SENIOR SCHOOL
On teamwork
Some years back, in the early days of
developing the Catalyst curriculum, I came
across the work of Robert Sternberg. These
days there seems to be an ‘intelligence’ or
‘literacy’ associated with every aspect of
daily life but Sternberg’s claim to fame lies
in the theory of ‘Successful Intelligence’.
In his philosophy, Sternberg bundled up a
range of skills to construct a mix of abilities
which, he claims, is a formula for success.
Unsurprisingly, I like the theory because it
reinforces my own belief that being clever is
not enough to ensure success, and there are
many other things that contribute to how
well anyone does in life.
It might interest the Guildford Grammar
School community that we could lay claim
to being the first ‘Successful Intelligence’
school in the world. My take on Sternberg’s
philosophy suggests there are four skills that
a student needs to develop to be successful
– thinking skills (including knowledge
and intellect), social skills, development
of strengths and atte