...In “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff, he claims that intellect does not just exist in academics. Graff insists that street smarts can also be a form of knowledge. In addition, he claims that even if individuals do poorly in school, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t smart. It could just mean that they are very street-smart with a knowledge on different subjects. Furthermore, schools usually overlook street-smarts and associate them with non-intellectual interests. Graff thinks that students should find something they are actually interested in first so then they can build from there and eventually become intellectuals. Additionally he suggests that if they could somehow see these interests through “academic eyes” with language they understand,...
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...Hit the books! Is it better to be book smart or street smart? This question of what we consider to be intellectualism; Gerald Graff goes on to explains this through his the Chapter “Hidden Intellectualism” in his book Clueless in Academic: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind. I agree with Graff’s point about how teachers should try to get students more engaged in schoolwork using subjects students find interesting. Graff clarifies how being intelligent is not only about being academically smart, but also being “street smart”, using his own experiences. At the beginning of his chapter, Hidden Intellectualism Graff says, “We assume that it’s possible to wax intellectual about Plato, Shakespeare, the French Revolution, and nuclear fission, but not about cars, dating, fashion, sports, TV, or video games.” (245). What I believe Graff is trying to convey is, how it is viewed more important to know what started the French Revolution, than it is to know how to keep a conversation going, even when the two people have nothing in common. Although keeping up conversation would not be viewed as non-academic, but could very well be used to give presentations or speeches in class or in a debate. Graff goes on to offer his own experience of his youth. He describes himself as a typical anti-intellectual teenager that preferred sports to schoolwork. He explains how intellectualism was treated very hostile in the 1950’s and because of that he tried avoiding seeming book smart. He explains...
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...In his article, ‘Hidden Intellectualism,’ Gerald Graff’s main point is, street smart people can be just as, if not maybe more intellectual than people who are book smart. Everyone is smart in their own different ways. Graff goes on and talks about whether he is “street smart,” or “book smart.” Graff thinks that he was street smart. The author states, “Nor do we consider one of the major reasons why schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street smarts: the fact that we associate those street smarts with anti-intellectual concerns.” What I think he is trying to say is, most teaching industries over look some of the important things in life. Some things that schools do not teach, like how to do taxes, or fill out a mortgage....
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...and “Hidden Intellectualism,” we are exposed to a different form of intellectualism that is not entirely based on academics. Authors Mike Rose and Gerald Graff describe how education plays a significant role in today’s society. The amount of money one has and the type of area one lives in affects the type of school a student attends. Those that live in a richer neighborhood often have schools that provide a strong education. Neighborhoods with people of a lower class often don’t have their school systems built as strong. The different levels of education we accomplish determines our value in society. Our...
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...In his essay, “Hidden Intellectualism”, Gerald Graff uses his own experiences to bring attention to the strain between book and street smarts, as well as the school systems failure to capitalize on street smarts. He references his own success in academic writing to shed light on possible solutions to rectify this failure and give street smarts the recognition they deserve. Graff begins his essay by discussing in detail the incorrect association between street smarts and lack of intelligence as well as the association between intellectualism and a focus on topics more widely considered important. He brings focus to the idea that children can be encouraged to learn on materials that aren’t quite so pretentious. Graff continues his essay by...
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...An Intellectual False Dichotomy Hidden Intellectualism by Gerald Graff, addresses the educational issue in the problem of unlocking a student’s unique intellectual interest and abilities. He believes that the main issue in the approach of education is the false dichotomy between “street-smarts” and academic intelligence. It is demonstrated through his tonal writing, which is littered with criticism of the educational system, yet is fully supportive of education in terms of intellectual growth. Staying true to his stance, Graff constructs his hidden intellectual argument that sticks to an everyday, relatable tone associated with banter without compromising his ideas. Graff begins the text using familiar colloquial terms, such as “street-smart”...
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...Last year was the best year in North Carolina's history with a graduation rate of “85.4 percent” (NC State Board of Education). The title of the article is “Hidden Intellectualism” from the book Clueless in Academe; How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind by Gerald Graff. The book was written in 2003. The purpose of this text is to teach people that people can be taught to use academic methods and thoughts for items in the domain of “street smarts” Graff tries to tell readers about different intelligence and how they could be reached. Often they are deemed street smart and told and treated as if it is incompatible with academics. To overcome this he tells about his experiences bridging both and how others can do this. In “Hidden Intellectualism”graff uses a unique style of writing to show how we can write about subjects usually considered non-intellectual in an academic way. he does this by mixing a professional style of writing with a simple and easy to understand style of writing using reminders of childhood and modern language. The book that the essay is from was released short after the passing of “No Child Left Behind”. This legislation was an attempt to...
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