While intelligence has been defined in many different ways including as ones capacity for logic, understanding, selfawareness, learning, emotional knowledge, planning, creativity, and problemsolving. Oct 25, 2006 book smarts are the facts and data you get by studying books and going to school. Maybe some people rely on book smarts for some answers but rely on street smarts for other answers. Usa today street smarts is another great read from one of the most astute global investors of our time. The authors is very persuasive using real life examples. My friends in college who had more street smarts than book smarts were the first to receive job offers upon graduating. Street smart the psychology of good and bad judgment. Just to set an example in regardings to the topic, when the economy comes down to a threat where individuals will be drafted to war, street smarts will doubt less and think of strategies in order to survive through the battlefield,while on the other hand book smarts are hesitating about.
Get heaping discounts to books you love delivered straight to your inbox. Both malcolm x, and gerald graff make very interesting points about street and book smarts. Book smart vs street smart getting rich and staying rich. For many people, there is no difference between smart and intelligent, because the. However, they dont necessarily have a deeper comprehension of the topic. When people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other. Educational environments are often oppressive for street smart people. The definition heres how the dictionary defines the two street smarts.
Street smarts are the skills you learn by working and socializing in the real world. So, his point is schools and colleges need to give the street smarts some opportunities that channel them in to good academic work. The figured world of smartness in the lives of marginalized, urban youth. Intelligent people may or may not have been educated to a higher level 8. You have learned things you cant just read about in books. Were talking about street smarts versus book smarts, and these two could not be. Dec 14, 2005 book smarts or street smarts better at work. According to my opinion i feel street smarts are much better than book smarts. Intelligent people tend to use their instincts more to make decisions whereas book smart people rely on tried and tested strategies 5. Intelligent people may or may not have been educated to a higher level. Growing up, i was very street smart but not so book smart.
Ebscohost serves thousands of libraries with premium essays, articles and other content including street smarts vs. Book smart vs street smart essay research paper example. It is great to read a book and learn about a particular subject, viewpoint or opinion. Being street smart beats being book smart any day of the week. Apr 29, 2018 2 thoughts on street smarts vs book smarts scolon april 29, 2018 at 6. What you will find is many books instructing you how to improve specific skillsets that, combined, could be called street smarts.
Book smart people have a lot of general knowledge and do well at quizzes, but they might struggle with more complex ideas. Another huge distinction between book smarts and street smarts is who is in the middle of the knowledge. Street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. Street smarts often act out in school because theyre forced to learn in ways that dont make use of their talents. What is the difference between street smarts and book smarts. Book smart people are often educated to a high level. For me, i believe whatever we are book smarts or street smarts, we still can learn something from our teacher. The difference between streetwise and book smart goes deeper than just intelligence or knowledge, however. Characterized by their love of learning, book smart people are organized and prepared for any situation. Simply put, a person who has book smarts is someone who is intelligent and well educated academically. Using your intelligence effectively in college by frozenflan on january 31, 2014 its the question weve all had in our minds as soon as our brains were capable of thought. Some people are analytically intelligent or book smart.
Being street smart puts you at the centre of the knowledge. Jan 30, 2018 being street smart beats being book smart any day of the week. However, the term is usually used to contrast and compare with another term known as street smart. I definitely believe that you must have both street and book smarts to be the most successful in life. I say all this as someone who has a deep love for books, and who has some degree of what might be called book smarts. Ive always wondered in the back of my mind what the actual outcome of this would be, so i was pretty excited when i saw your title. Book smarts are the facts and data you get by studying books and going to school. Malcolm x obviously had the street smarts, but like graff he mixed his new book smarts with his street smarts to be successful in life. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words.
Most important perhaps, being street smart comes from experience. What are some of the best books to develop street smarts. The prime distinction between street smarts and book smarts is who is at the center of the knowledge. A shrewd ability to survive in a dangerous urban environment. Book smart is defined as having knowledge obtained from study and books.
Book smart people have often studied hard to achieve their level of knowledge. Permalink motely fool has an article on this focuses on going to college as the criteria for being book smart which is perhaps narrower than mine. Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do. Street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get. On todays episode of the tai lopez show, we are discussing the balance of street smarts and book smarts. Intelligent people are sometimes street smart because they have learned from experiences rather than books. We know which of these two we have more of, and what areas of the other we need to work on, but how exactly do we go about doing this. However, the underlying idea is that the person deals with situations especially bad or difficult situations from an intellectual d. Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an intellectual advantage over other forms of intellectualism. Gerald graff is an english professor at the university of illinois and has written many books. How do you know someone is naturally smart vs book smart. Street smarts vs book smarts, the epic debate continued.
Street smart can keep you safe as they can handle problems very easily. The truth is, being book smart and street smart has a lot more to do than just your upbringing and personality. However, street smarts and book smarts completely mean different things. Sep 10, 2017 the general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. Graff explains i believe that street smarts beat out book smarts in our culture not because street smarts are nonintellectual, as we generally suppose, but because they satisfy an intellectual thirst more thoroughly than school culture, which seems pale and unreal 202. Both would be better naturally, one could argue that having a fair share of wellread book smarts to go along with street smarts field experience is the ideal background for an aspiring job. It has a lot to do with your preferred learning style, and which way you perceive the world. In graffs essay, hidden intellectualism, graff compares street smarts to book smarts. Emotional intelligence vs intellectual intelligence wolf. There are many survival skills that are not present in books and can be learnt only through experiences.
Street smarts also known as practical knowledge or common sense is essential to orienting yourself in everyday situations, whether its getting around a new neighborhood. Motely fool has an article on this focuses on going to college as the criteria for being book smart which is perhaps narrower than mine. However, for some people, it could be a more clearcut answer. Conversely, street smart people are often demeaned simply because they are classified as those who didnt have the right stuff to attend an institute of higher learning. What is the difference between book smart and street smart. Both stereotypes arent always true and any semblance of them are only due to different lifestyles and experiences. Book smarts refer to the education, schooling and other kinds of knowledge that one has acquired. Youre not going to find a tome that helps you to be smarter on the street.
Street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get seriously rich. May 21, 2008 book smarts are the facts and data you get by studying books and going to school. On this program we talk about words and expressions that we use in. Difference between book smart and street smart, book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. The world is full of people who are either book smart or street smart. Being street smart means having interest in other activities more than in school work, while being book smart is the complete opposite of that.
Unbelievable egotheres a lot of buzz about the new season of the apprentice where book smarts takes on street smarts. It could be difficult to tell, especially for those who are a combination of both. This comes from the street smart world of street smarts. Nonetheless, street smarts trump book smarts any day. Gerald uses his childhood to prove how he becomes a street smart. It solely is a theoretical understanding of facts or ideas. Listen to the the tai lopez show episode street smarts vs. Most people who are street smart arent very book smart and vice versa.
Those who are more street smart tend to handle many difficult problems with ease because they understand how to neutralize tough situations and stand up for what they believe in. You are essentially studying what someone else has discovered. There are many survival skills that are not present in books and can be. Tomas has published 9 books and over 140 scientific. Mark twain book smarts vs street smarts is as intense of a battle as the current presidential election. People who have streetsmarts may not have read as many books or earned college degrees. The stereotype of a book smart person is someone who is upperclass and well educated but less knowledgeable when it comes to handling important situations faced in bad neighborhoods and lower. So lets find out if youre booksmart or streetsmart. Street smarts scott berkun are you book smart or street smart. So which are the differences between book smarts and really intelligent people. Theyre experts at recalling, recognizing, and analyzing information. While which one is more helpful can be a matter of debate and also depends on the context, it is generally seen that street smarts weigh more on the scale when it comes.
Usually people considered to be book smart are known as lacking in street smarts, and vice versa, as theory and practice both have. Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an. In the book smarts world, theyll say, well, people should, in theory, love each other. The author claims that people are better off if they are more street smart than book smart. While its not any better to be book smart than it is to be street smart, this quiz will aim to determine which type of intelligence you possess. Jun 18, 2014 whether one is more versed in street smarts or book smarts depends on the circumstances one has grown up under. As an individual who i feel possesses an equal measure of book smarts and street smarts, i believe i can speak on this topic. Apr 18, 2011 street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. You know the ins and outs that can only be gained by doing. Intellectualism by gerald graff is street smarts versus book smarts. While many, if not most, people hold book smarts in the highest regard, the truth is. Whether one is more versed in street smarts or book smarts depends on the circumstances one has grown up under. In the article, hidden intellectualism, gerald graff discusses the topic of book smart versus street smart.
But, if you say that your street smart, i think that is equivalent or just an existing term to being fucking stupid. However, once people stopped shoving books down my throat and i got to pick my own choices, i began loving them. Like, youre not smart, so atleast you know some things. In the beginning he emphasizes that his knowledge of business comes from street smarts, beginning with the lessons he learned on the street from his father. We should in theory love each other but weve got the street smarts over here that knows human nature and knows exactly how it is. Tomas chamorropremuzic, hr examiner editorial advisory board contributor. With wisdom, humor, and amusing antidotes, the investment biker recounts his lifes experiences in a manner that is as entertaining as it is educational. Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. Book smart people are often educated to a high level 6. Book smart people are wellread and possess a wealth of knowledge.
Well feature a different book each week and share exclusive deals you wont find. The more extreme and negative stereotypes are that book smart people are naive, easily manipulated, and have bad judgment in bad situations, while street smart people are unintelligent and incapable of achieving a higher education. It cant be denied that the books smarts are indeed smart. This distinction is a direct challenge by the youth to the dominant discourse of smartness or book smarts as it operates in schools. To the youth, street smarts are more important because they are connected to being able to maneuver through structures in their lives such as poverty, the police, street culture, and abusive others. Book smarts derive their knowledge from theories and books and street smarts from experiences.
Tomas has published 9 books and over 140 scientific papers h index 60. While people with book smarts may be able to study all week and ace a midterm, they may lack some serious common sense or the ability to converse and interact with people with ease, which comes naturally to those who have learned through their experiences, rather than classroom instruction. Well feature a different book each week and share exclusive deals you. The general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. We string them into jewels or into tinware, as we may choose. Advisory board, leadership, learning, talent management, by dr. I have seen a lot of book smart people with the most unbalanced life with no success. This type of intelligence is used to recall or recognize, analyze, evaluate, and. Street smarts vs book smarts talking about thinking. Now, its time for words and their stories from voa learning english. Book smarts in academia 28 words 6 pages our society has always had an obsession with labels whether in the form of fashion, our description of personal relationships, or the way we see ourselves as individuals.
So many years ago and still today many people think and say that iq was the most important factor for success and developing a healthy life style. What are the advantages of book smarts vs street smarts. Analyzing details from books is excellent practice for tackling problems in the real world. Whereas, street smarts refers to the experiential knowledge on things. As a specialist in projectbased learning, i couldnt pass up the opportunity to use this network program to highlight the pros and cons of traditional education. It is from experiences such as mine that we get our education of life.
I respect what graff, and x have to say and agree with them, both book and street smarts are very important. The answer to that question says much about who you are and what you want out of life. Intelligent people are often street smart, in that they have learned from their own experiences. The ladies of the real share their views, in this girl chat. Why street smarts always win out over book smarts when it. Street smarts is a worthwhile business book, and i do recommend this book to anyone interested in entrepreneurial material, however the author played a bit of a deception in the reader. Street smarts, however, encompasses knowledge that generally cannot be learned through education but rather, from experience. The kind of smarts you possess say much about what you value the most. What are the advantages of book smarts vs street smarts answers. What is the difference between street smarts and book. The only people that ive heard say that theyre street smart are the dumbest. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words bartleby. It means youve learned how to take what has happened to you, good or bad, think about it, and learn to improve from it. Why you need to be street smart, not book smart better.