Chapter 12: MI and Cognitive Skills

Chapter twelve discusses cognitive skills and how they relate to the multiple intelligence theory. Educators are continually observing what a student is thinking, rather than focusing on how they are thinking. Teachers year after year become frustrated with the idea that they are teaching for nothing. They feel that if students are unable to retain the information they are being taught, then why teach them in the first place. Howard Gardner states that there is no “good” or “bad” memory, and that it all depends on how the information is being presented. All students are a little different, and will learn more efficiently when using a specific intelligence that is their strength. If a student is particularly good at remembering faces they probably have a strong spatial intelligence, or if a student is able to memorize music easily they are displaying a strong musical intelligence. In a traditional classroom most students are only able to use their verbal and spatial intelligence because of the instructional strategy used by their teachers. If educators are able to present ideas in a wide variety of ways they will be teaching to more intelligences, and more students will gain a better understanding of those ideas. The chapter continues by giving various examples of how to teach material to a range of intelligences. For example, a teacher may have one group of students work on their spelling by creating words with their bodies, while another group uses their singing talent to become better spellers. Educators who are able to associate the material they are teaching with the most intelligences will have more successful students. Students in the United States have shown improvements in spelling and arithmetic, but have showed a decline in problem solving abilities. The chapter describes strategies to improve higher order thinking and problem solving skills by using many intelligences in the learning process. Most students think of problem solving as just mathematical, this chapter discusses many ways people are able to enhance this skill by using other intelligences. The chapter then presents the “Christopherian Encounters,” the idea that students in the United States are only getting a surface level amount of information on specific topics. The example used in the book is how students were always taught that Christopher Columbus was the founder of country, and proved that the world wasn’t flat. This creates a problem for students because they may not be prepared for further education, and may be learning false ideas. Teaching all topics at an in-depth level is difficult because there is so much knowledge to learn and so little time for kids to learn it. Teachers must strive to push students thinking levels, strive to get students to “confront the contradictions in their own thinking.” This chapter closes by describing Blooms Taxonomy. Blooms Taxonomy which was created by Benjamin Bloom is made up of six levels of increasing complexity. Teachers can effectively judge a students true understanding by using the six levels of Blooms Taxonomy; knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. When a student is able to understand ideas using all six complexities they are displaying a deep understanding of those ideas.

This chapter discussed a variety of strategies educators may use to teach to a range of intelligences. It also talks about the ways students can use multiple intelligences to learn one area such as spelling or problem solving. It kind of made me mad when I read that teachers sometimes think; well if they aren't going to remember it then why should I teach it. I think that is just ridiculous. This chapter made it evident that getting all students to fully understand ideas is difficult but there are strategies for doing so. A teachers job is not easy by any means, but it is a profession which people should pick if they truly care about the development of students.

DI/UbD Chapter 8

This chapter discussed the 6 guiding principles of effective grading and reporting. The author stated that the following principles should be adhered to when setting up effective grading:

1. Grades should be based on clear and specific goals and performance standards;
2. Evidence used for grading should be valid;
3. Grading should be based on established criteria (such as in a rubric) not on subjective norms;
4. Not everything should be included in grades;
5. Avoid grading on average;
6. Focus on achievement and report other factors separately.

The chapter emphasized how grading and assessments don’t always go hand-in-hand, and that as educators it’s important for us to know the difference. This chapter is really trying to show how it’s possible to have a differentiated classroom with achievement standards which also takes into consideration individual growth, personal development and progress towards further understanding.

Mostly everyone agreed that these principles will be very helpful in aiding us to develop our own grading system. We also all seemed to agree that although it’s a strange concept for most of us, the idea of not emphasizing grades was very appealing, albeit a bit difficult to implement. There was discussion on how taking emphasis off grades is going to require more of a reporting system rather a report card, with emphasis on discussion rather than symbols for evaluations to be sent home. A few of us discussed how we have had classes where even though we got bad grades it was possible for us to learn more than in classes where grades were more easily given; so we’ve experienced that grade not matching the learning. Many of us seemed to worry that this system of assessing rather than grading was going to be more difficult but in the end more beneficial and well-worth the extra work.

Chapter 11: MI and Special Education

This chapter was about MI and Special Education. It is pointed out that there can be a deficiency in all of the intelligences. For instance, dyslexia is a linguistic deficiency while dyscalculia is a logical and mathematical deficiency. Deficit paradigm and growth paradigm was discussed in the chapter. Deficit paradigm is labeling kids based on their abilities or disabilities, focusing on errors, and things of that nature. Growth paradigm is avoiding labels and looking out for the individual. The chapter strongly pushes to not label students by their learning difficulties but to note them as a student with a special need. For instance, a student with dyslexia may be amazing at sports and therefore should be seen as a gifted bodily-kinesthetic learner with a special need in the linguistic intelligence rather than an athlete who can not read. A way to motivate students with a deficiency in a certain intelligence is to give an example of a famous person who faced the same difficulties as they are now. For instance, Edgar Allan Poe had emotional difficulties but is a famous writer. The development of IEPs using MI theory is also talked about. This is where instead of helping a bodily-kinesthetic learner read by drilling more linguistic activities you would use bodily-kinesthetic activities to help the student read. One interesting way to help a student with dyslexia is to teach them Braille. If MI theory is used in the regular classroom, then the number of referrals to Special Education classes will drop as the students are getting help in the normal classroom. Also, most of the behavior problems will drop and the classroom as a whole will be better off. As a whole, the class liked this chapter a lot. Most people brought up in their reflections that the chapter was helpful and/or interesting. Personally, I first thought it would be about MI theory for Special Education teachers (which I do not want to be) but it was about how to help students with learning disabilities learn in a regular classroom. I believe that kids with problems like dyslexia or some sort of personality disorder should be allowed to stay in the classroom and learn with the “normal” students. The teachers of these kids only have to teach to their special intelligence to help them learn. Joel and Emily wondered if this chapter would be brought up in the book and they were happy to see that it was. There were some, for a lack of a better word, disagreements with the chapter. Keith said that Special Ed. Integration could be both harmful and helpful in the classroom while Brandi was unsure if there would be fewer Special Ed. kids in schools if we used this technique.

MI Chapter 8

This chapter focuses on how educators can incorporate all eight intelligences into their classroom management. Most of the suggestions try to bring focus away from the usual linguistic approach and but it on other alternative approaches. One example that Armstrong gave was of a teacher who was trying to gain the classes attention by talking over them. When that didn’t work to gain their attention she just yelled “shut up”. And even then it only quieted the class for a minute and the whole scene just happened again. Rather than using your voice to talk over your students you could have a gesture (bodily kinesthetic) that means its time to be quiet. When you raise your hand every one is to mimic you in response showing that they are paying attention. Or you could have a musical signal, a picture, or other strategies that play on different intelligences other than linguistic. When preparing for transitions you can have specific cues that let your students know it is time to move on. You can focus on one intelligence for this and have many different cues for different activities. If you choose musical you can fit the music to be appropriate for the activity that it signals. If you choose spatial then you can choose a picture that represents what the students are supposed to be transitioning into. To communicate class rules you can also utilize the multiple intelligences. Although for this particular aspect of classroom management the linguistic approach is the most common you could still get creative and use other or many other intelligences. When dealing with disciplinary matters you can also utilize multiple intelligences. If a student breaks one of the class rules then what better way is there to reach them than through the way they learn best. So if you have a kinesthetic learner you could teach them how to deal with stressful situations by taking deep breaths. Or you could have them role play appropriate and inappropriate behaviors to show their understanding of them.
Many people had mixed feelings about this chapter. They liked the chapter because it offered many valuable ideas; however, they felt that this book is geared more toward elementary grade levels as far as student examples go. This means that most everyone’s reflections had the general consensus that there is no teenager out there that is going to want to walk around a room making an animal noise in order to find a classmate who is making the same animal noise. There are also other kinds of classroom management ideas that seem a little age-inappropriate such as classroom rules being designated to animals like a respectful rabbit and a quiet quail. The exception to this is that people liked the idea of using the school mascot.