Definition of booksmart adjective in oxford advanced learners dictionary. He might have problem putting his knowledge into real world. I once heard someone utter the phrase, when someone says that they arent street smart, but book smart, what i really hear is, im not real smart, but im imaginary smart. Being street smart means having interest in other activities more than in school work, while being book smart is the complete opposite of that. The authors is very persuasive using real life examples. The learning environment needs to understand that street smart students will be more engaged in writing an essay about sports, cars, fashion and other topics versus writing about plato and shakespeare. While which one is more helpful can be a matter of debate and also depends on the context, it is generally seen that street smarts weigh more on the. I dont have to tell you which side believes this, but i have one. Stories are written at the intermediate and upperbeginner level. Street smart definition of street smart by the free. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Jan 31, 2014 the truth is, being book smart and street smart has a lot more to do than just your upbringing and personality.
Volunteering for charitable causes and projects is also a good way to develop new skills. To the youth, street smarts are more important because they are connected to being able to maneuver through structures in. Book smart vs street smart essay research paper example. Sep 10, 2017 the general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. He would encounter people from that part of the hood daily.
The definition heres how the dictionary defines the two street smarts. Street smart, what are books going to do for you if you have no sense of anything else in life. No, not at all, i could be an ice cream man for all i care, school isnt anything. That puts you in contact with unsavory characters, the kind that typify the hustler that embodies the negative version of that word. Whereas, street smarts refers to the experiential knowledge on things. Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. Street smart definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. While which one is more helpful can be a matter of debate and also depends on the context, it is generally seen that street smarts weigh more on the scale when it comes. Dec 09, 2015 book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically.
Why you need to be street smart, not book smart better. The truth is, being book smart and street smart has a lot more to do than just your upbringing and personality. In reality there is zero difference between the two. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. First of all, if you feel the need to justify your own intelligence, it means that you are probably not smart at all. Dont get me wrong, im not saying youre stupid, but you are not smart. Street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get. Voa learning english presents news, features, audio, video and multimedia about the u. Growing up, the only book smart people were into academic studies while street smart people were athletes.
Book smart can be described as exam smart or academically smart. Book smart people are often educated to a high level. Book smart people have often studied hard to achieve their level of knowledge. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word street smart. I mean, getting a degree is what will get you into a good career. Posted on september 8, 2015 by pplscrt79 i once heard someone utter the phrase, when someone says that they arent street smart, but book smart, what i really hear is, im not real smart, but im imaginary smart. Some people are analytically intelligent or book smart. I think a good definition of a street smart person is someone who uses their life experiences, and common knowledge to make decisions. A shrewd ability to survive in a dangerous urban environment. For many people, there is no difference between smart and intelligent, because the. Graff believes that having the personality of a street smart person can benefit society if one knows how to channel their potential correctly. The distinguishment between street smarts and book smarts is a. Book smart or street smart who would be your choice.
Definition of street smarts in the idioms dictionary. Street smart definition and meaning collins english. 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 are out there to experiment with the world and make decisions that no one else will think of but in their test and trial method, there will be errors and mistakes. As someone who is really book smart, i desperately wish i was more street smart and at this point in my life would be willing to trade my book smarts for street smarts. He states, the need to prove i was smart and the fear of a beating if i proved it too well. However, to the street smart, the booksmart are commodities and. They took the angle looking in on the topic of street smarts vs book smarts on the job market. Street smarts vs book smarts talking about thinking. Test your smarts with these savvy questions to find out if youre book smart or street smart. What is the difference between book smart and street smart. Book smarts enjoy the structure of the learning environment. Ask two different street smarts and you will have plethora of options and out of box solutions at hand. You have a good head on your shoulders, and as long as you trust your instincts, you know youll be fine in this world.
Someone who is intelligent, learns well, and educated very well academically. The real difference between book smarts and genuine intelligence. Book smarts refer to the education, schooling and other kinds of knowledge that one has acquired. Intellectualism by gerald graff is street smarts versus book smarts. You may not have done the best on quizzes or term papers, but you are very observant and perceptive person. For example, 25% of people on social media have posted something they later regretted, the divorce rate in the us is 50%, and over the past decade the tattoo removal industry has grown 440% although tramp stamps and tasteless tweets are mostly benign mistakes, there are a remarkable number of people whose. Graff says that knowledge goes far beyond academic learning and continues into our everyday living. Someone who is street smart knows how to deal with difficult or dangerous situations. Many studies support higher education for police officers, encouraging the disciplines beyond what is actually taught. These experiences bring about opportunities to work with people from different backgrounds and cultures thus broadening the spectrum of human interaction and, in turn assist in the development of interpersonal skills. Street smart person finds his own interest, and gets his knowledge from experience. The street smart superrich credit the book smart for their mastery of a sophisticated topic, which is why they hire these experts. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to.
Just as useful as book smarts, and in many cases more so. Information about street smart in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. Why being street smart is better than being book smart. But there is a lot to say about the value of being street smart. Being able to succeed scholastically, and not necessarily in the real world. When looking at two candidates if all things were equal besides one having a mba from harvard and one having a community college mba it would be common to pick to more book smart harvard mba recipient book smarts 2005. So, when students do well at school and get good grades, we can call them smart. It solely is a theoretical understanding of facts or ideas. Common sense knowing who you can trust, which areas in town are good and which are bad, etc. Sometimes the people who are book smart are useless when it comes to the actual job. To be street smart, you have to spend time on the streets. On the other hand ive met a lot of people that brag about their knowledge, but havent accomplished anything great in life. Apr 29, 2018 they took the angle looking in on the topic of street smarts vs book smarts on the job market.
Street smart tv series, a 2018 australian television series. It has a lot to do with your preferred learning style, and which way you perceive the world. Street smart success stories if you were pressed to name the two most popular billionaire executives in technology, it would be hard to beat bill gates and steve jobs. Im just lonely and the world terrifies me and i just want to feel like i have more of a place in it. This distinction is a direct challenge by the youth to the dominant discourse of smartness or book smarts as it operates in schools.
Intelligent people are often street smart, in that they have learned from their own experiences. 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. My stepsister is book smart but not street smart, she cant. It is one thing to know all the technical aspects of a product you are trying to sell but it takes street. But, by far, the most common definition of smart is to be very good at learning and understanding things.
Schwartzs street smart is a dazzling and affectionate history of the struggle for control of american cities, and an inspiring offroad map to a more vibrant, active, and vigorous urban future. Apr 23, 20 sometimes the people who are book smart are useless when it comes to the actual job. Discussion in space battles main started by evilmunchkin, aug 19, 2017. Street smart in the article, hidden intellectualism, gerald graff discusses the topic of book smart versus street smart. However, the underlying idea is that the person deals with situations especially bad or difficult situations from an intellectual d. Last season the apprentice was based on this dichotomy, pitting a team of people with higher education against a team whose members had less formal education. Getting along with others knowing which questions to ask and not asking too many,being polite and friendly, but also being assertive. The author claims that people are better off if they are more street smart than book smart. Street smart film, a 1987 film with christopher reeve and morgan freeman. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words bartleby. Street smart definition of street smart by the free dictionary. Street smart the psychology of good and bad judgment on november 10, 2015, in dr. Apr 18, 2011 book smart person is a gobbler of books who is well educated.
Study this, take this test, get this right answer, move. Would you rather be a complete book smart person or a complete street smart person. For many people, there is no difference between smart and. Its clear that some people have better judgment than others. The real difference between book smarts and genuine.
Being street smart means having interest in other activities more than in school work, while being book smart is. Street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. Sure, but the real value is the way you learn to work with people. Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an intellectual advantage over other forms of intellectualism. Tomas chamorropremuzic, editorial advisory board, leadership, learning, talent management, by dr. Street smart versus book smart in his article hidden intellectualism, gerald graff criticizes those that do not put value into street smarts. This type of intelligence is used to recall or recognize, analyze, evaluate, and. Oct 14, 2017 but, by far, the most common definition of smart is to be very good at learning and understanding things. It is one thing to know all the technical aspects of. We all know people who are book smart but clueless in the real world, and those who are street smart but unable to handle any environment other than the one theyre used to. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words.
Or man, that kid is really smart, but he has no street smarts whatsoever. You get street smarts when people try to take advantage of you, when they try to bully you, or when they try to bamboozle you. Most people who are street smart arent very book smart and vice versa. Street smarts definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Information and translations of book smart in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web.
It would be foolhardy to say that being book smart isnt a good thing. Competition, entrepreneurship, and the future of roads, a book about private highways. Gerald graff is an english professor at the university of illinois and has written many books. Jan 24, 2018 i love the opportunity to answer this question, but most people arent going to like the answer. Street smart, a 1987 film with christopher reeve and morgan freeman. In graffs essay, hidden intellectualism, graff compares street smarts to book smarts. Street smart, some of the most successful people i know dont read books. Street smart video game, a 1989 arcade game by snk.
When you are street smart, you are able to discern when a situation is going south or when a situation is fine and safe. Streetsmart success stories if you were pressed to name the two most popular billionaire executives in technology, it would be hard to beat bill gates and. When people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other. Intelligent people may or may not have been educated to a higher level. The youth made key distinctions between being book smart vs. I love the opportunity to answer this question, but most people arent going to like the answer.