Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 202: Rethinking Smart: A Framework for Recognizing Every Student's Strengths

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Ep 202: Rethinking Smart: A Framework for Recognizing Every Student's Strengths · New Teacher Talk

Hi everyone, I'm Faith Snodgress, an elementary teacher,
and today I want to talk about something that can quietly
shape the culture of your classroom in powerful ways,
especially if you're in your first few years of teaching.
Let me start with the scene that most of us remember.
You're on the playground, teams are being picked.
There's always that one student who gets picked first.
Everyone knows who it's going to be.
The fastest, the most athletic, the most coordinated.
Then there's that long stretch in the middle where most
students get chosen, and then someone gets picked last.
Now let's shift that scene where the same group of
students need to choose teams for a science fair poster.
Suddenly the first pick changes.
It's the student who can draw.
The one who's creative.
The one who knows how to make things look good.
Same group of kids, but a different activity,
which leads to a different first pick.
Well, what changed?
The talent needed for an activity changed.
Unfortunately in school,
we often act like there's only one kind of first pick.
As a result, many of our students decide very early,
whether they're smart or not smart,
based on a narrow definition of success.
If you're a new teacher, you're juggling lesson plans,
classroom management, emails, and assessment.
And the idea of individualized learning for every student
can feel so overwhelming.
So let me assure you this,
this isn't one more thing to add to your plate.
A shift in what you know about your students and their
talents and skills actually makes everything else easier.
One of the most helpful reframes I've ever introduced in
my classroom is this.
The question is never, if you're smart,
the question is how you are smart.
The idea is rooted in the work of Howard Gardner,
who proposed the theory of multiple intelligences.
Whether or not you treat it as a strict science,
it's incredibly helpful framework for expanding what we
think about ability.
Instead of seeing intelligence as one narrow academic
measure,
Gardner suggests that there are multiple ways of being
intelligent.
When I introduced this to students,
I simplify it and make it conversational.
In the handout accompanying this podcast,
the nine multiple intelligences are more fully defined.
Well, here's how I explain it.
Word smart, you love reading, writing, storytelling,
playing with language.
Logic smart, you love patterns, puzzles,
and problem solving.
Picture smart, you think in images, you like drawing,
building, designing.
Body smart, you learn best by moving, doing, acting,
and creating.
Music smart, you notice rhythm, tones, sound,
you connect through music.
Nature smart, you connect with animals, plants,
the outdoors.
People smart, you understand others,
you can read a room well.
Self smart, you understand your own feelings, goals,
and strengths.
And philosopher smart, you ask, big questions about life,
meaning, and fairness.
When students hear this list, something shifts.
The student who struggles with reading suddenly realizes
they're incredibly body smart.
The quiet child who doesn't raise their hand off and
realizes they're deeply self smart.
The student who always notices when someone's upset is
being people smart, and it's a strength, not a distraction,
and that shift matters.
In your early years of teaching,
you'll see something heartbreaking,
students labeling themselves.
Oh, I'm just bad at school.
I'm not smart.
I'm not good at anything.
And when a child believes that behavior often follows,
disengagement, acting out, shutting down, refusing to try.
But when you broaden the definition of intelligence,
you create space for dignity and that changes behavior.
So let me walk you through a classroom exercise that I use
and how you might adapt it.
I begin with that playground scenario, and then I ask,
well, who would you decide to work with?
How do you know someone is good at something?
Do people get better because they're born that way or
because of practice and opportunity?
We talk about exposure.
Does a child who speaks multiple languages just magically
have talent?
Or have they lived in different places or have parents who
speak different languages?
Does a musician get better without practice?
This opens the door to a growth mindset conversation
without ever using the phrase growth mindset.
It also helps students to realize that multiple factors go
into whatever they observe as classrooms' various talents.
I then put students into groups of two or three.
I share the nine intelligences that I just mentioned,
and I'm careful to say this isn't about putting yourself in
a box.
It's about noticing strengths and areas of growth.
And here I need to emphasize something important.
This framework is not a diagnostic or assessment tool.
It's a language tool.
It gives students vocabulary to talk about themselves
without a comparison to others.
Each group picks one intelligence from the list and creates
a character who is strong in that area.
Then they answer the questions,
what is their favorite hobby?
What's their best subject?
What job might they have?
What historical figure or movie character remind you of
them?
If times allow,
you can ask them to pick a different intelligence and to
discuss the same four questions.
This part is powerful as it helps students to recognize how
they think about their own skills and those of other
students and what information they're using.
Students begin to see the different intelligences of the
people who are around them.
They realize the athletic isn't just athletic,
they're body smart.
The peacemaker isn't just nice, they're people smart.
And the deep thinker isn't weird,
they're a philosopher smart.
The final part of the activity is to have students take out
their journals and to reflect individually.
What three intelligences feel strongest for you?
Give examples.
Which two would you like to grow?
What are your family members strong in?
And why do people tend to develop certain strengths more
than others?
Notice that last question.
It keeps growth oriented.
For example,
students can realize that someone is body smart,
well then they're typically involved in sports,
which makes them better.
The message isn't you can't be good at everything,
but rather strengths develop through experience, interest,
and effort.
As teachers,
this exercise changes how you see your students.
You start noticing strengths instead of deficits.
The student who wants it still, maybe they're body smart.
The student who talks constantly, possibly people smart.
The child who stares out the window,
maybe philosopher smart.
When you shift from what's wrong with this child to how is
this child smart?
Your tone changes and students feel that shift immediately.
If you're wondering how to integrate this into the
classroom in your conversation with students,
here are a few phrases you can use.
How are you smart?
You're not bad at this.
It just might not be your strongest intelligence yet.
Let's find a way to use your strengths here.
Even during group work,
you can say make sure every kind of smart is represented.
Using that one sentence changes dynamics.
When students understand that intelligence isn't one size
fits all, it decreases comparisons, increases empathy,
and improves collaboration.
And perhaps most importantly,
students stop seeing themselves as the last pick.
They begin to understand that everyone is a first pick
somewhere.
As a final thought,
during your early years of teaching it's easy to focus on
curriculum coverage and classroom control.
But culture is what makes teaching sustainable.
When students feel seen for their strengths,
they take more risk.
When they take more risk, they grow.
And when they grow, you feel successful.
This exercise isn't about labeling students,
but it's about expanding possibility.
The question isn't if they're smart,
it's how they're smart.
Once students understand that,
and once you begin to look through that lens,
your classroom becomes a place where more students feel
like they belong.
And belonging is where learning truly begins.
Thanks so much for listening.
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