?
-Do you see future problem or advantages to stem cell research?
All of these question promote inquiry to how each students feels and forces them to
question a topic.

7. Encourage Precision of Thoughts and Language
-Evaluating complex material and summarizing it precisely to share with others is a
great ability for work and higher education. It creates less confusion in
presentations and honestly your audience retain information with a short attention
span.
-When you assign summaries in English or History put a maximum word limit.
The students should still be expected to cover all the important information. In
contrast to rambling to meet a minimum word limit, students will be precisely
explaining complex topics.
-For example; explain the events leading up to World War II in under 300 words?
Include the Treaty of Versailles, appeasement, Japanese intervention, and the
economic struggles of post World War I Germany.
-It will be challenging to explain this complex of a topic in so few words

8. Promote Creative Thinking
-As we have discussed in this course, promoting creative thinking is one of the
most important attributes of an educator. This helps students become more
intelligent and prepares them for real work where problems require creative
solutions.
-One way to promote creativity is to integrate art, music, and culture into your
class room. According to open colleges.edu, “society is enriched by cultural-based
creativity”. A great way for teachers to incorporate culture into the class room
would be to have topics on social media.
-For example, ask students to express how social media has impacted
globalization?
What does a more globally connected world mean for your education?
What does a more globally connected world mean for your career future?

9. Promote Cooperation
-Being able to cooperate with others and be a part of team may be the most valuable asset
a worker can have in such a connected world. Promoting “thinking and learning that can
only come as a result of social relationships”
(http://humancapitalleague.com/Home/4397).
-Teachers requiring students to cooperate as a group for assignments are preparing
students for work force success more so than simply working on your own. Teachers
should incorporate group work for major assignments.
-For example, in health, have students create a power point presentation on the value of
physical activity for health.
One student should define physical activity. How is it different than exercise?
One students should indicate the relationship between physical activity and blood
pressure, risk of diabetes, resting heart rate, and percent body fat.
One student should come up with pro’s and con’s to incorporating physical activity into
daily life (i.e. walking to school and biking to work)
-Grade each student on individual work and then grade the whole group on the final
presentation.

10. Conclusion
These ideas to promote intelligent behavior are not found in traditional
educational approaches. As teachers, we must incorporate listening,
flexibility, precise thought, questioning, creativity, and cooperation in our
class room in order to prepare students for future success.