What Are The Differences Between Theoretical And Practical Intelligence? — rajtheblogger.com

Raj Kumar
7 min readDec 23, 2021

What are the differences between theoretical and practical intelligence? 3 Step technique to make learning more effective.

It is a popular topic amongst educationists, and you will find various descriptions of how intelligence-based education is better than theoretical education or the other way round.

Today, I will discuss my take on the topic and my feelings regarding intelligence-based education.

Let’s dive in and understand it with the help of a few examples.

Theoretical education is the learning method that involves reading from the book and memorizing the content to pass exams.

The ultimate goal of education is to remember the complexity of the content and write that on a sheet of paper to get the best results.

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Practical education is relatively different. It involves learning about a topic in detail to understand how the object works.

Differentiating between the two types of education is a reasonably challenging attempt.

So, let’s take help from our everyday items and how they can help create an analogy that fits our explanation.

It was the first item that came to my mind, as it was a laundry day. If we time travel to a decade earlier, the washing machines used to be rudimentary compared to today’s models.

Although those machines used to have the water flow adjustment and air pressure adjuster for the dryer, they lacked several artificially intelligent features.

For instance, an average-priced machine today is equipped with an artificially intelligent rotational motor and heated airflow monitor that adjusts to the requirement of the clothes.

For clothes that dry quickly, the dryer’s airflow would gradually reduce to save power.

For damp clothes, it would increase instantly to ensure that they are quickly dried.

We will talk about the lesson later, but let’s take another example before that.

In 2004, the highest selling car in America was a Toyota Camry. Although its massive sales were low price, the vehicle was highly-rated due to its automatic transmission that moved from an automatic manual to the CVT transmission.

At that time, the newer models of the car were equipped with an advanced gearbox that allowed the driver to switch between gears without any change in the car’s RPM.

Today, CVT transmission isn’t probably a perk anymore; it has become necessary.

However, the latest cars are a move toward artificial intelligence.

Today’s model of Camry comes with adaptive cruise control; it means that the car could automatically maintain a speed set by the driver, and its adaptability means that if a slower driver comes in front of the vehicle, the vehicle will reduce its speed avoid a collision.

Let’s take another example before reaching the ultimate lesson.

Smartphones are probably the most significant invention from the last decade, and they are filled with examples of technological progress.

However, I would take the example of a minute feature of today’s smartphones.

The latest smartphones come with automatic brightness adjustment; a device increases or decreases the screen’s brightness as the background lighting changes.

For instance, if you step out in the sun, you would notice that your phone’s brightness would increase to the maximum to ensure clear visibility; however, it would drop when your phone gets in less bright areas.

The feature isn’t old, and a decade earlier, mobile phones didn’t have automatic brightness adjustment. However, they still allowed you to change the brightness manually.

You might now be bored of these examples, so let’s move on to why I have mentioned these.

As you have noticed, a decade of progress has allowed us to produce autonomous machines.

They don’t need external interference to move forward or improve their efficacy.

For instance, cars used to have cruise control since 2009, but adaptive cruise control means they can automatically change pace.

The development meant that less external effort was required for efficient operations of the device.

Similarly, Theoretical education shows us a path to move on. It upgrades your literacy and makes you better informed of the contemporary world.

Although it helps solve problems, it has several restrictions. It teaches you to walk on a road that takes you to complete the exam.

However, it doesn’t help in solving any problem. If you encounter a newer issue, you would need some external help to solve it, just like the decade-old machines.

On the other hand, Practical education shows you how to create a road that can take you to accomplish your dreams.

It allows you to develop problem-solving skills that would come in handy during your life ahead.

Like modern machines, it makes you capable of handling varying problems without external help.

There is a lot more to the topic, and I would be grateful if you could stay with us for the rest of the blog to learn them together.

The later section will discuss how intelligence-based and theoretical education differ and better.

Theoretical Knowledge vs. Practical Knowledge

Theoretical and Practical Knowledge are two entirely different approaches to learning.

Academic Learning is referred to the process of acquiring information without adopting the practical approach.

However, Practical learning is wholly based on hands-on experience or training. In simple terms, practical knowledge guarantees that you can do something.

But, theoretical knowledge is only about knowing how to do it. In the previous section of the blog, I have briefly discussed Practical & Theoretical Knowledge.

Now, I will be comparing both Practical and Theoretical Knowledge. Let’s discuss it further in detail.

The three parts of the theory are analytical ability, the ability to analyze things to judge, to criticize. Creative, the ability to create, to invent and discover, and practical, the ability to apply and use what you know. -Robert… Click To Tweet

Practical Based Learning Develops Skilled Individuals

The most significant benefit of Practical Based Learning is that it develops Skilled Individuals.

Skilled Individual means a person or individual who has been trained and has sufficient knowledge for the task at hand.

As already mentioned that Practical Learning is majorly based on training. Continuous training helps an individual to master a Particular Skill.

Additionally, there has been a considerable demand for Skilled Individuals in the recent few years.

Businesses & Organizations have started hiring managers, supervisors, and service crews to help them cope with the operational demand.

Even the US Government has removed the restriction of the degree for getting a federal job.

You can qualify for much federal employment based on job-related work experience.

Practical Learning Examples

I know how to ride a cycle.

I know how to play cricket.

I know how to ride horses.

Theory-Based Learning Teaches “WHY”

Theoretical Knowledge teaches the “WHY.” It assists you in understanding why this particular technique is used, the benefits of using this strategy, the expected result, the alternative if this specific strategy fails, etc.

It teaches you through the experience of others.

Theoretical Knowledge Example

I know that I can prepare the food.

I know that I must pedal and have good balance to ride a cycle.

I know that I must have strong legs and hold on tight to ride a horse.

3-STEP LEARNING TECHNIQUE | MAKE LEARNING MORE EFFECTIVE

Are you struggling in studies or find it difficult to focus on Academics? Or falls somewhere in the middle.

If so, you don’t need to worry as this “Rule of Learning” would surely help you in Academics.

Firstly, you need to set goals. While you are setting goals, ensure to make realistic goals.

It is just because realistic goals are reachable. However, if you set unrealistic goals, you may not accomplish them, which might disappoint you and derail you from the track.

The next step is to create a schedule. Prepare a daily, weekly, or monthly plan and then stick to it.

Make sure to allocate more time to high-priority tasks. Don’t put the plan in your drawer. Instead, place it on the wall to remind yourself about the day’s remaining tasks.

Video Credit- Practical Psychology

It would be best if you didn’t put too much pressure on yourself.

Set some time for yourself, when you can do whatever you love, such as reading books, watching movies, or party with friends.

Theoretical & Practical Knowledge are both necessary for being successful. You won’t survive in any career unless you can bring results.

Therefore, you will need both Practical & Theoretical Knowledge. You can’t avoid any of them.

By this, we have come to the end of the blog.

In this article, we have discussed the concept of theoretical and practical knowledge, compared both techniques, and discussed the rule of learning.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog. If you have any queries or advice, feel free to comment down. You may also suggest topics for the next blog.

If you have any suggestions, please email me at hello@rajtheblogger.com.

I am looking forward to your suggestions.

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Originally published at https://rajtheblogger.com on December 23, 2021.

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Raj Kumar

I am Raj, Founder of rajtheblogger.com. I would like to share my thoughts and life experiences with the readers on this website. https://www.rajtheblogger.com