In his article, the author gives a very intelligent insight on how street smarts and personal interest outside of the academic world can create and convert someone into a more intellectual person than merely focusing on the topics presented in school. The author also believes if the schools and colleges determine a good student by looking at their grades, then they will miss a chance to get those intelligent "street smart" students into their schools and to let them be involved into academic work. Overall Gerald Graff supported his own arguments by telling us his own story of transformation, the transformation from a boy that only cared about sports to the one that is intellectual. Graff essentially conveys the idea of taking street smart topics and turning them into intellectual debates. His stance portrays a culture that incorporates common subjects that can be discussed and viewed in
Intellect doesn’t only exist in the scholarly way of thinking claims Gerald Graff, author of Hidden Intellectualism. He insists that intellectualism can also stem from "street smarts.” Experiences from Graff’s childhood help argue his point that we all intellectuals. Growing up in Chicago, Graff suggests academic knowledge only interrupts social life. He tells about his disregard in traditional academic subjects, and further expands on his love of sports. Anti-intellectualism ran widespread during his childhood.
Kent J. Fetzer expressed, “Our biggest problem with a school uniform policy is the anti-individuality message it sends.” He feels students lose their freedom when forced to conform to only certain apparels. He believes in letting students experience freedom in order to learn how to act responsibly. I strongly believe teens need to learn how to act responsibly at a young age to develop skills for the future, but I refuse to believe that uniforms take away individuality. In contrast to Fetzer’s beliefs, Mike Kelly proclaimed, "Uniforms instill discipline, help students focus on their studies and eliminate pressure on parents to outfit their kids." He believes uniforms help parents as well as the students.
Graff believes this action will further strengthen the intellectualism of our youth. Response In his essay “Hidden Intellectualism” Gerald Graff makes the argument that children can gain just as much from arguing and debating over non-academic material, such as sports, fashion, pop culture, etc., as they could from taking part in academic debates. Graff uses himself as an example describing how as a child he would talk and argue about sports and later realized how that prepared him for academic debates and writing argument papers. To
The whole process surprised me because in other schools such as high school it is not so intense. If you are in trouble or accused of doing something wrong in school the principle pretty much decides if you are guilty or not after you have given your side of the story. I can understand why the University of Phoenix follows this type of process though, that way it is a fair trial in a sense and a student has a chance to defend him or herself. What did you learn about the behaviors considered important for an ethical learner or student in the University of Phoenix learning community? The behaviors that I learned to be considered important for an ethical learner are that different students will view things differently then you and depending on that type of person will depend on the outcome of a situation.
I found Hidden Intellectualism to be a very interesting article by Gerald Graff. It was an argument that I hadn’t heard before and completely agreed on. I say this because I know more than one young person who is impressively street smart but does very poor in school. Gerald Graff makes some very interesting points in his story, saying that schools might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work. One of the major reasons why schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street smarts is the fact that we associate those street smarts with anti-intellectualism.
`Reading Response #3 Graff’s expresses his feelings toward an intellectualism that is not taught in schools and is usually looked down upon even though majority of children have it. This intellectualism is “street smart”, or as he describes it hidden intellectualism. Graff’s argues that schools should let children write and argue about subjects that they find enjoyable, and that might be able to transfer into higher academic subjects, and learn that what they find enjoyable and interesting isn’t only outside the classroom but with what they learn can be used anywhere, and how they argue can be transferred into their papers. He does this by writing in his own experience, describing how he felt, and by giving examples of what others said about
4. Graff’s argument matters on many levels. Graff paints a picture of how schooling is and how it could be. He displays the intellectual properties of the possibility of including subjects that would interest a group of students, who display a wide array of talents, into more intellectual feats that could benefit mankind --- if they allow it. “Street smarts” has been deemed ‘unfit’ for most that
Patrick Richardson Professor Holly Eng 121-693/697 September 15, 2013 Summary of ''Hidden Intellectualism'' In the article "Hidden Intellectualism" Published in 2001, edition of the pedagogy, author Gerald Graff discusses intellectualism in the academic world and how it affects society. He also references intellectualism with "book smarts" and anti-intellectualism with "street smarts". In the book he argues one point that intellectualism is used more than just in schools, but also in everyday life: there are "hidden forms of intellectualism". Graff believes that schools need to have a clearer perspective as to what these hidden forms are. Beginning from childhood, Graff tells us about
Just like anything else in life, it takes practice, and you will get better out of practice when you like the certain field than when you don’t, a good reason to why these types of arguments should be included in school arguments. School work sometimes isolates you from others. Graff says that “When you entered sports debates, you become part of a community that was not limited to your family and friends, but was national and public.”(They Say I Say, page 384) Also, schools don’t really notice how good arguments are made due to sports coming into play.