Lesson Title

STERNBERG’S Successful Intelligence Theory,

Wics Model And Problem-Solving Creativity

Introduction

Robert J. Sternberg is a cognitive psychologist who is currently the Professor

of Psychology at the Oklahoma State University. He is a cognitive psychologist who
did an extensive work in the field of intelligence. As a youngster, he had difficulty
with intelligence tests. He did not perform well on such tests. This might have
fuelled his interest in the field that lead him to come up with the Triarchic Theory of
Intelligence in the 1980s. Over the years, his theory evolved from the more
complicated, componential Triarchic Theory to the simpler, successful intelligence
theory. More recently, in collaboration with other prominent psychologists, he
proposed the WICS (Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, Synthesis)Model. It is an
alternative paradigm to deliver more relevant admission, instruction, and
assessment in education. This lesson will introduce you to the theory and the
model. It is hoped that it will spawn your interest and make you want to explore
more.

*Topic Objectives
Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students can:
1. explain Sternberg‘s Successful Intelligence Theory and WICS Model;
2. demonstrate enjoyment of working on WICS-based tasks and activities;
3. prepare a lesson guide that is based on the WICS model;
4. explain the four criteria of creativity by Torrance
5. apply problem-solving skills; and
6. answer the given activities after the lesson.

Stimulating Activity (Motivation)

We will ask the students about these four skills below and let them do the
brainstorming and come up with their ideas; after that, they will going to share those
ideas with the class.
  Memory skills
 Analytical skills
 Creative skills
 Practical skills

Content Outline
Successful Intelligence Theory
The four skills included in the theory are described below:
1. Memory skills help us recall facts and pieces of information. It helps us retain the
knowledge we acquire
2. Analytical skills help the person determine if a certain idea is good.
3. Creative skills allow a person to come up with a new idea, usually to answer a
need or solve a problem. It makes one flexible and able to adjust to
changes in one‘s situation
4. Practical skills enable a person to apply what one has learned. It also allows one
to carry through or implement a plan.
5.
Sternberg believed that traditional views of intelligence focused heavily
on memory and analytical skills. This traditional view led to teaching strategies
that focused mainly on memory and analytical skills as well. It naturally
followed that assessment of learning likewise concentrated heavily on these
two skills.
Memory and analytical skills are very much necessary. Being able to
recall information or have knowledge is needed to begin thinking creatively.
One cannot apply knowledge witch he cannot remember. Analysis is
important before one can think of new and better ideas. However, memory and
analytical skills should not be the only focus of education.

Sternberg also emphasized creative and practical intelligence.

Creativity is what moves people forward. Creativity gives birth to new and better
solutions to problem. Without creativity we will get trapped in things and ways that
don‘t work anymore, practical intelligence, on the other hand, makes us apply what
we have learned. It gets us to actually do what needs to be done.
 According to Sternberg, successful intelligence is ―the ability to
succeed in life, given one‘s own goals, within one‘s environmental contexts.‖ It
is maximizing one‘s own strengths not only to adapt to one‘s environment, but
to also contribute significantly.

Each person may have his/her own unique way of practicing the four skills
because each has different strengths. The idea is to further develop one’s unique
strengths in the context of the four skills rather than simply making it the goal of the
school to just develop memory and analytical skills.
The theory of successful Intelligence points ―that some student who do not do well
in conventional courses may, in fact, have the ability to succeed, if they are taught in
a way that better fits their patterns of abilities.‖ The balanced combination of the four
skills of memory, analytical, creative and practical skills is what leads to successful
Intelligence. It is vital that we remember what we learn (memory); use critical
thinking to evaluate the things we learn (analytical); be innovative in finding better
ways of doing things and solving problem (creative); and put to action what we learn
(practical).

The WICS Model

In the WICS model, intelligence is viewed as a set fluid abilities to
learn from experience and to adapt to one‘s surroundings. Individuals possess
abilities that can be nurtured into competencies and further cultivated into
expertise. The WICS is a more recent model of how humans think and
reason that can help us understand how students will learn most effectively. It
aims to develop basic abilities to true expertise.

WICS stands for wisdom, Intelligence, creativity, synthesized.

Sternberg (2010) described the WICS model as follows:
―The basic idea is that citizens of the world need creativity to form a
vision of where they want to go and to cope with changes in the environment,
analytical intelligence to ascertain whether their creative ideas are good
ones, practical intelligence to implement their ideas and to persuade other
of the value of their ideas, and wisdom and order to ensure that the ideas will
Help achieve some ethically-based common good, over the long and short
Terms, rather than just what is good for them and their families and friends.
Applying the WICS Model
The uses of the WICS model include admission, instruction and
assessment. However, for this lesson, we shall focus only on the model‘s
Instructional and assessment uses. One way that you can apply the WICS model in
instruction is when you reflect and make choices on the tasks and activities that you
will give to
teach and assess your students. You may choose to teach analytically, creatively,
practically as well as teach for wisdom. Your choice can be based on the
preferences and strengths of your learners. This is useful for any level, from
preschool to higher education, Sternberg described each of
these. Some examples relevant to education in the Philippines are also
provided below. How do you teach analytically? Make your students use critical
thinking.

Design tasks and activities that provide opportunity for your learners
to
1. Analyze 4. Compare and Contrast
2. Critique 5. Evaluate
3. Judge 6. Assess

Here are some examples for analytical intelligence:

a. Analyze the development of the character of Ibarra in Noli Me Tangere

b. Critique the design and features of the latest smart phone
c. Judge the artistic merits of Filipino cartoonist, Larry Alcala‘s ―Slice of
Life.
d. Compare and contrast the Italian approaches of Montessori and
Reggio Emilia in early childhood education.
e. Evaluate the validity of the theory of evolution. Write a term paper on
this.
f. Assess the strategy of the Manila city government to improve the traffic
situation around the city.
 How do you teach creatively? It is important for you to encourage and sustain
your students‘ creative ideas. Remember to be an example to them by taking the risk
to share your own creative ideas. Think out of the box. Design tasks and activities that
help students to:
1. Creative
2. Invent
3. Discover
4. Imagine if…
5. Suppose that…
6. Predict
Here are some examples for creative intelligence:
a. Create an alternative ending to Florante at Laura (Literature)
b. Invent a dialogue that would transpire if Jose Rizal and Ninoy Aquino
met (Araling Panlipunan)
c. Discover a way to explain why heavy ships float at sea. (Science)
[Link] if the EDSA Revolution did not happen in 1986. What do you think
our country will be like present and 10 years later? (Araling Panlipunan)
[Link] that you were to design a computer game to help[ children learn
about love and sacrifice. The game you will create. (Computer Education,
Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao)
f. Predict changes that will happen if humans had a third eye at the back of
their heads. Choose an appliance or gadget that would need to be changed
in order to be useful. Proposed a new function design. (HELE)

How to do you teach practically? Have in mind real life situations

where students can use what they learn to meet their own and also others‘
practical needs.

Design tasks and activities that allow your student to:

1. Apply
2. Use
3. Put into practice
4. Implement
5. Employ
 6. Render practical what they know
Here are some examples for practical intelligence:
a. Apply addition concept in determining number of boys and girls in
the classroom (Mathematics)
b. Use the knowledge of Excel to keep track of daily household expenses
(Computer Education, Mathematics)
c. Put into practice what you learn about classroom rules in making your
own classroom rules poster (Classroom Management)
d. Implement a lesson plan that one has made ( Principles of Teaching)
e. Employ the formula of computing the area of one‘s living room
to determine the number of tiles needed to cover the floor.
f. Render practical a proposed assembly design for a computer PC

How do you teach for wisdom? One of the goals is for learners to learn to
see and understand the point of view of others. It is important for your
learners to balance one‘s own needs with the needs of other people and also
that of the world or the environment. It is developing your learners to
consistently act based on positive ethical values. You teach for wisdom when
you are able to move your students to:
1. try to find a common good
2. see things from others‘ points of view
3. balance your own interests with those of others and of institutions.
4. look at the long term as well as the short term
5. reflect about how one can base his every decision on positive ethical
values
6. appreciate that in life what is seen as true and effective may
vary overtime and place
Here are some examples for wisdom:
a. What might be a solution for the common good in the Philippines and
China claim on Spratly Islands ?(Araling Panlipunan, Political
Science)
b. Think of a person you had a conflict or fight with. Put yourself in the
person‘s place. Write down her point of view and concerns as detailed
as
 possible. What can you do or say to express that you understand the
person now? ( Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao)
c. Should parents expect their children to take care of them when they are
old? Why? (Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao)
d. How is global warming going to affect the world, and the Philippines in
particular? What can you do? (Science, Geology, Edukasyon sa
Pagpapakatao)
e. Is it ever ethical to shoot down a plane with civilians and terrorists on board
if the terrorists plan to slam the plane to a building with thousands of
people? (Edukasyon sapag papakatao)
f. How does parenting change over time? What would you say are different
now than before what are the constant things that should be present to
make the parent-child relationship work? (Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao)
g.
The WICS model has been used not only for instruction but also for
admission and assessment. Sternberg and his colleagues proposed, tried out
and studied creative ways of doing student admission as well as assessing
students‖ learning. Based on their studies, the WICS model was successful
for teachers and their learners because it (1) celebrated the differences of
learners through a supportive learning environment, (2) made students
remember better what they learned, (3) build on the strengths of the learners,
and (4) strengthened the motivations of the learners.

Torrance Framework for Creative Thinking

A common framework for creative thinking processes is described by
Torrance (1979). Each aspect is defined below, along with ways to facilitate
the respective aspect by using key words and application activities.
 Fluency – this refers to the production of a great number of ideas or
alternate solutions to a problem.
Key words: compare, convert, count, define, describe, explain,
identify, label, list, match, name, outline, paraphrase, predict, summarize.
Sample Application Activities:
 Trace a picture and label the parts
 Outline an article you find on your topic
 How many uses can you think of for a clothes hanger?

Flexibility – refers to the production of ideas that show a variety of

possibilities or realms of thought.
Key words: change, demonstrate, distinguish, employ, extrapolate,
interpolate, interpret, predict
Application ideas:
 What would happen if…there were no automobiles?
 How would a … dog look like to a flea?
 How would you feel if… you were invisible for a day?
 How would you group the ideas about ―red into
categories? Example: fruit, safety features, vehicles
Once categories are identifies, fluency may be further demonstrated
by generating more ideas about the idea red within categories. Even a
modest attempt could result in the following lists, recognizing that the
creative thinking process may shift the mind in a spiral way between all
four aspects of creativity.
Elaboration – refers to the process of enhancing ideas by providing more
details. Additional detail and clarity improves interest in, and understanding
of, the topic.
Key words: appraise, critique, determine, evaluate, grade, judge, measure,
select, test.
Application ideas:
 Tell your neighbor about your last family trip using as many
details as possible.
  What can you add to improve its quality or performance.
 Describe all the possible characteristics of the red quality in a
wagon. Examples: shade, finish, texture, uniformity

Originality – it involves the production of ideas that are unique or

unusual.
Key words: compose, create, design, generate, integrate, modify,
rearrange, reconstruct, reorganize, revise
Application ideas:
 Find an original use for
 What would be the strangest way to get out of bed?
 Design a new that is better than the one you have.
 Write an unusual title for the
ideas about red

Summary

Sternberg present a model for education that is relevant to the need

of the time. Time and again the world has seen leaders on countries,
corporations, religious groups and other institutions who have been
considered intelligent. They were capable of serious analysis of issues and
problems. They were good at coming up with new ideas. However, some of
these leader lacked the moral and ethical ―muscles‖ to really act for the
good of their people and not just for their own. Your role as a teacher is not
to educate the mind alone, but to educate the soul as well. Accept this
not just as a job but embrace it as a mission.
Sternberg proposed that while education develop analytical and
practical intelligence as well as creativity, wisdom should be an integral
part of the whole process. Whatever topic you will be teaching, it is
important to integrate questions, tasks or activities that target the
development of wisdom. You should also come up with creative ways for
your learners to put together or synthesize intelligence, creativity and
wisdom.

Moreover, Creative Problem Solving (CPS) is an intentional process

for solving problems and discovering opportunities. It espouses the use of
creativity in coming up with solutions which are not only novel but practical
as well. In the 1950s Alex Osborn described this process in his book,
Applied Imagination. Osborn opened the process in the public domain
which meant anyone can use it. Over the years countless people have
utilized the CPS in the various fields and endeavors.