B2+MI+Chapter+4



toc MI theory can be complex, but it can also be simplified enough to teach to a group of five year olds in a matter of minutes. Teaching kids MI theory at an early stage of their academic career can be extremely helpful to their academic development. Not only will it teach them what their strengths are and the best way for them to learn; it will teach them what their weak points are and allow them to focus on developing those as well. It is important to have inclusive questions for all intelligences so the students can realize that they have some intelligence in every area. There were many activities that could be used to teach students this rather than just talking to them about it. Bringing in people from the community for a career day and emphasizing which intelligence their plays a role in their success is one example. Others examples included, but are not limited to, field trips, reviewing biographies of famous people, an eight-way lesson plan, quick experiential activities, wall displays, displaying student works, readings, MI tables, board games, MI songs stories and plays, and a human intelligence hunt. The human intelligence hunt also gives students the ability to learn about each other’s MIs. In this activity students are given a list of tasks and have to find students in the room who can perform them. The tasks reflect different intelligences. By referring to the MI theory throughout the year, teachers can help students internalize the theory and its vocabulary. This will help them as they go through life and face new challenges.
 * Abstract**

There was a unanimous decision by the class to include some sort of MI activity or instruction for their class. It was also nearly unanimous that this should happen at the beginning of the school year, or on the first day itself. Tyler believed that the first day of classes would be best for this because “not much gets accomplished on [that day] anyway.” Instead of getting nothing done students can learn what intelligences they are strong and weak in. One idea from the chapter that seemed to resonate with a lot of people was the “Human Intelligence Hunt.” This activity, as explained in the abstract, will help students not only discover their abilities and intelligences but their classmates as well. In this way students get to know each other better which can be good for group projects and friendships. This can also eliminate the “smart kid,” stigma that is usually attached to classes. Students will learn they are all smart in one way or another. Jackie also had the interesting idea of doing the intelligence tests at both the beginning and end of the year so that students can see their growth in different intelligences. One part of the chapter that there was some division on was the MI lesson plan. Cam thought that it would be a rewarding challenge for a teacher to try and incorporate all eight of the intelligences into one of their lessons. Others thought that this might take too much class time or that students would lose interest if this was done. Overall, we all agreed that MIs should be taught in classrooms and that it will benefit students.
 * Synthesis**

-Phillip C.

Emily H.
In this chapter is about to teach students about multiple intelligence in a simple way. By explaining how MI works, students are able to understand that even though they might not be good with words that they are not dumb because their strength lies in another intelligence. As a teacher I would do a lesson on MI so that all my students can find their strengths, not only in my class but in others as well. I want my students to succeed in school because it is important. If a student was feeling like they were dumb I’d explain to them that they are smart in their own way and we’d go over the MI theory together so that they understand that they are smart they might not know it yet. I would use the activity of the MI tables to hence my teaching of the theory. It is very hands on but lets the students realize what they are good at by doing it. After this activity I would have them have a discussion with the class then have a short assignment based on which activity they like the best. So if a student was spatial they could draw a picture of the activity. That was it plays to their strengths and shows me that they have an understanding of the MI. Later I’d have they do an activity using their strength but describing another MI of a classmate. This would show that they have the understanding

Phillip C.
One thing I liked about how the author said he introduced multiple intelligence theories was using inclusive questions. I think this is important specifically when doing a survey orally involving the whole class. If instead it was me making a quiz that was to be done individually I think I would mix inclusive and exclusive questions. In this way all students could see that they have intelligence in all the areas but are simply stronger in some than others. This would be one way, although not fool proof, to lead a student to self-discovery of their strongest intelligences. The chapter then provided some examples of activities that students can do to reinforce the idea of multiple intelligences. The idea of Career day seemed a little impractical to me and is something I would be unlikely to use in my classroom. The ideas that I liked most were the lesson plan and MI tables. The MI tables’ idea relates strongly to what I wrote about last chapter. I feel like I could set up a lab or experiment in my class where there were eight stations, each encompassing a different learning style. It would be easiest to do this with an earthworm lab or something similar so that animals could be easily brought into the class for naturalists. I also liked the lesson plan idea and would try to utilize it when covering a hard part of the curriculum. That way, not only would the material be covered in every learning style, but it would also be reviewed and possibly stick because of repetition. I remember personally having lessons that covered several intelligences on a subject over an extended period but don’t remember one that encompassed them all.

Nicole C.
This chapter taught me the importance of teaching your students about MI theory rather than just using it yourself. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that it truly does benefit students when they can learn which intelligences they are proficient in, discover how their classmates learn, and see multiple examples of each intelligence brought to their attention throughout the year. While the “MI Pizza” in this chapter seemed to be more tailored to younger students due to categories such as “word smart” and “people smart”, I can definitely see the idea behind it having an impact on my future classroom. I particularly liked (and may eventually use) the “human intelligence hunt” activity. It would not only help students get to know one another better, but would very possibly help them to learn new things about themselves as well. The activity itself incorporates a lot of the intelligences – bodily/kinesthetic (moving around the room), interpersonal (interacting with others), linguistic (communicating with others via speech and writing their answers down), logical/mathematical (proving that the student can in fact do what they say they can do through a quick test), and intrapersonal (discovering abilities you have that you may not have known about before). You can also incorporate the musical intelligence into the activity by having music playing in the background, or the natural intelligence by having the students do this activity outside. All in all, this activity is a strong one, and the one that I could foresee having the most significant impact on my future students/classroom.

Ali P
This chapter made me realize how important it is for students to understand the multiple intelligences not only so they can understand themselves but others. If students can work to understand each others strengths and intelligences there will no longer be a “smart kid” in the class. Students will create a strong understanding of each other and be able to help each other. Teachers can help students to understand the intelligences in many ways. As a teacher I would like to teach my students about the intelligences by actually using the different intelligences. That way they will have examples of how they are used, discover which ones work best for themselves and be able to experience each others styles. In my classroom I could imagine having a poster of the eight-piece pie graph, which maps out the multiple intelligences. Having this in my class would act as a reference for the students and keep it fresh in their minds. Before Practicum, the multiple intelligences were never explained to me. I had heard of “learning styles” but even those were never clearly defined. Ever since I studied my intelligence I have been noticing how I use it in class and even outside of class. I feel that if I had been taught these earlier in school I might of been able to use them more to my benefit. When I begin teaching I will begin teaching these intelligences before I teach any of my content. If I take the time to do this I should be more successful in my teaching and get a chance to know my students well.

Jackie B.
This chapter was mainly about educating your students on intelligences and how to go about doing this in ways that they would understand. It listed a few different ways that in my opinion were pretty handy. There were other ways such as board games that I personally did not think would be effective. This chapter also expanded on a few ideas I had had before reading this chapter on how to identify intelligences in students, which was neat. One of my favorite suggestions was the intelligence treasure hunt. This would be an excellent way to get to know the students and even let them get to know each other. Because I want to teach middle school, it would be really cool to do this at the beginning of the year and then again at the end and see who has expanded their intelligences and strengthened them and who has picked up interest in another intelligence. For example someone who could be interested in drawing could draw the horse at the beginning of the year and once again at the end of the year but this time their drawing could be even stronger than before. I believe that’s what school is about, growth, so that would be a really great way to show students their growth. I also thought displays were a really great idea. Maybe come up with a broad topic and have kids group up and then display two or three different intelligences. Trying to teach this to children might even help me understand multiple intelligences even more, expanding on what I already know.

Cameron B.
Chapter four talks about teaching the eight intelligences to students with different complexity depending on the grade level. This is important for students to know because it can help them see what they are strong at when it comes to learning. Students may not realize that they may be getting bad grades because they struggle in a particular learning style. As a teacher it is great to explain to students that you will teach a lesson in eight activities and each activity will focus on a particular learning style. After the lesson is done ask the students which activities they liked the best and what ones they disliked. This will show the students what they are strong at and show the teacher as well. This helps both sides of the classroom. Each lesson that is taught with a particular intelligence emphasized will help every student, even those who are struggling with that particular activity. By exposing them to it, it allows them to become stronger in that area.  I like the idea of having a lesson plan with an activity for each learning style. It would be fun for the students and myself. I would get to see the students struggle or succeed in the various activities and it would help me determine how to teach the class in a way that more students would have success. This is something that I feel every teacher should be doing. Not only does it benefit the students but I see how this can be fun for a teacher. Teachers have to be creative to incorporate each learning style into a lesson plan which would be a rewarding challenge.

Tyler R.
This chapter really made me a bit embarrassed with myself. I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask the students what they thought their MI skills were. The chapter even used 1st grade students as an example! Apparently the MI Theory is so easy to understand that within a 5-minute conversation, a teacher can explain the entire theory to six year olds. Once the students know a little about each MI skill, they are able to then identify what they most closely associate themselves with. This was absolutely brilliant to me. This completely takes the observation and tests out of the equation. I see this definitely being a first day of class activity in my classroom as a future teacher. It wouldn’t take up much time at all and it would be the first day of class, which not much of anything ever gets accomplished on anyway. With this in mind, it would at least be one thing that could get accomplished that would lead to many more productive class periods. I was also pleased that the chapter gave many lesson plan ideas around teaching MI theory to students. Each of the lessons were somewhat interesting and I know that some of them, (i.e. career day, fieldtrips, games, etc.), would catch the interest of all of the students no matter which MI skill they possess. Depending on which grade level and what resources are available to me as a future teacher, I can most certainly see myself implementing these lessons into my classroom. This will be one of the first things I do on the first day of school.

**Jackson F.**
Teaching students about the Multiple Intelligence theory is a great for them to have a better understanding of how they learn. The theory can be explained very easily to all levels of students. The most important thing when teaching the theory is to use language appropriate for the age group to understand; using unusual words like kinesthetic or linguistic may be difficult for some students to grasp. Different activities can be used to make the learning fun and will allow for direct information for the teacher to get a better idea what type of strengths and weaknesses his/her classroom has. I cannot say that I remember any specific activities that explained the Multiple Intelligence theory. Perhaps my past teachers used other means to teach us about the theory and I never realized it. I do not really know what kind of person I would be today if I was taught about multiple intelligences; perhaps I would have developed my musical or linguistic intelligence more. It is a good idea to teach multiple intelligences to all students; it would help give students senses of uniqueness while also find some similarities with their peers. I never really thought teaching the theory to my students would serve any purpose but realize the potential benefits it could have on students who may seem like they do not fit in. In my classroom I could picture myself doing an activity which explains the multiple intelligences, and after reading this chapter I think I would feel more comfortable teaching it to students of any age.

Brittany R.
In all honesty, I hadn’t contemplated teach a student about how I wished to evaluate them just because if I were in the position I would feel like a test subject. However, this chapter has enlightened me on ways that I can educate students without having them feel this way. They would be able to have fun and learn more about why students do the things they do and learn the way that they learn. I know when we took the “test” in class, I felt like I learned a lot more about why I need certain things in a classroom. Some of the ideas are far as educating students on the subject weren’t ones I would choose for my classroom. Many I didn’t feel like I would be able to use in a math setting. One of the ideas I felt would be way too much for students was the activity where eight different activities are planned and students are to do the assignments. I know if I were asked to do that many assignments in one class period I would lose interest as would many other students I’m sure. I still feel like doing a quick survey after talking about the MI Pizza would work the best for me with evaluating my students. Maybe it is the “clipboard” in me but I feel that if I were able to organize my findings in a uniform manner than it would benefit my students because I would be better able to evaluate them. From the information I gather, I will be able to create appropriate lessons.

Meng H.
In chapter 4, the author introduced many activities for teachers to use to teach students multiple intelligences. The chapter started with a “five-minute introduction to MI theory,” which is a low risk starting point to introduce MI theory to students. Then there are examples of activities to further students’ understanding of MI theory. I love the idea of making MI theory so approachable and building up students’ self-esteem in the “five-minute” intro. Teachers are supposed to believe the best of their students, their abilities and potentials. I would include a twice a month “career day” for students to see each of the intelligences applies to daily life. Also those guest speakers as contributing members of the community who are successful professionals will be positive role models from whom the students can draw inspiration. I also like the idea of “MI tables,” except I might use it as an activity before I introduce the MI theory to the students. I would have the labels of the intelligences under the tables. After the students have finished all of them, I would let the students rank the eight activities from their most to least favorite. I would collect the lists and then do the “five-minute” intro. As a secondary math teacher, I want to utilize this exciting new concept in teaching after I learn my students’ MI. However, I am not sure how many class periods I can devote to actually teaching students about the MI theory. I could string in activities and periodical reminders of the theory throughout the school year in order to let students understand themselves better. A concern or thought I had when reading chapter 3 and 4 was that there is an emphasis on recognizing and making clear that the students know their own most highly developed intelligences. On the other hand, I wonder if we should let the students know their less or least developed intelligences, express expectation of improvement, and offer support and supplementary materials to help students’ development. Maybe I could even keep a record of student’s personal growth in his/her MI throughout the school year.

Joe S.
In this chapter, the author introduces methods to teaching students about how they are smart. This task is not so much a one-lesson description, but rather a process of thinking that students are meant to consider on a daily basis.

The initial introduction to the MI theory “can be explained to a group of children as young as 1st graders in as little as 5 minutes in such a way that they can then use the MI vocabulary to talk about how they learn.” The author recommends drawing a circle on the board split into 8 slices, each slice displaying a specific intelligence. As each aptitude is described, the teacher asks simple questions that students can identify with, in order to open up one’s “potentials for learning.” Students realize that they learn in many ways, and can then begin to identify these intelligences in other facets of life, such as in careers, in others’ lives, and even in certain lessons. This skill allows students to become advocates for their own learning, giving them the power to discuss with a teacher what methods of teaching they can best identify with. Furthermore, when a student knows that they are not specifically talented in one facet of the theory, they have the knowledge needed to develop that skill given the ambition.

Enlightening students will succeed better in the classroom, and therefore it is important to make them aware of the abilities they possess. Using the knowledge they obtain through a reading, MI poster, or “human intelligence hunt,” students will be empowered to take charge of their education and find greater success.

Clayton P.
This chapter, entitled “Teaching Students about MI Theory,” does exactly what it suggests. It takes the seemingly complex nature of MI and helps put it into a form that is fun and informative for students. The instruction of MI theory naturally depends on the grade and size of the class. The author states that the easiest way to explain MI theory to a group of students is generally through a brief explanation. He uses an example of lessons he has done where he demonstrates to the students that they have more than one form of intelligence, and then proceeds to draw an MI pie chart to explain. Depending on the grade level of the students, they may not be aware of such terms as “linguistic” or “interpersonal,” so the author recommends using simpler terms to describe the eight MIs. For example, in place of Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic and Musical intelligence, he uses “picture smart, body smart and music smart,” respectively.The author then explains a series of activities that can be done to not only help the students determine their MIs, but also to determine the MIs of their classmates as well. One recommendation is to bring in people of professions that prefer certain MIs to help stimulate students’ ambitions for a career. Or, for a younger class, the author also recommends a sort of treasure hunt to help discover the MIs of the other students.This chapter presents some very creative alternatives to simply observing the MI tendencies of students. It gives students the option to discover MIs early on and help them decide if they want to continue stimulating their dominant MI, or help develop some of their less proficient MIs.

Andrew C It’s good to see that teachers can easily explain to their students MI’s. They can be complicated and difficult but as the author showed you can break it down pretty simply to show the basics the MI’s. It is definitely something I would like to try in my classroom because as many of the students from Fires in the Bathroom said they like it when teachers ask them questions about learning. It doesn’t only help us as teachers to become better but it also shows the students that we care and then they will also be able to improve on their own. Taking just a few minutes out of one of your first classes can really help throughout the year. You could even have the kids write down ways that they think they learn best that way you can try to touch upon them all throughout the school year.

The lesson plan strategy seemed to be one of the best ways to reinforce the lesson on MI’s to students because it not only showed the different types of MI’s and explained them but it also allows the students to reflect on how the eight intelligences interact and are different for each person. It seems like it might be kind of hard to teach one lesson using all eight MI’s but it would definitely be effective. As I read the rest of the chapter I noticed that you could pretty much take any activity or game and make it about learning the multiple intelligences. It is neat to see how easy it is and it shows us that we practice them every day and we don’t even think about it.