This document discusses characteristics of intelligent behavior that teachers should model, teach, and observe in students. It identifies several key characteristics including drawing on prior knowledge and applying it to new situations, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and innovation. For each characteristic, examples are provided of how they could be supported in the classroom, such as asking open-ended questions, integrating writing assignments, and facilitating discussions. The document emphasizes the importance of developing skills like empathy, impulse control, and collaborative learning to promote optimal teaching and learning.

1. Characteristics of
Intelligent Behavior
By: Kristen Spardello

2. As a classroom teacher it is important that
we model, teach, and observe intelligent
behavior in our students so that optimal
teaching and learning can take place.

3. Drawing on Knowledge and Applying it to
New Situations
 The trend in education today is for students to apply classroom knowledge to
real-world applications.
 The emphasis is on students to draw on prior knowledge and relate these
experiences to new situations.
 Students must be given ample chances to practice drawing on past
experiences in order to be successful problem solvers.
 Students need exposure to problem solving, critical thinking, problem
recognition, and project-based learning.

4. Examples and Support
Examples of Characteristics:
-Problem solving, Problem recognition, & Project-based learning
How you could support this characteristic in your classroom:
- In my English classroom I could ask students to problem solve and identify
“theme” (the author’s central message) in different genres using evidence to
support their answers.
-I could ask my students to identify what they think is the “climax” and “falling
action” is in a short story or novel to determine the problem recognition.
-I could have my secondary student’s create, illustrate, and publish their own
children’s book or short stories and read them to elementary or middle school
students, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, nursing homes, or senior centers.

5. Finding Humor
 Research has shown how humor positively effects on the body both physiologically and
psychological.
 Humor releases creativity and promotes higher-level thinking skills such as
eagerness, suspense, visual conceptions, visualizations, and relationship correlations.
 Having a sense of humor follows a growing progression comparable to what Kohlberg and Piaget
discovered.
 For the most part, young children and immature teenagers usually find humor in all the
inappropriate and erroneous things like racial slurs and vulgar language.
 Eventually young people strive to find humor in problem solving and creative thinking.

6. Examples and Support
Examples of Characteristics:
-Reading humorous tales, whimsical stories, riddles, and jokes
-Reading comics
-Making of your own fictional narratives
How you could support this characteristic in your classroom:
-Reading age-appropriate entertaining poems, short stories, graphic novels, and/or
novels.
-Ask students to create and publish their own comic series.
-Once my students create, illustrate, and publish their own comics we could have
them read and present them to other students with severe/profound developmental
disabilities and/or adults with disabilities in the community.

7. Creativity, Imagining, and Innovating
 Students need to be encouraged to learn and try their best.
 Teachers need to discourage students from saying “I can’t”.
 Teachers need to foster students’ motivation from within and not to focus or
rely on outside motivating factors.
 Teachers need to teach constructive criticism so that students realize that it
is not a personal attack on their self-esteem.
 Teachers need to promote the value of receiving feedback so that students
can learn to value viewpoints from others.
 Students realize the importance of their own instincts of, making educated
guesses and predictions.
 Students learn the “I can” attitude and that is okay to take risks.

8. Examples and Support
Examples of Characteristics:
-Integrate writing assignments that involve self exploration and self expression.
-Ask students open-ending questions that require a thought-provoking response not simple “yes or
no” close-ended questions.
-Praise often and respond warmly with reassuring comments.
How you could support this characteristic in your classroom:
-Incorporate “author’s chair” (sharing writing piece in front of class) students and teacher will
provide “warm and fuzzy comments” things they liked, and “cool comments” suggestions to
improve their writing piece.
-Ask students open-ended questions and encourage them to take risks, even if they are unsure of
the answers. Try to ask questions where that involves their opinion and there are no wrong
answers.
-I could have my secondary student’s do mock interviews in the community with business
professionals so they can practice interviewing skills and asking open-ended questions.

9. Listening with Understanding and
Empathy
 Psychologists suggests that having the ability to listen
intently, empathize, and to understand another’s point of view is one of the
highest forms of intelligent behavior.
 Having empathy is an important skill to have for conflict resolution.
 Listening, understanding, and thinking are used in town meeting, class
discussions, brainstorming sessions, etc., just to name a few.
 Sharing ideas, critical thinking, widening perspectives is accomplished by
listening to the ideas and reactions of others.

10. Examples and Support
Examples of Characteristics:
-Incorporate class meetings to discuss controversial topics
-Using brainstorming discussions/sessions
-Utilizing think tanks
How you could support this characteristic in your classroom:
-Facilitate Socratic Seminars where students initiate discussions, develop their
own questions, and take charge of their learning.
-After reading a novel as a class facilitate a book talk within the classroom.
-I could have my secondary student’s work with other English classrooms to
conduct book talks after school and invite community members to also share.

11. Managing Impulsivity
 Once student develop impulse control they think before acting.
 When students have difficulty controlling their impulsive behavior their ability
to problem solve and deal with conflict deteriorates.
 Teachers can teach student to think before acting, not to randomly yell our
answers, to wait patiently for their turn, to raise their hand before
speaking, and to think before arriving to premature conclusions.
 Research shows that emotional intelligence, to work collaboratively and
cooperatively, exhibit self-control, and to empathize with others is far more
of a predictor to success in the real world than one’s diagnostic gauge of
intelligence.

12. Examples and Support
Examples of Characteristics:
-Thinking before acting and answering
-Raising your hand
-Waiting to be called on
-Waiting patiently in line
-Refraining from constantly interrupting others
How you could support this characteristic in your classroom:
-Ignore a student who continually shouts out answers before raising his or her hand.
-Consistently waiting for a show of hands before calling on a student to answer a question.
-Offer verbal praise and recognition when a student thinks critically before responding and acting.

13. Reference
Kellough, R.D., & Kellough, N.G. (2011). Secondary School Teaching: A Guide to
Methods and Resources (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.