Defining Smart

I've been thinking about how we in education can do a better job of explaining to students that being smart can be defined in many ways. For the most part, students measure themselves against other students, and through their grades and standardized test scores. The way I see it, there are many sub-categories. For example, there are those students who show a strong aptitude in mechanical ability; others for acting; still others for creating new ways to solve old problems.

But how do we measure these abilities? Generally, we can't in the traditional math/science/English/history academic model that we've had. What's important is to show them that they have this strong aptitude, and they should tap into it beyond high school. That may mean matching a post-secondary education to that strength, and perhaps avoiding those classes that give them the most trouble. With so many jobs and careers out there that require more than just reading, writing and arithmetic skills, schools need to do a better job of pointing this out to students.