MI+B2+Chapter+2


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Synthesis- Rachel Joiner
After reading, the classes’ blogs on their ideas of what they learned from the [|MI Theory]chapter 2, I created a brief summary of what the class has learned in general. Some important things that continued to appear were how important is to know your own intelligences as a teacher before you can start informing your students about the multiple intelligences. Many people mentioned they had learned various ways to include multiple intelligences in the classroom; one of these was to ask colleagues on how they include MI in the classroom, or just how they use their own personnel learning style in the classroom. This was one of the biggest things that people learned from this chapter. In addition, most people mentioned to ask students for their help to include MI in the classroom. A common example throughout was asking students to draw a picture on the board, this helps the student by getting them involved and the teacher for displaying other intelligences. Crystallizing and paralyzing experiences were an important thing that kept coming up. They are huge factors in a classroom; one fosters growth, while the other hinders learning. Technology also seemed to be a big part from MI; everyone seemed to agree that integrating technology was a positive way to utilize various intelligences. Varying classroom techniques to keep all students involved seemed to be an important part of the learning from this chapter. Several people also mentioned in order to teach students well, we need to develop our own weaker intelligences in order to best serve our students. Most everyone seemed to agree that in order to help our students we must understand ourselves first. The class blogs also had many insightful reflections and feelings about the MI Theory in chapter 2. Some of these reflections and feelings included the idea that school should be a safe environment where students can feel free to strengthen their intelligences. This is important, because students need to have an environment they can learn and grow. Everyone seemed to agree that in order for students to be successful it is important to make all students feel involved. This can be done by having them demonstrate their intelligence on the board or some other similar [|activity]. Another thing that people seemed to be concerned about was always encouraging students. This was an important aspect in almost everyone’s blogs. By encouraging students, they are more willing to try new things. Many people mentioned that realized after reading the chapter that they needed to watch how they react to students, and be aware to never shut them down. Several blogs mentioned being aware to such things, and they did not want to stop a student from learning in their own individual way. For many people it was important to focus on creating more crystallizing experiences for their students. Many people also mentioned the idea that teaching needs to be specific to the student, the teacher cannot provide “blanket” lessons or examples and expect every student to understand. We as teachers need to take it upon ourselves to work each example to fit each student. One of the other most important things mentioned in everyone’s reflections was the idea that we as teachers must expand our intelligences, to help students better understand and makes us a better teacher. toc

Morgan Ware
The chapter starts out by saying that before you can apply MI Theory to your classroom you first have to know your own multiple intelligences. To figure it out there is no test to take. The way to find out is to assess the performances and tasks that you do. There are many things that a teacher can do to use the eight multiple intelligences in the classroom. One is to use your colleagues. They will know more about bringing the multiple intelligences into a classroom. The next is asking students to help out with bringing ideas into the classroom. They could draw images on the board to fully explain a topic. There are main factors to develop multiple intelligences, biological endowment, personal life history, and cultural and historical background. These factors can all determine what a person’s multiple intelligences. There are activators and deactivators of intelligences, crystallizing and paralyzing experiences. These are the turning points in the development of a person’s abilities. Paralyzing experiences refer to experiences that shut down or stop the development of intelligences. These experiences can leave a person filled with shame, guilt, fear, and anger. There are also many factors that can either be harmful to helpful to the development of intelligences, access to resources or mentors, historical/cultural factors, geographic factors, family factors, and situational factors. The MI Theory helps educators understand how their own profile of intelligences affects their teaching.

Matt Roy
This was probably my favor chapter that we have read so far (not because of the length). I really enjoyed how they dove into all the factors that contribute in the development of intelligences and strengths of students. I was really happy to see that the author acknowledged the idea that all of us are each hard-wired a certain way. From day 1 we each have certain things that naturally come easier due to the way we function and take in information. The author managed to do this while still managing to maintain the fact that, despite still being hardwired for particular intelligences, it doesn’t mean that the individual cannot become proficient in other intelligences with a little hard work. Particularly fascinating was the breakdown of Mozart. The author dove into an analysis of the kind of perfect storm of biological, personal and historical aspects that inevitably nurtured the abilities of Mozart and allowed him to become great. This chapter truly shows that we can have a deep and measurable impact on students lives. I can see that encouraging students to try new things and to not shy away from a challenge will be two huge aspects of becoming a successful educator. Much like sports teams, I can imagine that it would be detrimental to allow students to become a “one-trick-pony”. Sure maybe your one strategy has been working well in the past but throw a curveball out there and the student may not be able to respond if they do not feel comfortable with any of the other intelligences.

Samy Tracy
In chapter two, the author talks more about the MI Theory and how it relates to you. It also explains how you can start to help students with different intelligences than you. One that particularly struck me was to ask other colleagues about an intelligence they exceed in. I think many teachers want to act as if they are very intellectual and that they do not need help from others, but two minds (or more) are always greater than one. I know that I would want to ask a math teacher for help with students who are more logical because I do not possess that intelligence as much. This chapter also explains how many factors actually go in to developing your intelligence. I know for me, I am very social, or interpersonal, in my intelligence. Much of this has to do with the fact that I am an only child so I am constantly craving to be around people because it seems as if I am always alone. I also grew up in a neighborhood that did not have many children my age around to play with so when I got to school, I absolutely loved the social aspect and loved talking and playing with kids my own age. The MI Theory shows more of a nurture side rather than nature, even though nature does have some to do with how these intelligences are developed. I could be completely intrapersonal because I had always spent time by myself and so I was just used to it. I know many only children who are very intrapersonal so I am sure that nature had to do with the fact that I am more of a social person.

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Alyssa Amari
As a teacher it is important to understand a students learning style and multiple intelligence. However, this is not always an easy task because every student will change and develop at different rates, tests and surveys can only measure parts of a students intelligence, and this is why it is important to develop your own first. Each teacher will have their own intelligences, and they will most likely teach in a style that matches with their intelligences as well. An important part of being a teacher is learning to develop your undeveloped intelligences by using the many resources that will inevitably surround you while you are teaching. You can use colleagues, students, and even technology, these resources may not help you master a personal intelligence but they will help you to utilize them in the classroom. Intelligence is both a nurtured and natured aspect of life. It can be nurtured through genetic and hereditary factors, personal life, and cultural surroundings, but it can also be a part of nature through the experiences that we have which may lead us to develop a personal intelligence, or cause us to ignore a personal intelligence completely. The environment in which a person grows up in, is one of the biggest factors in determining the intelligence we may develop the most or least. One of the biggest environments that will affect an individual’s intelligence development is in education. I learned that before I can understand my student’s personal intelligences, I must learn to understand, use, and develop my own, including the intelligences that are the least developed. Through understanding my personal intelligences, I may be able to develop others so that I can teach in a way that caters to each personal intelligence style of my student.

Simone Thiry
The exercises that I have done in classes, and on my own, have shown that I favor the Logical, Interpersonal and Verbal Intelligences while possessing a deficiency in Kinesthetic and Naturalist Intelligences. In this section, I learned that there are many resources to help me overcome these deficiencies in my teaching, including working collaboratively with colleagues, and asking students to assist me in developing strategies that can work for them. Technology is also a great way for me to compensate for my shortcomings. I was surprised to learn that my weaknesses can be developed, and have since been more aware of areas in my life in which I can work on these abilities. The idea that Intelligences can be activated and deactivated based on environmental values both excited and terrified me. I believe that it is necessary in a school environment to try to activate as many Intelligences as possible while deactivating as few as possible. The understanding that some experiences can be paralyzing motivates me to never ‘shut down’ a student in a way that could be scarring or paralyzing. In my classroom, I hope to avoid negative emotions that could prevent my students’ growth and understanding. The material in this chapter is essential to me, because it shows the importance of acknowledging weak points, and finding ways to teach to students who have a very different understanding from myself. Personal development of Intelligences will help me cultivate my deficiencies and encourage my students to explore all facets of their Intelligences.

Kevin Lind
MI Chapter 2 Reflection

I like the suggestion in this chapter to seek aid from other teachers when integrating multiple intelligences into the classroom. Since I have a severely underdeveloped visual intelligence, I would probably need to get help from an art teacher on how I could use visual learning skills in my classroom. The book also suggests learning from students on how to combine intelligences. This is also a good idea because it would allow teachers to understand how their students learn. I would considering using both of these options while I am teaching. The idea that family life affects which intelligences students develop seems correct. I know that neither of my parents are artistic, so I never really got a chance to develop visual learning. While I am teaching, I will allow parents to meet with me to discuss the needs of their children. Also, I will try to identify the intelligences each of my students favor as soon as possible. Crystallizing experiences and paralyzing experiences are major factors in the classroom. Throughout my schooling experience, I have seen a variety of both. As a teacher, I hope that I will be able to create many more crystallizing experiences than paralyzing experiences. In doing this, I will be helping my students grow and develop intelligences that they may not have fully understood in the past. This style of inspiration is important for every teacher to understand. If teachers encourage more than discourage, then students will be more willing to try new ideas.

Lauren Breton
Chapter 2: //Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom// This chapter focused on the importance of teachers identifying and developing their own multiple intelligences and why some people are more developed in certain intelligences than others. This chapter was much less focused on the diversity of student intelligences than it was on the importance of teachers’ intelligences and how that affects their students. The reflective nature of this chapter forced the reader to examine their own intelligences and where their strengths and weaknesses are intellectually. Also, because of the reflective nature of this chapter, I was better able to understand how my personal intelligences could negatively affect my students. This chapter made me very aware of how important it is to understand our own intellectual biases as educators so that we can work to ensure that our students are receiving all of the intellectual support that is necessary.

Throughout this chapter, the idea of combining groups and teams of educators so that each group had a member who was highly developed in each of the eight intelligences was discussed. After my exploration of my own intelligences, the idea of working alongside other teachers who have developed the intelligences that I have not makes perfect sense to me. It appears to be the only way to ensure that, as a team of educators, we are activating all of our student’s intelligences and are being cautious not to deactivate any of them. Although it will not always be possible to team-teach lessons and for my students to work with other educators who are proficient in all of the intelligences, I realized that it is possible for me to pick my colleagues’ brains to ensure that I am addressing all intelligences in my classroom.

Megan Millette
In this chapter I was influenced by the fact that you must be careful not to keep others from reaching their full potential in the multiple intelligences. There are many reasons for why someone is not as progressivein certain areas of intelligences. Parts of our lives influence our decision to pursue after certain intelligences and not others. This has challenged me to watch out for those paralyzing experiences that could keep me from practicing the multiple intelligences. It has also opened my eyes to finding more crystallizing experiences that will give me the positivity I need to enhance each of the intelligences I have. As a teacher this has taught me to watch out how I react to my students. I would not want a negative reaction to keep my students from reaching their full potential in one of the intelligences. I want to encourage my students to use the many forms of intelligences and become better acquainted with them. I want to give my students an opportunity to test and use all of the eight intelligences, so they can understand them all better. This has also taught me that though I may struggle in certain intelligences I can go to my colleagues, students, or the Internet for help. I feel strongly about trying to incorporate all the intelligences in my teaching so my students can get a wide variety all need to do in the areas I struggle in just ask my fellow colleagues for ideas.

Lauren Scheidegger
In the second chapter my questions about bringing all of the multiple intelligences into the classroom were answered. The chapter suggests that a teacher gets to know their strengths and find where they might be coming short in their teaching. Then once they realize what they are perhaps a little weak in, they can learn what needs to be integrated into their lessons. There are many ways to add other intelligences into a classroom. A simple way to solve the problem is to get help. There is nothing wrong with seeking help from a colleague who is more talented in a specific area. One could also seek the assistance of a student. If a teacher did not feel able or comfortable drawing an image on the board, they could always ask for a student volunteer to do so for them. This also would help the students feel involved and lead to more student participation. A teacher could also utilize technology. Modern technology gives us many tools useful in the classroom. If a teacher felt they had no musical talents, but wanted to be sure to cover that intelligence, they could always use the computer to find a music clip or music making program to use in class. This furthered my thoughts about teaching and creating a classroom where every student feels successful and involved. The chapter also went into what might “activate” and “deactivate” an individual’s intelligences. Some of the “activators” and “deactivators” were access to resources, family factors, and geographical factors. Knowing this allows me to realize the potential differences and gaps in intelligences in my future students. Taking in all of the theories of learning has taught me that teaching “one way” is not something that is going to benefit students or encourage future learning. Teaching needs to be individualized to each and every student.

Patrick Hurley
Before trying to understand all the other intelligences you must first figure out what your own are. To be able to teach all of the intelligences one must have a slight knowledge of all the intelligences. Asking piers and colleagues about their different intelligences is a good way to learn different ways to teach to the different intelligences. Asking students to help is another way to learn more about the intelligences, even having them help where you lack, like having them draw for you helps them and you learn more. Technology can also help with your lack in certain intelligences. There are certain events in peoples lives that can make them more inclined to investigate or no investigate certain intelligences. There are other factors like family and geographic location that effects the level of your intelligences. Knowing about peoples intelligences in my classroom will help me better understand my students. Taking advantage of their strengths is a good way to get them involved in the class and to help them use their intelligence to help themselves and the class to learn. I hope to be the teacher that encourages people to try new things and strengthen their weaker intelligences. I will hate myself if I ever give students bad experiences where they get turned off to certain types of intelligences.

Rachel Joiner
One thing I learned from reading this chapter that I thought was extremely important was the book mentions that it is important as a teacher to determine my own multiple intelligence. I found this interesting, because I think it would be important information to know in a classroom as a teacher. I need to understand my strengths and weaknesses myself before I can help others overcome theirs. The more I understand the way I learn, the better I can instruct my class. I thought it was helpful information for the classroom when the book talked about using multiple intelligences for teaching strengths and weakness. I think this would be a useful tool, because I can look at my own teaching style and figure out what I need to include more of. This can better help my students learn. I thought it was great when the book describes the various ways to incorporate various intelligences into the classroom. It would be helpful and beneficial to the students if teachers collaborated and shared ideas on various teaching techniques. This can give teachers a variety of ideas to try in the classroom, and reach a wide range of students. I also enjoyed the idea of having students help with different strategies for teaching. I thought this was a great idea, because students can provide their unique view on the subject, while feeling a part of the class. I thought the information about whether or not intelligences can develop based on the three main factors was interesting. This information would be beneficial to use within a classroom setting. If the teacher understood this, then they could get to know students and understand how they fit into these three factors. By understanding a student’s background, the teacher can gain insight into the way they learn, and what the student needs in terms of support or help.

Emily McGee
Thomas Armstrong explicates the importance of understanding the presence of more than one human intelligence. Howard Gardner founded the MI Theory, which included eight intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, special, bodily kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist, he also acknowledges that there may be other intelligence also. Each of Gardner’s theoretical intelligences meets a list of criteria. An intelligence must be possessed by each person, able to be developed with appropriate support and instruction, and work together in complex ways. Armstrong wrote, “…Gardner suggested that intelligence has more to do with capacity for (1) solving problems and (2) fashioning products in context-rich and naturalistic settings (6).” I believe it is important for me as a pre-service teacher to understand fully the importance of the multiple intelligence theory to be able to utilize its inherent principals in my classroom. I agree strongly with this model because I employ so many different learning styles to take in and catalog the world around me. I believe it is so important to use methods and tools in all categories to actively stimulate the learning of all students, but also to keep everyone engaged by using varying classroom techniques. I think all students should have the opportunity to strengthen their intelligences throughout their K-12 education. As defined by the word usage of “intelligences” as stated by Gardner, each of the intelligences may be strengthened and honed, and I believe school should be a place for that to occur.

Mike Kahler
Although your multiple intelligences are at different levels, and you can be inhibited in some ways by this it is still possible that you can compensate for this in different ways. If a colleague of yours is very specially intelligent but you aren't you can ask for assistance from that colleague to help you with incorporating spacial activities into your lessons. Although this is a good strategy there are still other ones. You can have a student with a high spacial intelligence draw pictures or diagrams on the board to assist with your lessons, or even help with designing different lessons. Technology can also be a very useful tool. A teacher could quite easily use the internet to find video clips, pictures, and music to make of for a lack of a certain type of intelligence. This can all be used in the classroom to make well rounded lesson plans that will cater to a wide variety of intelligences in your students. Apart from using tools to make up for your shortcomings in a certain area you can also work to increase your multiple intelligences. It is very possible for most people to bring all of your different intelligences up to a level where they can be used effectively as teaching tools. Still there may be factors that favor different intelligences in a person. These can be biological factors, nature, or they can be environmental factors, nurture. For example your parents interests and strengths could increase intelligences because of the amount of exposure you get to them. Also positive and negative experiences involving guilt, shame, or humiliation could lead you to drift towards or away from different intelligences. I think that this is all a very good thing. I know that my downfalls can be compensated for by other teachers, students, and personal attempts to better oneself.

T.J. Hebert
The examples given on how to expand my own intelligence will be very useful. I especially like the one about asking students to help out. Not only can that help expand my own intelligence but it also lets the students explore other intelligences with the possibility of expanding their own. Same goes for using a colleague, if there is a student in a class that has a particular intelligence and I am not fluent with that particular intelligence, I can call on a colleague that to come help me with some ideas and expand on my own intelligences. Along with help from various resources there are three factors that influence intelligence development: biological endowment (heredity or genetic factors such as, brain injuries or disorders), personal life history (life experiences with various people), cultural and historical background (environment in which you were raised). If someone is born with autism, the chances of that person developing an intelligence is greatly reduced and if someone is born into a family that all play instruments chances are good that they too will learn to play an instrument.

I personally am not very musically inclined; however, I wanted to learn how to play the guitar when I was in high school. Several of my friends were very good guitar players and were self taught, they were musically intelligent. In order for me to learn, I practiced with one of my friends who was very good and he taught how to play guitar at a very basic level. Calling on a colleague or friend to help you develop one of your own intelligences or help with a student’s intelligence is one of the best ways to become a more rounded teacher. The problem with me is that I have not practiced much over the past few years and have lost a great deal of what I was taught and would most likely struggle if I picked up a guitar today. I wonder if someone that expanded on a decreased area of intelligence would lose it over time without practice.