Chapters Eight UbD; Eight, Eleven, Twelve MI

Chapters Eight UbD DI Eight Eleven Twelve MI

When grading students’ work, it is very important that we establish what we are grading on. Giving a student a grade without specifying what he/she received the points on is very ambiguous, and could enforce negative qualities on work. We should also keep in mind the important parts of what we are grading. Does it make sense to really penalize students for forgetting to put their names on papers? Perhaps if it is a reoccurring theme we might do something about it; however, that takes away from the important parts of the scoring. If we grade by telling students that there will only be a certain amount of As, Bs, Cs, etc… then we create an environment in which students who get the As are the winners, and students who get below that are the losers. Why not let every student have the ability to get an A? Isn’t that what we are ultimately aiming for?

When getting a classes’ attention, we can’t simply use the typical, “CLASS!” and expect them to obey. This is merely using the linguistic intelligence, and may not affect the students who learn best with the other seven. One paragraph talks about displaying a large digital countdown clock so students can see how much time they have until they leave the class. I do not agree with this strategy because students, especially the ones who do not enjoy the class, will be more engaged in the clock than they will in the lesson.

In our classrooms, we should not regard children with special needs solely in terms of deficit, disorder, and disease. Instead, we should work within the parameters of a growth paradigm. Learning disabilities do not, in fact, only deal with students who are special needs. For instance, a student who is lacking in the musical intelligence, like me, could have a learning disability in the musical intelligence. In examining the differences between the deficit program and the growth program, we should be learning much more in the direction of the growth program, as it is more beneficial in nearly every way. IEPs, which are also mentioned in both of the programs, are too often given to students and lack the most developed intelligences while focusing on the weaknesses. This does not do us any good. This does not provide a lot of assistance for the teachers, as one of the most important things to be able to do is relate to the student based on their intelligences.

“How students think has become almost more important than what they think.” I like this quote, because we need to make sense of the students’ cognitive skills. I often think that I have a poor memory when it comes to certain things; however, after reading this chapter it makes me feel better that I may be better at remembering things if the information was provided to me in one of my intelligences. Now I can understand why this would be so beneficial to do in the classroom to get students to memorize the material better. We want to make sure, however, that students are not simply memorizing, but learning by discovery and actually soaking the information in. This will really help students out as well as me when it comes to moving on to other lessons in a timely fashion. 

Chapters Seven, Nine, Thirteen, and Fourteen MI

When considering the intelligences, we should also consider the best way students learn using them. Would it make sense to have the students of a specific intelligence, for instance linguistic, be spread throughout the room? What purpose would this have in our classroom if these individuals couldn’t talk together or communicate through their intelligence? As long as we differentiate and include all eight intelligences within out lesson then there should be no reason to separate the students. Doing this in the classroom can greatly expand the parameters for student exploration in each intelligence. Although students might do best with an activity based around their intelligence, should we let them venture into another? While the book suggests that it depends on the activity, I say it doesn’t matter. Let students explore; why refine their learning based on what we think is best for them in this case. We should do our best to provide students with experiences that activate all of their intelligences.

Just because a school provides a variety of different subjects does not mean that it should be considered a multiple intelligence school. An analogy that I like to use for this is: just because a pitcher pitched in the major leagues doesn’t mean that he is going to be a good coach. We need teachers who are going to differentiate and use a variety of strategies in order to accommodate for students of all intelligences. Each subject needs to incorporate all eight intelligences. I know that when I become a teacher, I will certainly use all eight intelligences in math; however, it will take the cooperation of all teachers, administration, and the students to create a totally MI school. If a school wants to be considered an MI school, it should consist of a lot of different specialists that are responsible for certain areas. The book proposes a theory that if schools want to be considered MI schools in the future, they should start looking less like schools and more like the real world. I think there is some truth and some false to this statement, although I can see the intent.

To prepare for the real world, a few important concepts for students to grasp are computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling. Many intelligences are used for each of these to be grasped. In the U.S., there has been a drastic increase in the amount of cultural diversity more recently than ever. When observing intelligences, it is important to keep in mind the MI theory: an intelligence must be valued by a culture in order to be considered a true intelligence. We should not think, however, that certain cultures only value one intelligence. Every culture uses all eight intelligences.

Every culture also uses the concept of existential intelligence. The book suggests the most appropriate way to integrate this concept into our classroom is to help students think about the existential dimensions of whatever they are studying and that assists them in considering the ways in which some professionals have incorporated existential concerns into their own work. The existential intelligence is used in nearly every subject as well, and should be touched on when necessary. 

FIAE Abstract & Synthesis Chapter Three

Abstract

This chapter, titled Principles of Successful Assessment in the Differentiated Classroom, spoke a lot about the different types of assessments and what to do and what not to do in helping students understand material. Many practicum students were skeptical of the idea of giving their students the end of the year exam on the first day. They think that it is only giving students an idea for the information they need to study for while blocking out the rest. Some other people, however, said that they would use this strategy because it gives them clear goals and guidelines of where they are going, and the essential ideas they will need to master. The students can show their knowledge by the three main types of assessments: pre-assessments, formative assessments, and summative assessments. There are many different styles to these assessments, and some people might prefer one over another. We need to make sure that there is meaning to the type of assessments we give students. It is also important that we provide the information to the students in such a way that they can all succeed.

Synthesis

It is the most helpful for students when there is meaning to the information we are giving them. If we give students a pre-assessment, be sure to tell them how they did (at some point), and why they took it. If you give students a formative assessment, explain to them why they are taking it and what they should take from it. We can see if the students are retaining the knowledge by testing them on similar material a couple weeks later. If their scores go down, we know that they are memorizing, not learning, and we need to adjust our teaching methods. Summative assessments have the worst reputation, and probably for good reason. At the end of the course, a big summative assessment is not used as a learning tool, only a tool to see how much students have learned. This is unlike the formative assessments where we can see what they have learned, and help them after the fact to get better on things they need to work on. Many students in here said that they would devise a different way to assess students because they did not like the typical “big test” at the end of the course. There are many other types of summative assessments that we can use other than the typical “big test.” Perhaps if we actually make an effort to have students enjoy what they will be tested on they will have a better understanding of the material. Allowing students to express their intelligences in different ways makes it so their knowledge is unveiled. We can also help students learn when we make sure that they understand their homework, and show them specifically what we want them to do. If they are unsure of the task, then they are more likely not to do it. If they do not do some of the homework assignments then they could miss out on key concepts that are essential to the class.

Chapters 6,7 UbD DI and 5,6 MI

Chapters Five, Six MI; Six, Seven UbD DI Synthesis

It is important, in the multiple intelligences classroom, that the teacher keeps the educational objective firmly in mind, and continually shifts methods of presentation between all of the intelligences to capture all of the students’ learning styles. Creatively combining these intelligences in the lesson is a great way to “kill two birds with one stone” and get every student involved in the class. A great way to integrate all of them in is to draw pictures, show video clips, play music periodically, use hands-on experiences, makes hand gestures, gives students time to think, asks group questions, and reference nature. It would not be too difficult to nonchalantly add these into my lecture, and accommodate for all student learning types. This multiple intelligence theory, however, suggests that no one set of teaching strategies will work best for all students at all times. There are practically an unlimited amount of strategies for teaching students based on their intelligences, although, some will be more effective than others.

In my classroom I will use a variety of strategies for teaching my students, and some great ideas were given in chapter six of MI. I was always a big fan of my teachers telling stories in the classroom, so I think it would be very powerful to incorporate a good story that relates to the lesson into the class. Students always think that they are getting the teacher to waist class time when they “trick” the teacher into telling a story but if I can make it fit into the lesson it will be great. Brainstorming activities are also a good idea, and can work well for a variety of intelligences depending on how you chose to go about it. If you have the student reflect for a bit and then share, you’re targeting the intrapersonal student, and by sharing in class you are targeting the interpersonal student. During any of the strategies, however, it is important that we keep in mind we need to talk with students, not at them. By doing these strategies we are also differentiating our classroom, which is a necessity today.

Differentiated classrooms are developed to ensure all students have access to high-quality, meaning-focused curriculum. This is very important, because the student people would think of as “not intelligent” can be in a differentiated classroom and have their individual intelligences come alive. Differentiation also reminds us that there will be times when a strategy can be used effectively with the entire class, work effectively throughout the whole class, and work effectively only with specific students or groups. We need students to be receptive to these strategies, and we can do that by establishing “orderly and enabling” learning environments which are mostly likely to teach for meaning and understanding.

For a student to come to an understanding of big ideas, it requires them to construct meaning for themselves. Teaching for understanding is huge, and is what separates the good teachers from the great teachers. It takes time to be able to figure out how a student will understand something by discovery, however, once they do so it is the best way that they can learn. Teachers can do this by uncovering the content. An iceberg is a good analogy, as only a small portion of it is visible, although there is an unbelievable mass unseen beneath the water. 

MI Chapter Ten

MI Theory and Assessment

When assessing students based on all of their multiple intelligences, it is important to have them put their learning in context. Put them in a situation where they would be expected to show their learning in real life. As teachers, we need to be able to recognize where students’ intelligences are, and we can do that by observation. Observation may be one of the best ways to discern which students may be matched with which intelligences. Also, Gardner makes a good point about integrating student interviews, or how I would like to call it, student/teacher discussions, into the classroom. These would be one-on-one sessions where the teacher could meet with the student to discuss their strengths, weaknesses, progress, interests, goals, etc… This shows students that we are interested in helping them succeed. It is important, however, that we actually put these interviews to good use and blend the responses into the lessons. I like the idea of these meetings because it allows the students to have their own bit of autonomy from their parents regarding parent/teacher conferences.

On standardized tests (assuming we give them), I think it is important to give students the opportunity to choose how they might answer a specific question. Perhaps they can show their knowledge by writing, drawing, relating, analyzing, etc… As long as what they show us is clear, and that they can articulate their answer in some way, then I would deem it acceptable. Some students express their knowledge differently than others; a prime example being the eight multiple intelligences, and we need to be accepting of that.

FIAE Chapter Six

Creating Good Test Questions

I think the biggest thing that I agreed with in this chapter was the portion about timed tests. Ken O’Connor said, “No one professionally would ever try to collapse their knowledge into one hour of intense performance.” As an individual who liked to take ample time on tests, I felt cheated when a teacher would say, “You have an hour to do these 15 problems.” I would rush myself and not do the work to the best of my ability; sometimes even leaving problems unanswered. In my classroom I will make sure that students have plenty of time to complete assessments.

Putting a little fun into assessments is beneficial for students who get overly stressed. This gives students a little something to look forward to on the dreaded “test day.” Some students do far better testing than others, and as teachers we should do what we can to help them without really helping them.

Some multiple choice questions are deceiving and inappropriate to ask. Asking students a question that could be interpreted as a, “What’s on the teacher’s mind,” question is not appropriate to ask. This does not test their knowledge of the content. We also want to make sure that we are not trying to trick students by the wording of our problems. We want to know what their mastery is of the material being tested on, not their mastery of being able to decipher a question.

I was a bit appalled when Wormeli talked about bringing just the answers home for grading purposes. Never in my classroom would I give a grade solely based on whether or not the answer was correct or not. I want to see students’ work and their thought processes, giving points where points are deserved.

FIAE Chapter Five

Tiering Assessments

I learned from this chapter that it is essential that teachers tier students based on mastery of a topic. It is important, however, that we do not make anything easier or harder for students. We, as teachers, need to accommodate for students—in a reasonable manner, of course. I am a little confused, however, because if we make it acceptable for some students to hand in work late occasionally, or extend the deadline for some students, will that not only create unrest in the classroom between students as they might get idea that some students have it easier than others? Understandably, it is supposed to be done subtly, and it has probably happened in many classes I have been it that I haven’t noticed, but I see a dangerous risk if it gets caught.

Perhaps creating contracts will help be a deterrent to any uprisings of issues with students. With these contracts they are supposed to work to the best of their ability to challenge themselves, but they also have the ability to work at their own pace so that they can get work in on a timely and well done manner. This, hopefully, will keep students to their word. For me, as a reasonably good student, it would keep me motivated to do well, even during the times when I really just wanted to stop and go to bed. It is just a little thing that might only take a few minutes, but could really make an impact on the quality and on-time-ness of students’ work.

FIAE Chapter Four

Three Important Types of Assessment

The use of portfolios in my classroom is something that I had not thought of using until reading this chapter. I believe I could make good use of a portfolio in my classroom, because it allows the student to keep track of everything important that we learned in the class, as well as teach them organization and professionalism. At the end of the quarter or semester I might have them use all of their information in their portfolios to produce a larger scale project that demonstrates they know the materials. Just because they put worksheets and projects into their portfolio doesn’t necessarily mean that they can recall the information down the road. I need to make sure that I am presenting information in such a way that they are accepting of, however.

As a student, rubrics are something that I loved and hated. I loved that I could go through and check off everything I had done, although I hated having to follow specific rules and regulations for a project. I think I will probably stay away from rubrics and let the students have autonomy in their production of projects.

Self-assessment provides valuable feedback to teachers as well as students. It allows the students to reflect on what they have completed, hopefully, in a truthful manner. I know for me, if I didn’t do something to the best of my ability, I felt guilty filling out a self-assessment and saying that I had done well (which I would never do, of course). This motivated me to actually work to the best of my potential the next time. 

FIAE Chapter Three

Principles of Successful Assessment in the Differentiated Classroom

Before I read this chapter I had heard one of my previous teachers say that students come to us biased on how they see subjects. This chapter touched on that by saying that for five to eight years before they get to us, they will have experiences many things that will have provoked different feelings towards every school subject and beyond. As a teacher we need to keep this in mind; students are not coming to us with a mind that is a clean slate. We need to take all their previous knowledge into account and be aware of it.

When I am a teacher I will make every homework assignment clear so that the students know what they are doing and know what the final product should look like. I know, personally, that if a homework assignment is not clear to the students, they will be far less likely to put time and effort into is, as suggested by the book. I would know, I’ve done it myself (I hate to admit it).

As I go through my lessons I think I will have frequent formative assessments. They will not have very much weight graded, and some of them will not even be graded. This is just for me to be able to see where my students are in terms of understanding and applying. For the summative assessment I will try to stay away from bubble sheets as best I can, because it is important for students to demonstrate their knowledge by either a project or any way they do best with their intelligences rather than guessing on a multiple choice question.

FIAE Chapter Two

Mastery

For students to demonstrate mastery they do not just need to be able to fill in a blank or circle in a bubble on an exam, they must be able to explain concepts and apply knowledge to situations. The six facets of understanding are explanation, interpretations, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge. All of these facets will play a role with the students in my classroom being able to prove to me they have mastered a topic. It is also important that I make sure I present information to students in such a way that they are not just memorizing information for the next exam, but they are storing so they can use it month later. School is not about memorization, or at least I don’t think it should be. That is why students don’t like school that much. I believe teachers should be presenting information to students so they can actually use it for present and future matters. Many times students are reluctant to be receptive to information because the teacher throws information at them that is not important to master. As a future teacher, we cannot just go through the textbook word for word and tell students everything is important. While all things are important to some level, some are far more important than others. I will go through the textbook and weed out information that I can briefly go over, and highlight information that is key to the course. Other things that I present in class don’t need to come from the textbook—they can be retrieved from online lessons or other sources.

FIAE Chapter One

The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set

It is true: even though we’ve all had teachers we didn’t like, they all differentiated in some way, shape, or form. This could have been when a teacher rephrased a question, provided a second example of a concept to help understand, grouped students by interests at tables, etc… Differentiated instruction provides students the opportunity to learn in the way that best suits them. Isn’t that how it ought to be? I will give my students options when it comes to projects; for example, writing a paper, making a poster, making a movie, doing a skit, etc… That way they can do what they feel will help them understand the material in the best way. The book mentioned, “Some tests are about procedures and processes, most tests are about essential understandings—knowledge, concepts, and skills—not how students came to the information.” While I agree with the fact tests should be about essential understandings including knowledge, concepts, and skills, I would not agree that it doesn’t matter how students came to the information. The book discussed whether or not select students should be given a graphic organizer to help them with a class. While I think this way of achieving information is absolutely acceptable, I want my students to work towards finding answers rather than getting the information handed to them. I believe one of the best ways to learn is to fail and then get the answer. That was the kind of student I was: have a hard time understanding the concept the first time and then work hard to figure out what I did wrong and get the right answer. 

UbD & DI Chapter Five

Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms

In this chapter were some very good points about the types of assessments that should be used in a classroom. I believe that a single test at the end of a topic will not prove that the students have learned, and it will not be a good representation of their knowledge of the subject. Personally I will have them do research projects, posters, presentations, and things that help them be hands on. Of course some students may want to write a paper or do something else creative with the topic which will be fine by me. Sometimes, however, mini quizzes and exams are necessary, although I will certainly not live and die by them. It is sad to think that most political issues are based off of standardized, or quick and dirty, tests. In this day and age we pride ourselves on individuality; I think it is stupid to base a student’s intelligence on how well they do on a single test. Some students may be really bad test takes and be great at explaining themselves verbally. Personally I did average on my SAT scores but was one spot away from being top 10% of my class. Just like the book says: “…Providing multiple and various assessment types increases the opportunity for students to work to their strengths and, ultimately, the likelihood of their success. It is important to give students the whole photo album—not just the snapshots, and that is what I plan to do in my classroom. 

MI Chapter Four

Teaching Students about MI Theory

This chapter provided some very good ideas about how to integrate the eight intelligences into the classroom. It is a good idea for the students to know that the teacher is trying to integrate the intelligences into the classroom because then they can be looking for the techniques while the class is happening. This will keep the students engaged in the lesson, furthering their chances of understanding it. I will use this idea in my classroom, like Armstrong suggested, by having the students answer some questions at the very beginning of the year. Like he said, it really doesn’t need to be a lengthy activity, basically only needing to be a fraction of the class. I think it is a cool idea to have professionals come into the room to talk about how they use the subject in their everyday life. For example, if I am teaching a calculus class, I can have an engineer come in to talk about the different ways he uses calculus in his job. I think this is important for students to see, because that way they can have their question, that they always ask, and have it answered: “Why do we need to learn this stuff?”  It will be difficult to accommodate for all of the eight intelligences in each lesson; however, the students can help. I will ask my students what will help them to learn the best in my class based on their intelligences and how they learn best. This will give each student a say so they feel like I am being an understanding teacher who is actually interested in helping them learn.

MI Chapter Three

Describing Intelligences in Students

Children, by the time they get to school, have already developed some of their intelligences—some much more developed than others. It is very important to integrate all of the intelligences into a lesson so each and every student can feel included and will get something more out of it. I know personally, if there was a lesson that had to do with music I would not be as engaged as if it had to do with athletics. As a teacher, I need to find a way to incorporate both of those, as well as the rest, into each lesson. I like the point that Armstrong made in the book that read, “Students are metaphorically saying through their misbehaviors, ‘This is how I learn, teacher, and if you don’t teach me in the way that I most naturally learn, guess what? I’m going to do it anyway!’” Perhaps we shouldn’t always get so upset at the student whose best intelligence is athletics and is acting up when the lesson is on music. Having read this I developed a strategy for best being able to meet every student’s need: on the first day of class I will have every student fill out a bio form. This bio form will include the students’ interests as well as their hobbies. They should also include what they are not interested in, and some concepts that they would like to see answered in the course. Through examining their responses I should be able to develop lessons that are useful and productive for every student. 

UbD & DI Chapter Four

What Really Matters in Planning For Student Success

Right off the bat there is a quote that I like and it says, “To teach for understanding is to provide the sort of intellectual diet that yields thoughtful, capable, confident learners—and citizens.”   I think it speaks volumes to what I want to do as a teacher: not just make the student better in the classroom but better as a person so they can impact the world in the best way possible. Similarly if we do not provide enough for the students that count on us then we can create learning deficits. We, as teachers, cannot teach everything, just like students can’t learn everything, so we need to make sure we hone in on the most useful information. Having said that, the information that we provide needs to be actuate and provided clearly. I need to make sure that I am not foggy in any of the information I am presenting, just like a bank teller is not foggy with numbers. It isn’t fair to the students nor is it right. In my classroom I will always make sure that I am up to date with what I am going to teach and that there is no ambiguity with my lessons. I am a little concerned that if I someday need to teach a class that I have not taught in a while that I will have, more or less, forgotten the material and I will need to teach myself again. I am sure, however, that my colleagues will help me to devise a lesson that is the most suitable for students. 

UbD & DI Chapter Three

What Really Matters in Learning (Content)

When I think about how much information the typical student is expected to absorb in a single day, it is a bit overwhelming. It makes sense that researchers Marzano and Kendall concluded that of 160 national and state-level content standards documents yielded a synthesis of 255 standards and 3,968 benchmarks. Many students are capable of managing this expectation; however, many other students have a very hard time putting it all together. That is why it is important to teach the big ideas and core processes within the content standards. The specifics and more in depth ideas are then taught by exploring and applying the larger ideas and processes. In my classroom, I will make sure to look at the big idea and periodically dive into the specifics. This is because students and parents both get the signal that the underlying goal of all school efforts is to improve student learning of important content, not just looking at textbooks and practicing for standardized tests. I will also teach for learning of important content, not content that is unnecessary, and regularly check for understanding on the part of all students so I can make adjustments as needed. It is also important to keep content standards, desired understandings and questions as a constant target. It is important not to deviate from the these targets because there are important things I need my students to be able to answer by test time, and if they cannot do the skills I have taught them, I have not done my job as a teach.

UbD & DI Chapter Two

What really Matters in Teaching: The Students

There were some parts of this chapter that I really agreed with and had to circle to make sure I never forget them. The first read, “When (Noah’s) way of learning became acceptable, he became a better learner.” Each and every student is going to have their own specific way of learning, and they should not lose the opportunity to learn because they have to do something that is not ideal for them. The next excerpt is similar to the first: “When learning challenges are already substantial, it is sensible to allow students to work in ways that best suit them.” For example if students learn far better alone (likely more developed in the intrapersonal intelligence) then should they be forced to work in a group? Perhaps it is important for the student to develop the ability to work with others. However, if it means the student misses a critical part of the course because they do not learn the material the way that is most beneficial to them, is it worth it? And the last portion of chapter that I took a strong liking to was, “Learning happens within students, not to them. Learning is a process of making meaning…” I want to be the kind of teacher that does not give the concept away right off the bat, rather the teacher that makes the student exclaim, “Ohhhhh!” in the middle of the class. The chapter also suggested that the teacher makes the class a safe place to ask questions. To accommodate for the students who do not feel comfortable asking questions in the middle of class or perhaps even privately to me, I will have a box in the room where they can submit their question/s and I will anonymously write and answer their question on the board.

UbD & DI Chapter One

UbD and DI: An Essential Partnership

This chapter analyzed how Understanding by Design and Differential Instruction are used together in a classroom. It provided seven axioms that demonstrated how some of the ways that UbD and DI interface. I learned that DI is a critical component of instructional planning because it provides a framework for addressing learner variance. UbD is focused on what we teach and what assessment evidence we collect while DI is based on whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach. As a teacher, I will need to make sure that I understand and attend to whom I am teaching, where they are being taught, what they are taught, and how they are taught. This will impact my classroom because I will be conscious of the students, the environment, the content, and the presentation so all students gain from the class. Something that I will integrate into my classroom stems from axiom 2 that suggests that when students understand the content, they are able to apply knowledge in the authentic contexts. I will have reasonable yet challenging quizzes and exams but I will not necessarily stop there for the students’ learning. Having them demonstrate their learning in the real world is ultimately what we want to see, and I will help them to achieve that. Axiom 5 also represents what I would like to do in my classroom because I want my students to want to explore, interpret, apply, etc… not just do it because they have to. If I can get them to use these tools they will not only be successful in my classroom but also in other classes.

MI Chapter Two

MI Theory and Personal Development

I think sometimes we take for granted that students may come from the same equal opportunity background that we did, forgetting that they may not have had the recourses available to them to develop one or more of their intelligences to a sufficient level. For students that are interested in becoming involved with a new activity that might develop one of their intelligences, it is important not to make fun of them or demine them as they may give up on the activity and lose the opportunity to learn. Like the book mentioned, a student may have lost the ability to delve into their artistic ability when a teacher poked fun at them for their drawing in front of the entire class. While I think it is ok to have fun with students, it is important to read the student first, and make sure doing something of that nature will not leave a permanent mark on them. Gardner suggests that no test can accurately dertermine the nature or quality of a person’s intelligences. I agree with this statement because, when it came to me, I was a great student who got A’s in class and worked hard but did very average on the SATs. Even though I a math major and get nearly all A’s in my math classes, I did average on the math section on the SATs. That is why I think projects are an important part of teaching students because it allows them to learn in the way that is most useful to them without sitting down and needed to take a test for an hour and a half to determine competency in the subject. 

MI Chapter One

The Foundations of MI Theory

This chapter was very explanatory about the fact that everyone has their own specific strengths and weaknesses. Some people may have a relatively low level of intelligence in all of the eight intelligences, or be advanced in all of the intelligences; more likely than not, most people fall somewhere in between. Howard Gardner understood that some people have intelligences that are working at higher levels than others—a great example being Savants. Savants are individuals who are highly developed in one intelligence, although are lacking in most others. Most of these intelligences were discussed in our first class when we made our pie chart and line graph about our responses to the scenarios on the worksheet. It was made very clear that in the classroom there will be a very wide assortment of students with a wide assortment of intelligences. That is why I will make sure my lessons are inclusive to all the students in the class who may be more developed in one intelligence than another. For example, I probably would have done better in some of my classes if the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence was integrated into the lessons, or we would have been able to use our interpersonal intelligence more. These were the two intelligences that I seemed to be most developed in. This also, however, can be a good way to improve students’ intelligences. Gardner suggests that no intelligence exists by itself, and intelligences are always interacting with each other. By making lessons and activities that integrate multiple intelligences, I can meet the needs of all students as well as help them develop other intelligences that they may be lacking in.