Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
September 14, 2015 by Mike Bergin

Making Mental Models

Intelligence just ain’t what it used to be. For much of human history, knowledge signified smarts. Those that remembered facts, recounted history, and memorized big vocabulary words presented as the formidable intellects in their towns, villages, or duchies. Simply knowing things is what made us smart.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the 21st century: a mere mastery of facts stopped being sufficient evidence of real intelligence. Knowledge remains necessary, certainly, but far from sufficient. Why isn’t remembering facts enough to be considered very smart? Albert Einstein, that immortal avatar of genius, described the distinction when asked to recall a simple fact, in this case the speed of sound:

“[I do not] carry such information in my mind since it is readily available in books. …The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.”

mentalmodel

True intelligence manifests in the way we think. In fact, we need many ways to think in order to understand and interact productively with the wide world. If we were to analyze the particular way a person thinks about a particular activity or node of experience, we might find an automated routine of reasoning, representation, and calculation attached to a theoretical framework. In the vernacular of machine intelligence, this would be called an algorithm. However, the term mental model makes more sense. These models define how we think about the world. The better our models, the smarter we can be.

Education today works with facts, of course, but the best teachers also emphasize critical thinking, abstract reasoning, and informational synthesis to promote the building of mental models. Just as important, the best tests assess models, not the regurgitation of facts.

Calculators can perform phenomenal feats of calculations. The computers we carry around everywhere can connect us to the most obscure facts. What good really are either of these tools in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to think?

intelligence learning mental models

Previous articleWhen Your Best Is Not EnoughNext article Mental Models for the SAT and ACT
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • Can You Accept Criticism?
  • Happy Pi Day!
  • College Admissions Testing for the HS Classes of 2024 and 2025
  • A Scholarship for Word Nerds
  • Foundational Math on the SAT & ACT

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Testimonials

We really appreciated your help and knowledge of the test- as well as all the helpful hints and things to look out for-I just wish we had found you earlier! We will keep you in mind for our next son...

Beth & Keith, Webster parents

Read more testimonials...

PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is the ultimate college admissions industry podcast. Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley every Tuesday and Friday as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts.
© 2023 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.