Its likely that you started out as either a book smart or street smart type and learned the other to help get by in the. Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an intellectual advantage over other forms of intellectualism. In a book its you trying to absorb someone elses take on the world, and however amazing the writer is, you are at best one degree removed from the actual experience. The definition heres how the dictionary defines the two street smarts. A book smart has only word experience, as he or she is a book worm. Making honor roll, on the other hand, comes pretty easily.
But, by far, the most common definition of smart is to be very good at learning and understanding things. Why you need to be street smart, not book smart better. Because spanish is the official language of 21 countries, it was a bit difficult to choose one, but because i hope to travel here sometime within my high school experience, ive chosen the spanish. On the face of it the terms book smart and street smart simply differentiate between people who went to. I respect what graff, and x have to say and agree with them, both book and street smarts are very important. In general, it involves using common sense to stay savvy and safe in reallife or street situations. If you are a street smart with knowledge, it works best. The real difference between book smarts and genuine. Book smart vs street smart essay research paper example. The youth made key distinctions between being book smart vs.
Book smarts are people who dedicate time to reading, have retentive or photographic memory to save whatever they read in a short time or put in extra effort in books academic materials most often to guarantee theoretical success and awesome documented result. Here are 10 ways to tell you are more book smart than common sense smart. In reality there is zero difference between the two. When you are street smart though, you are at the centre of the knowledge. To be street smart, you have to spend time on the streets. You are essentially studying what someone else has discovered. Street smarts is a colloquial slang term referring to knowledge not obtained through higher learning or formal education but instead by practical life experience. Book smarts can certainly aid you in becoming wealthy. Finding the best job for you if you are trying to figure out whether book smarts or street smarts will land you a job easier or even score you a higher starting salary, you are probably still living in the past. That puts you in contact with unsavory characters, the kind that typify the hustler that embodies the negative version of that word.
If youre book smart and not street smart, then get out in the freaking world. The truth is, being book smart and street smart has a lot more to do than just your upbringing and personality. Street smarts vs book smarts talking about thinking. But they have something just as valuable the ability to. Maybe for some people, dating is sort of an organic thing where you just dive into it and let it grow whereas studying for economics is something you go to the library, grab a book, and start reading.
Whether one is more versed in street smarts or book smarts depends on the circumstances one has grown up under. Graff says that knowledge goes far beyond academic learning and continues into our everyday living. Someone with street smarts is intelligent, has good common sense. Intelligent people are sometimes street smart because they have learned from experiences rather than books.
The combination of practical knowledge and explicit knowledge is the key to a successful career. First, there is a common misconception that most people only have one or the other, and. Street smarts, book smarts by sugato chakravarty author isbn. Being street smart means having interest in other activities more than in school work, while being book smart is the complete opposite of that. Making a cup of coffee sounds like a potentially difficult task hey, theres a reason they invented the keurig. Ikea stores in some countries advertise furniture for siestas wisdom culture. Graff believes that having the personality of a street smart person can benefit society if one knows how to channel their potential correctly. What types of smart are there besides book smart and street smart. Street smarts is just as much as knowing something with familiarity gained through experience and intelligence as book smarts. Street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get. It solely is a theoretical understanding of facts or ideas. I love the opportunity to answer this question, but most people arent going to like the answer. Theres book smart, there is street smart, theres relationship smart, theres too many different kinds of smarts to know all of them. Theres just too many different kinds of smarts for people to know all the smarts.
Someone who is intelligent, learns well, and educated very well academically. There are certain skills you need to become successful in life. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words. Book smart or street smart who would be your choice. He states, the need to prove i was smart and the fear of a beating if i proved it too well. Its clear that some people have better judgment than others. The difference between academic intelligence book smarts and practical intelligence street smarts was first define in terms of the tasks involved neisser, 1976. What personality research reveals about trump supporters.
While intelligence has been defined in many different ways including as ones capacity for logic, understanding, selfawareness, learning, emotional knowledge, planning, creativity, and problemsolving. Youll never hit the street smart plateau while under the comfort of mommy and daddy. Simply put, i am saying that street smarts are as equally as important in the world as book smarts. Being street smart puts you at the centre of the knowledge. On the other hand, book smart people rely more on tried and tested strategies. October 18, 2014 introduction this paper will be discussing the debate on whether or not higher education in law enforcement officers should be mandatory and the effect it can have in the correctional facilities. They never hold on to what is written in a book as something sacred and to be followed. Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. Course description the course was designed based on integrated knowledge exchange, community development, evidencedinformed, and participatory approaches to working with communities. In short, common sense tasks often pose a greater challenge than those you.
When we explore this topic, we often think about the difference between those who do well in school and are labeled book smart versus those who may not do as well at school, but have a wealth of information pertaining to things outside of school that we typically identify as street smart. Just as useful as book smarts, and in many cases more so. Now living on the street is different than street smarts. Book smarts and street smarts, both have their advantages in the corporate world and it depends upon what the employer is looking for to determine who gets the upper hand. Street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. However, the underlying idea is that the person deals with situations especially bad or difficult situations from an intellectual direction. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words 3 pages. You can geek out and study up like no ones business. Definition of street smarts written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and countnoncount noun labels.
It is great to read a book and learn about a particular subject, viewpoint or opinion. This distinction is a direct challenge by the youth to the dominant discourse of smartness or book smarts as it operates in schools. Academic intelligence is measured by iq and most classroom testing. And if youre street smart and not book smart, then read a goddamn. Some people are analytically intelligent or book smart. The two important aspects of smartness when it comes to smartness, it can be divided down into two broad categories. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. When it comes to book smarts versus street smarts, youve got them both, baby. Many studies support higher education for police officers, encouraging the disciplines beyond what is actually taught. Unless you write a book that a best seller, then you dont need street smarts all that much. What is the difference between book smart and street smart.
However, the underlying idea is that the person deals with situations especially bad or difficult situations from an intellectual d. However, to amass a truly sizable personal fortune, youll probably need a large dose of street smarts as well. Street smart and book smart are two different types of. There are several problems with the terms street smarts and book smarts. Book smart people have usually studied hard to reach their level of knowledge.
While many, if not most, people hold book smarts in the highest regard, the truth is. A shrewd ability to survive in a dangerous urban environment. Some intelligent people are not educated to a higher level. Street smarts vs book smarts, the epic debate continued. The general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. 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. People who have streetsmarts may not have read as many books or earned college degrees. Another huge distinction between book smarts and street smarts is who is in the middle of the knowledge. Street smarts rely more on intuition in order to plan their next move. The distinguishment between street smarts and book smarts is a.
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. There are certain skills you need to become successful in life that can only be gained through experience. Street smart versus book smart in his article hidden intellectualism, gerald graff criticizes those that do not put value into street smarts. Simply put, a person who has book smarts is someone who is intelligent and. Book smarts refer to the education, schooling and other kinds of knowledge that one has acquired. The main character, ponyboy, often gets into trouble because he makes unsafe decisions, despite being a straight a student.
Getting along with others knowing which questions to ask and not asking too many,being polite and friendly, but also being assertive. Street smarts refer to the tactical knowledge you gain through experience whereas book smarts relate to what you learn in school. In street smarts, rogers takes us through the highlights of his life in the financial markets, from his school days at yale and oxfordwhere despite the fact that he didnt have enough money to afford the appropriate pair of shoes, he coxed the crew and helped to win the oxfordcambridge boat race as well as the thames cup, the first of his. We will always remember his i have a dream speech for being inspirational without exaggeration. The main distinction between the two is the difference. Theres money smart, theres movie smart, theres computer smart. By definition, an entrepreneur is a risktaking businessperson. I need this, guys, i know im capable of some type of smart.
In a way, while having book smarts relies on learning and holding on to facts, street smarts relies more on the practical uses of information that has already been acquired. The term has been used for decades throughout the united states, especially in regards to teens in urban centers. For many people, there is no difference between smart and intelligent, because the. This type of intelligence is used to recall or recognize, analyze, evaluate, and. Common sense knowing who you can trust, which areas in town are good and which are bad, etc. You get street smarts when people try to take advantage of you, when they try to bully you, or when they try to bamboozle you.
The prime distinction between street smarts and book smarts is who is at the center of the knowledge. However, street smarts and book smarts completely mean different things. Being street smart beats being book smart any day of the week. For example, 25% of people on social media have posted something they later regretted, the divorce rate in the us is 50%, and over the past decade the tattoo removal industry has grown 440% although tramp stamps and tasteless tweets are mostly benign mistakes, there are a remarkable number of people whose poor decisionmaking. In graffs essay, hidden intellectualism, graff compares street smarts to book smarts. 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. Book smart people are frequently educated to a high level. But you also know when its time to just dive in and start learning. Why street smarts always win out over book smarts when it. Street smarts definition for englishlanguage learners. Whereas, street smarts refers to the experiential knowledge on things.
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