Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Jaghman
Talent
4
If Gardner's theory talks about the classification of intelligence and people's conditions in it, there are theories that went further than that to put more detail in the differences between people in the mechanism of thinking and its steps, and the distinction of some of them in some of its stages and not others. One of the first to single out a classification of important abilities that are distributed among a large group of people is Taylor (1978, 1988), who came up with a classification that he called Thinking Talents. The nine abilities mentioned by Taylor are: achievement intelligence, productive thinking, social intelligence, guessing and anticipating abilities, appropriate decision-making abilities, planning, application, human relations, and the ability to exploit opportunities. This classification draws attention to the need to care for the individual as a whole, and to enlighten him about his distinguished abilities, and others that need to be enhanced. Taylor confirms through his research that from a practical standpoint, there is no student who can be the best in all of these steps, and there is no student who remains in the middle permanently, and there is no one who is always at the bottom of the ranking. In contrast, Taylor's studies have shown that each student has strengths in some of these skills and weaknesses in others. Therefore, it is scientifically determined that developing an integrated program to develop these skills in all students is extremely important, and at the same time it is not easy. From this standpoint, many researchers have attempted to classify these abilities into precise components. Williams (1970, 1982) classified eight other thinking skills, and Guilford brought them to 180 skills (Guilford, 1967, 1988). Based on the principle that classification alone is not enough, these researchers and others have devoted themselves to preparing precise programs to develop these skills individually and in general. We will talk about some of them in other articles, God willing.
Conclusions and principles that must be emphasized: • Most theories of talent depend in their definitions on the concept of intelligence and its theories. Perhaps the most important shift in the concept of talent in the modern era is that it is not a single aspect. This view was derived from the modern view of intelligence as having multiple types and different patterns. On this basis, there is no single image or limited definition that embodies the quality of gifted behavior. • Knowing the various types of intelligence and diverse thinking skills helps the educator to look at those he is responsible for from a perspective that differs from the conventional one (smart, average intelligence, stupid or low-ability). The view here is one of respect for everyone, as most of them have multiple abilities that need to be provided with advanced educational opportunities that are compatible with this diversity in abilities and understandings. • Adopting the concept of multiple intelligence lays the foundation for a radical and qualitative change in the educational system in our schools, which provides the opportunity for everyone to be active individuals in their society with a sense of satisfaction and positive self-confidence. • The exaggerated interest by our schools and homes in academic achievement and limiting talent to this aspect only narrows the opportunities for interest in developing the child’s other abilities, which studies after studies have proven to be the most important for building a balanced personality that is well prepared for life in all its aspects. • Having high abilities in one area is not enough to achieve brilliance and distinction, as the appropriate social and psychological atmosphere must be available to nurture and develop this ability.
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