Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff Analysis
ERWT 1A
11/10/2024
Essay 1
Street Smarts or Academic Intelligence?
How many students take English courses because they want to and not because they have to? The answer is not that many because often it is hard for students to connect with the topics taught in English classes as there’s a disconnect between their interests and the course curriculum. The disconnect leads to students having little to no interest in the course. Such courses are less stimulating for students if they don't find interest in the topics being taught. Students are often more attuned to their “street smarts” than their “academic intelligence”. “Street smarts” refers to the intelligence someone can gain from being on the “streets” or just being outside of a school …show more content…
School education systems focus on improving students’ “academic intelligence,” as it seems more beneficial to the students in the long run. Incorporating the students’ interests into the English course curriculum will be more efficient at aiding their intelligence.
Often what students are taught in their English courses has little to no relation to their interests or personal lives, which may create difficulty when tasked with writing assignments. In Gerald Graff’s essay, “Hidden Intellectualism," Graff presents possible solutions to better benefit students and their engagement with their school courses. He acknowledges the disconnect between students and their academic courses. He highlights this issue by comparing a student’s approach to writing a topic they are passionate about with a traditional literary topic. According to Graff, “Students who get excited about the chance to write about their passion for cars will often write as poorly and unreflectively on that topic as on Shakespeare or Plato” (64). Graff suggests that although students are passionate about a certain topic, they might not be able to accurately analyze and decipher the topic to
11/10/2024
Essay 1
Street Smarts or Academic Intelligence?
How many students take English courses because they want to and not because they have to? The answer is not that many because often it is hard for students to connect with the topics taught in English classes as there’s a disconnect between their interests and the course curriculum. The disconnect leads to students having little to no interest in the course. Such courses are less stimulating for students if they don't find interest in the topics being taught. Students are often more attuned to their “street smarts” than their “academic intelligence”. “Street smarts” refers to the intelligence someone can gain from being on the “streets” or just being outside of a school …show more content…
School education systems focus on improving students’ “academic intelligence,” as it seems more beneficial to the students in the long run. Incorporating the students’ interests into the English course curriculum will be more efficient at aiding their intelligence.
Often what students are taught in their English courses has little to no relation to their interests or personal lives, which may create difficulty when tasked with writing assignments. In Gerald Graff’s essay, “Hidden Intellectualism," Graff presents possible solutions to better benefit students and their engagement with their school courses. He acknowledges the disconnect between students and their academic courses. He highlights this issue by comparing a student’s approach to writing a topic they are passionate about with a traditional literary topic. According to Graff, “Students who get excited about the chance to write about their passion for cars will often write as poorly and unreflectively on that topic as on Shakespeare or Plato” (64). Graff suggests that although students are passionate about a certain topic, they might not be able to accurately analyze and decipher the topic to