If youre unsure about what these two concepts mean, let us break it down for you. Growing up, i was very street smart but not so book smart. With wisdom, humor, and amusing antidotes, the investment biker recounts his lifes experiences in a. Yes, people go to school to get educated, get all these fancy degrees and all that, gain knowledge about mathematics, science, biology, english, and other subjects, people have this perception that if they do not earn high marks. Apr 18, 2011 street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. The main distinction between the two is the difference between the sources of their knowledge. Had the nerd been exposed to the same situations they would likely learn faster and have better street smarts. 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. The prime distinction between street smarts and book smarts is who is at. It has a lot to do with your preferred learning style, and which way you perceive the world. Ikea stores in some countries advertise furniture for siestas wisdom culture. A very smart person who bases his or her arguments on facts from books. People who have streetsmarts may not have read as many books or. Its the difference between intelligence and wisdom.
How many times do you hear people trying to distinguish the difference between being book smart and street smart. My husband has street smarts, i have book smarts, we balance the knowledge out. Why street smarts always win out over book smarts when it. Adventures on the road and in the markets kindle edition by rogers, jim. Being street smart beats being book smart any day of the week. For many people, there is no difference between smart and intelligent, because the.
Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words 3 pages. Oct 29, 2015 this comes from the street smart world of street smarts. I say all this as someone who has a deep love for books, and who. Most important perhaps, being street smart comes from experience. The stereotype of a streetsmart person is someone who knows how to handle.
The general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. Street smarts is experienced, book smarts is learned through books. Sep 16, 2007 intelligence means that you can adopt and grasp new concepts. Tomas has published 9 books and over 140 scientific papers h index 60. 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.
By definition, an entrepreneur is a risktaking businessperson. In the end the book smart harvard debate team was defeated by the street smart prisoners. Education logic and common sense id rather have street smarts, intelligence, logic and common sense. Intelligence means that you can adopt and grasp new concepts. Whats more important in a guy, street smart or book. Before we look at the ways being street smart is different and in many ways. The definition heres how the dictionary defines the two street smarts. Jan 30, 2018 being street smart beats being book smart any day of the week. Apr 23, 20 when people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other. The flipside of this is street smarts, which means youve learned through experience. Both malcolm x, and gerald graff make very interesting points about street and book smarts. The youth made key distinctions between being book smart vs.
It is great to read a book and learn about a particular subject, viewpoint or opinion. 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. I respect what graff, and x have to say and agree with them, both book and street smarts are very important. The author claims that people are better off if they are more street smart than book smart. Academic intelligence is measured by iq and most classroom. Book smart vs street smart getting rich and staying rich.
Street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get seriously rich. If someone is book smart, that means that they acquire knowledge from various reading materials, classes and general studies within an academic. Gerald graff is an english professor at the university of illinois and has written many books. Book smart is defined as having knowledge obtained from study and books. This distinction is a direct challenge by the youth to the dominant discourse of smartness or book smarts as it operates in schools. The authors is very persuasive using real life examples. But, by far, the most common definition of smart is to be very good at. However, another term you may have heard used to describe the books smarts.
Iq tests can account for only 4% of the variance in reallife job performance. Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading street smarts. On this program we talk about words and expressions that we use in everyda. Street smart the psychology of good and bad judgment. Personally, i am more book smart than street smart. While intelligence has been defined in many different ways including as ones capacity for logic, understanding, selfawareness, learning, emotional knowledge, planning, creativity, and problemsolving. Street smart is a person who lives consciously, pays attenrion to things. This comes from the street smart world of street smarts.
First, there is a common misconception that most people only have one or the other, and if you have both you are going places in the world. Just as useful as book smarts, and in many cases more so. The reality is that they simply dont know what theyre not exposed to. Were talking about street smarts versus book smarts, and these two could not be any more different from each other. However, street smarts and book smarts completely mean different 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. Whether people are talking about themselves, or talking about another person, youll always hear them give some type of explanation that sounds. 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. Someone who is intelligent, learns well, and educated very well academically. Studies have shown that iq only counts for about 20% of our success, and it is our eq our emotional intelligence, how we deal with our. On this program we talk about words and expressions that we use in. However, the underlying idea is that the person deals with situations especially bad or difficult situations from an intellectual d. Without book smarts, a person can lack some knowledge to maintain a productive conversation, but street smarts are very significant as well because it helps a person to survive in a social environment and impress people with a quick intelligence, so it is best to cultivate these both types.
You need a combination of common sense and the ability to retain facts to be intelligent. What is the difference between book smart and street smart. The difference between academic intelligence book smarts and practical intelligence street smarts was first define in terms of the tasks involved neisser, 1976. So which are the differences between book smarts and really intelligent people. Sep 10, 2017 the general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. A shrewd ability to survive in a dangerous urban environment. 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. Street smarts vs book smarts, the epic debate continued.
Being street smart puts you at the centre of the knowledge. 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. Intellectualism by gerald graff is street smarts versus book smarts. And quite a few of the selfmade superrich are street smart.
Simply put, i am saying that street smarts are as equally as important in the world as book smarts. The general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well. Another huge distinction between book smarts and street smarts is who is in the middle of the knowledge. The truth is, being book smart and street smart has a lot more to do than just your upbringing and personality. It means youve learned how to take what has happened to you, good or bad, think about it, and learn to improve from it. In the book smarts world, theyll say, well, people should, in theory, love each other. The combination of practical knowledge and explicit knowledge is the key to a successful career. Here are 10 ways to tell you are more book smart than common sense smart. In fact, the term common knowledge accurately describes exactly what the name indicates, that the knowledge is common amoung people, and that the common. However, once people stopped shoving books down my throat and i got to pick my own choices, i began loving them. I have book smarts, but i have such a lack of common sense type knowledge. The flipside of this is streetsmarts, which means youve learned through experience. This is known as book smarts, meaning that you prefer to get all of your knowledge from reading or a classroom setting and that you havent necessarily put any of this intellect to use in the real world.
Book smart vs street smart essay research paper example. While many, if not most, people hold book smarts in the highest regard, the truth is. When it comes to book smarts versus street smarts, youve got them both, baby. However, they dont necessarily have a deeper comprehension of the topic. 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. Shelley bridgeman is a columnist for lifestyle at the new zealand herald. Whether one is more versed in street smarts or book smarts depends on the circumstances one has grown up under.
You are essentially studying what someone else has discovered. Book smarts derive their knowledge from theories and books and street smarts from experiences. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Simply put, a person who has book smarts is someone who is intelligent and. Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. The prime distinction between street smarts and book smarts is who is at the center of the knowledge. When people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other.
Relying on theoretical knowledge all the time can lead up to disastrous consequences because a little pragmatism is always necessary to analyze your current. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words bartleby. Like smart people are generally smart, but they lean more to one side of the scale. Now, its time for words and their stories from voa learning english. If you are trying to ascertain the meaning of the question, it basically means, do you have more knowledge and wisdom about books and ideas, or. What is the difference between street smarts and book smarts. Jun 18, 2014 whether one is more versed in street smarts or book smarts depends on the circumstances one has grown up under. You can geek out and study up like no ones business.
With wisdom, humor, and amusing antidotes, the investment biker recounts his lifes experiences in a manner that is as entertaining as it is educational. It cant be denied that the books smarts are indeed smart. Difference between book smart and street smart, book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. Jason may be street smart but he is also book smart. Book smart studied a lot from books, researches, theories etc.
Street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. In graffs essay, hidden intellectualism, graff compares street smarts to book smarts. There are several problems with the terms street smarts and book smarts. There is definitely a difference between book smarts and street smarts one isnt better than the other but the ideal is a balance between the two. The real difference between book smarts and genuine. Another huge distinction between book smarts and street smarts is. First, there is a common misconception that most people only have one or the other, and. This distinction is key because street smarts stress agency in countering. Usa today street smarts is another great read from one of the most astute global investors of our time. 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. So, my fellow book smart people, bear in mind that haters gonna hate and graters gonna grate. A recent debate at the eastern correctional facility in new york between prison inmates and the harvard debate team had me questioning whether its better to have street smarts or book smarts.
Im going to guess, based on my own experiences, that it is pretty often. Using your intelligence effectively in college by frozenflan on january 31, 2014 its the question weve all had in our minds as. 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. But you also know when its time to just dive in and start learning. 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. Why you need to be street smart, not book smart better. May 23, 20 street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get seriously rich. However, another term you may have heard used to describe the books. Oct 20, 2015 a recent debate at the eastern correctional facility in new york between prison inmates and the harvard debate team had me questioning whether its better to have street smarts or book smarts. Most people who are street smart arent very book smart and vice versa. This is known as booksmarts, meaning that you prefer to get all of your knowledge from reading or a classroom setting and that you havent necessarily put any of this intellect to use in the real world. Book smart people have a lot of general knowledge and do well at quizzes, but they might struggle with more complex ideas. Some are some of the brainiest and most knowledgable people around.