MI+B1+Chapter+3

Ally Hunter
Abstract: This chapter discussed how students in school show all eight intelligences at different points and how all of them are capable of all the intelligences. For teachers, it talked about how to actually figure out how to tell what kind of [|multiple intelligence] your students have. The easiest way to find out which intelligence your student is strongest is [|observing] your students and analyze their behavior and how they solve problem and act in class. While teachers observe their students they can take notes or document their behavior in order to grasp a better understanding of your students character. There are some other different ways like asking other teachers who might have had the student or simply look through their file at school. Most teachers discuss student behavior with other teachers in order to get advice about how to help them in class or get them engaged. If it is a very concerning matter about a student then the best possible way to get information is talking to the parents of the students. Talking to parents can occur during teacher conferences because the main reason the parents are there is to talk about the student. Another possible way to get information about students from parents is to call them after a problem. Many parents like the idea of talking to the teacher because it shows that the teacher cares. All of these could help you discover what kind of intelligence they are in order to accommodate it into your curriculum. By doing so, a teacher will have a better understanding of who their students are and they will make the learning experience a lot more easier on the student.

Synthesis: A majority of the class believed that observation would be the best way to figure out what kind of intelligence your student was because you can take notes and use what you see in the classroom. It was stressed how it was important to know that students have the capability of all the intelligence but some aren't necessarily comfortable with some of the intelligences because it isn't their strength. Many people believed that it is interesting about learning about students by how they misbehave. Teachers however shouldn't try to observe each student because it would be close to impossible to observe each one and then try to change the curriculum in order to fit the needs of all the students. Instead, a better approach would be to focus on the students that are having problems in the class in order to try to help them succeed. If observation doesn't work the next best way to learn about your students intelligence is to discuss it with other teachers or simply talking to the students' parents. That way you can gain advice about how to help the student and parents know their child best so they can give you very accurate advice. It was agreed that this will help as a teacher because it would help as a teacher to really know your students and it would build a stronger relationship between the students and teachers. Many believed that it was important in order to teach your students you have to know their different multiple intelligences so you can create a curriculum that helps each type of student learn.

Abby
toc This chapter talked a lot about how each child has all eight intelligences and how we should not label them with just one type, but be continually observing and recording how they interact and learn. One thing that really stood out to me was the idea of figuring out what a child’s learning style is by looking at how they misbehave. This is a concept that I have always found interesting and never understood why more teachers did not look at this indicator. I am a very active person and have always had trouble sitting still in class, but I have only had two teachers that acknowledge the fact that I might learn better if they let me move occasionally. By allowing me to simply stand in the back of the room during lectures or take a short walk mid-class to allow the information to sink in, I was able to focus much better during their classes. I want to use this technique in my own teaching. For example, if there is a student who throws a fit every time we read aloud in class but doodles all the time, I should allow for him or her to draw a picture on the board representing the reading. Another concept that was brought to my attention was the idea of asking parents and students what the student’s learning styles are. Why put all this effort into figuring out each student’s learning style when chances are their parents as well as the students themselves already have a pretty good understanding? I think that as a teacher that should be one of the first questions I ask my students as well as one of the main things I talk about during parent teacher conferences.

Tyler
Chapter three described how identify intelligences in students in greater detail. One of the first things the author points out if that a student will most likely be strong in more than one area. There is no “mega-test” that can determine a students strongest and weakest intelligences based on a numerical grading system or a graph. However, test like the ones mentioned before do provide some insight to a students intelligences. Simple observation is the best way to find a students strengths and weaknesses. Even kids that misbehave exhibit signs of the strongest intelligences. A student that is constantly drawing may have an inclination towards spacial learning, or a student that is always fidgeting may be more proficient in bodily-kinesthetic learning. Even observing them when they have free time will give a teach plenty of information on their intelligences. Kids that go for puzzle games may have a high intelligence in the logical/mathematical area, or the students that chat in a group may respond better to linguistic teaching methods.

Keeping records of these observations is an excellent way to determine how the observed students have grown or how they can be helped. Keeping a journal about some or all of the students, recording them doing an activity that they do well, and keeping the drawings of spacial students are ways of assessment. Reflecting on past school records of students also gives a fair amount of information about the student. But the best two ways to learn about a student's intelligences is to ask the parents and the students themselves. The parents have seen their child grow-up and have taught them what they know. The student will know how he or she prefers to learn and stay interested during class better than anyone.

Lizz I found it very interesting that the chapter suggested that one good way to discover students multiple intelligences is to observe how they misbehave in the classroom. I feel as though this can be sort of true because I know when I was in high school I wouldn’t be able to sit still unless I was working with my hands to complete a task. I loved when it was time for gym or when I had Latin class because in Latin we were always moving around dancing, acting, or baking baklava. Another way to observe students that the book suggested was to keep a journal and write down observations. For me I don’t think I could do that because it would be a lot to keep track depending on the number of students in the classroom. The book suggested that as a teacher to talk to other teachers and parents, whom I think, would affect my classroom a lot. If I have to talk to other teachers and parents before school even started, I would know the students a little bit. I hope that either the teachers or parents would tell me how the student/their child learn the best so I could incorporate that into my classroom. I would want a wide variety of different teaching techniques and different learning styles in my classroom so that all of my students had a chance to learn the material in one form or another. The most important piece that that book pointed out was to ask the students what type of learner they were. They live with themselves 24 hours a day and who else would know them better then themselves. It also helps to ask the students in case the parents or other teachers don’t have a good grip on the multiple intelligence of that child.

Ally- Chapter Three
Before reading the chapter I considered the best way to test for multiple intelligences would be through a questionnaire because that way you get the students’ honest answer. However, I learned other ways that you can get that information that might be more effective, I learned that talking to other teachers would be a good start because they can give you advice about students they have already had and help if you have a problematic student. I think the best advice the book gave on testing multiple intelligences is talking to their parents. The parents know their kids the best and they could provide you with some advice and information about their children that the student might not feel comfortable saying. I don’t think going through records or taking pictures would necessarily help teachers, especially high school teachers because you have forty different students that you are trying to keep track of. It wouldn’t be very effective. I think observation is also one of the best ways to learn their multiple intelligences because you learn a lot from just observing someone. I think this information would affect my classroom because I will have a better understanding of who my students are and how they learn so I can add that into my curriculum. By accommodating for my students, I am allowing them to learn the material in a way they understand. As a teacher, this will impact me a lot because it is my responsibility to be able to find out what kind of intelligence my students are because I have to be able to teach so everyone can learn. Getting out of my own intelligence is going to be the most effected because I need to be able to teach in all the different intelligences in order for my students to learn the material.

Jasmine
Chapters 3 emphasized on the importance of getting to know what intelligences are represented in your students, as a teacher. We know that it is true that each child possesses all eight different learning styles, but of course they are proficient in one or two specifically. There were several different methods of assessing students provided in this chapter. These include simple observation, and keeping a journal to note these observations. I feel that this is the most likely to be successful method because its not about asking questions and seeing how they answer; it is more focused on watching what they naturally choose to do or say without being prompted. This would be a more successful idea than presenting students with a survey because the problem with surveys sometimes is that students write what they think the teacher wants to see for answers. It isn’t always the truth or the most accurate answers. Other methods that were presented included collecting documents or samples of work that show the students multiple intelligences. This method has good potential because it can show students that all intelligences are equally important. Post drawings, paintings, and pictures of sports games, successful projects, and any other work that students are proud of on a wall. This will make students feel that their work is noticed and deemed important. Finally, it would be very informative for me as a teacher to simply ask the students through an interview, how they like to learn. If they express what their favorite part of class is, it will give some insight to the teacher as to what intelligences best represent them. This chapter really made me aware at the importance of not only being aware that there are eight types of intelligences but also being aware of knowing which students fall into which categories because this way, you can easily help all students learn efficiently.

Jenn
The third chapter in //Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom// helps explain ways to learn more about students’ multiple intelligences, through a variety of ways. I personally liked how this chapter, while encouraging a you to hone in on a student’s strength intelligence, was careful to remind you that every student has many strengths and focusing more on one than another can put them at a disadvantage. I also like how this chapter looks at multiple intelligences in students and targets helpful ideas, but doesn’t pretend that there is one specific way to discover a student’s intelligences. Through the many suggestions that were mentioned for assessing a student’s intelligences, there were a few that seemed particularly helpful tips. I like how they recognize that no teacher could possibly be assessing and observing all the time, and, therefore, focusing on a few select students who seem to be struggling in some way, is probably best. I also really liked the suggestion to work with other teachers. There were many times in high school that a student would be failing one class and not another. Once all of their teachers met to dissect the problem, a solution was usually found. The idea of talking to the students themselves about multiple intelligences was probably my favorite idea. I believe thoroughly in treating students like adults, especially when making decisions about themselves. I think allowing the student to assess their own strengths and weaknesses can help build confidence, give them a better understanding of their peers, help them understand the thought behind some lesson plans, and allow them to potentially work on what they consider their weaknesses. I definitely plan on introducing this to my students to help guide them through self-driven learning, which, I consider to be a major goal in teaching.

Dan
I never realized there were some many different but effective ways to extract information from your students in order to discover their multiple intelligences. Although I believe some are very effective and useful, I feel like some ways are overboard and unnecessary. Talking with teachers, parents, and the students themselves are the best choices for examining their multiple intelligences. Other teachers from different concentrations can give you insight on other aspects of students’ abilities, and parents or guardians know the student better than anyone. Going to the student first, however, seems more logical and approachable because you are spending six hours with said student. In my classroom, I will make sure that I am aware of their preferred intelligent through surveys and an array of test. Going through a student’s personal record seems, in my opinion, like a violation of personal space. I feel like you are infringing on grounds that can be left alone, and going to the students directly seems like a better route to take. Collecting documents also seems ineffective to see multiple intelligences. I feel like it’s a better approach to take with younger students, because they probably couldn’t comprehend an actual test. I agree that the best way to witness the true potential of a student’s multiple intelligence is through “simple observation” (p. 34). Interfering with the habits of students almost hinders their potential, but just seeing how they react and what they do in their free time, and observing their misbehaviors, can really say a lot about their preference to learning.

Brittany
This chapter started out with strategies for assessing students multiple intelligences, explaining that there really is not a single test that can explain each one to you, but rather through different tests and activities you can observe a students intelligences. Observation is the simplest and most effective way of discovering what intelligences are strongest for each student and how they learn best. The book suggests keeping a notebook or journal on students, while for some this may not be realistic if they have more than 100 students, for others it can be an amazing tool to use throughout the year to help students succeed. The chapter gave several other suggestions for ways to assess what intelligences are strongest in which student, such as looking at their school records, talking to their parents, and talking to the student themselves. I think these suggestions should be made into actions by teachers to help further a students ability to learn. I think the best part is that none of the suggestions are overly difficult or time consuming and could seriously benefit the students.

Patrick Hurley
Children can develop all 8 of the intelligences, but they tend to favor some over others. By the time they start school they have already have inclinations toward certain intelligences. There is no test that shows what kind of intelligences students are strong at, there are some that can give some sort of idea, but none that are extremely accurate. The best way to figure out what your student’s inclinations are is to observe them. By observing them you will notice the different students act, Armstrong suggests watching for how the students misbehave. By seeing how the students act you start getting an idea of what intelligences they favor. Another good indicator of a student’s dominant intelligence is how they spend their free time. A few other ways to figure out a student’s intelligence are looking at previous tests, talking with other teachers, and talking with parents. This will affect my classroom because I will have many different students with many different intelligences and I will have to be able to figure them out quickly. Using these techniques will help me figure out my student’s intelligences so I can be a better teacher for them. The chart (figure 3.1) will be helpful as well because it shows how the students with each intelligence act. This will affect my classroom because without a knowledge of their intelligences I won’t be able to teach them in a way they absorb the most information. If I am able to teach in a way that is suited for all the intelligences in my classroom them everyone will get more out of it.

Jake
This chapter addressed methods that teachers can utilize when trying to determined the strengths of their students. Some of the key points that it discussed where things like observation, keeping a journal, video/photo documenting, analyzing grades, asking other teachers, and asking the parents. All of these pieces were very insightful and seemed to provide some very effective methods. However, each of these methods seemed very secretive and quiet, as though you are trying to get to know the student without ever actually talking to him. Fortunately the book addressed this issue just before the chapter closed. The final method the text discussed was simply asking your student what he or she thinks is the best way to learn. Upon entering college I feel as though students take a variety of test that try and point out there strengths and weakness, and these tests are often quite revealing. However, I feel as though there is lack of a push in high schools for kids to analyze themselves. We spend so much time trying to figure out the best approach, when it may be significantly easier to just ask. I often come to many realizations about myself when asked to analyze parts of my personality, and if we began to cultivate this sort of learning within students at a younger age than perhaps we would see the self-confidence of high school students rise a bit higher. I am in no way negating the observation tools that the rest of the chapter presented, however forcing students to self-analyze themselves seems to be the method the would yield the best result.; not only would the teachers learn how to better communicate with their students, but the students might learn a bit more about themselves.

Roger
The third chapter of MI is about defining and assessing the eight intelligences in students. The author describes many methods for collecting information from students, and how the various results can be compiled to form a valid assessment. The author provided several different methods of reaching various students, with exams that could best get information from multiple intelligences.

Some of the methods for obtaining students included asking the parents of students, looking up school records, and asking the students themselves. While these methods on their own would not be entirely reliable, the combination of two or more methods provides an overlap that gives a much more reliable view of the student’s intelligences.

Another form of assessing students’ intelligences suggested by the author is keeping a journal of individual students. Keeping track of how students react and adapt to certain situations can help quite a bit in determining how they learn. Asking and observing the students themselves is probably the most accurate form of figuring out how students learn.

Asking those who interact with the students you are trying to figure out is also very helpful in your goal. Their teachers and parents may know more about them than even the students themselves do. Even though people tend to know more about themselves than others, there are many things that students may not want to //admit// about themselves. Getting the observations from those around them can help in filling in the blanks and learning things about the student that they might not want to tell you about.

Katie
The main question of this chapter is how to find out what type of intelligences the students in the classroom are. There are actually multiple different ways to figure this out by observing the students and how they interact with different lessons and classes such as something as simple as show and tell. One part of the chapter mentioned the idea that the student who is a naturalist would possible bring an animal into school when he wasn’t allowed to. This statement had me thinking about the idea of show and tell and why teachers might use that lesson to learn more about their students. I wonder if a student who was more of a linguistic learner had to show and tell something to the class, would he bring in a book or a game because he enjoys those types of activities. The idea in this chapter is to figure out the individuality of the students in the classroom and from there, find out how they might learn better in the classroom. I find this idea to be very useful for when I become a teacher because I know that every student is different and that they may have to be taught differently in order to learn better. By taking the time to understand my students, I will become a better educator because I will be able to understands how my students learn best.

Caleb
Observing students appears to be the next step in the process of being a teacher after learning about the differences between the multiple intelligences. As a teacher one has to harness the power of an owl in order to capture everything a student does. Yet, teachers have a number of techniques that allow for the multitude of students to be observed. And by observe I mean watching how a student acts in class, how they fidget or how they organize their papers. Even the way the speak introduces the teacher to the student’s mind. Every student has a specific story and a unique way of learning. Thus, students need to learn in their own way. It’s watching those small little motions that occur in a blink of an eye that tell us what a students learning style might be. Now, those techniques mentioned previously range from a journal taking to direct conversation with a student. Along with those we are able to look back at the students curriculum over the years and ask parents about what they believe. In my classroom, at least at the moment, I don’t know how much background information I’ll be given. Thus keeping a journal or talking the students will be the best way to observe. This journal that keeps getting mentioned is a place for a teacher’s thoughts about what their students are showing them. Observation appears to be the key role in the play known as multiple intelligences. Being able to just figure out how to adapt a teaching style to students who have a different way of learning.

Alex
Chapter 3: Understanding that everyone learns in a different manner as well as not everyone finds the same subject matter brings into realization that as a teacher I need to be able to interpret and figure out how to include different learning styles in my classroom. Therefore either on the first day of class or just something I can talk one on one with each student about is the ability to understand what they’re learning style is and how I can help them learn in my classroom. This is something that I personally am excited about because this is how you make kids fall in love with learning, yet I am also nervous about this as well because it is hard to incorporate every learning style into a social studies class. I am nervous that I will not be able to meet every child’s needs and will be in sufficient at getting the diverse learning that the said “missed” students will not receive. Ergo I need to be able to understand my weaknesses in a classroom and learn how to get all learning styles capable of learning in my classroom. Once I figure out how to incorporate all the learning styles into my classroom it becomes a game of cat mouse to find which method each student learns better from. In my classroom I want to be able to have not just a strong connection with my students and their ability to learn but also with their parents so they also want their kids to learn.