B1+MI+Chapter+10

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Chris Whitney Abstract and Synthesis

 * Abstract:** Everybody in the class agreed that this chapter effectively talked about how to assess students Multiple Intelligences. A few people quoted the first page that said "It would certainly be the height of hypocrisy to ask students to participate in a wide range of multispectrum experiences in all eight intelligences and then require them to show what they've learned through standardized tests that focus narrowly on linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligences. Almost everybody brought up the fact that if teachers are going to actively use all the multiple intelligences in the classroom, then they should also test students at those same standards.We acknowledged that this is the future of assessing students, and many people wrote about they would assess students in their own MI classroom. However, it can be hard to come up with assessments that the fit all eight intelligences [|right?]Teachers need to be consistent in the way they present material and then assess on it. Kellie used a very good quote to help summarize this chapter by saying " As I read this chapter I found myself constantly thinking of the Albert Einstein quote " Everybody is a genius . But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."This quote is a great reminder that consistency is needed in the classroom.

**Synthesis:** Everyone agreed that if teachers are going to use multiple intelligences in the classroom then they should also use those methods to test students. Among other things teachers want to make sure that they are consistent in how they teach and consistent in what they expect from their students. Everyone agreed that this chapter gave us many good ideas about how to test students with the different MI's and I think the lists in this chapter will serve as a great reference for us as future teachers on how to assess students in all eight multiple intelligences. It is important that we recognize as practicum students the importance of learning about how to assess students with MI techniques because we will be the people who need to teach this to other teachers as this is 21st century teaching.It can be hard for teachers to asses students using intelligences that they themselves are not as strong in. There is good new though. Many people in the field of education who are commited to using the MI theory in the classroom have many resources available. There are many websites that can help out teachers who are new to using multiple intelligences in the [|classroom.]

Carinne Haigis
On the very first page of this particular chapter, the author of __Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom__ writes: “It would certainly be the height of hypocrisy to ask students to participate in a wide range of multispectrum experiences in all eight intelligences and then require them to show what they’ve learned through standardized tests that focus narrowly on linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligences” (Armstrong 130). This one sentence, in essence, sums up a lot of what this chapter is about. Armstrong argues that if a teacher is going to teach using multiple intelligences, it really only makes sense to assess students using similar methods. Standardized tests are so completely one dimensional that it can be hard for all students, if any, to truly demonstrate what they have learned. When describing how a teacher might assess students on the book __The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__, Armstrong writes: “…a standardized test provides no opportunity to explore or discuss this interpretation. Students who are not particularly word-sensitive may know a great deal about Huck Finn, yet not be able to show their knowledge on this test item” (Armstrong 136). I found this section of the chapter so completely relevant to my teaching beliefs. In an English classroom, it is obvious that linguistic learners, those who work well with words, may have the advantage. However, because I believe that everyone can find something to like in the wide and diverse content area of language arts, it is important to me to provide ways for every sort of learner to be able to learn and demonstrate their knowledge. With this concept in mind, this chapter proved to be extremely helpful in offering an abundance of ideas as to how a teacher can diversify assessments to better understand what students know.

Leigh Welch
The main focal point in this chapter was assessments using the MI’s. The assessments and instruction using MI’s should not be too far fetched so they should not take an immense amount of extra time to create assessments that focus on the Multiple Intelligences. Some examples of assessments that include the Multiple Intelligences can consist of, but are not limited to, skits, music, written tests or essays, drawings and diagrams, etc. Using these methods of assessments wit h Multiple Intelligences, would compliment a class that incorporates Multiple Intelligences. This chapter also talks about how bad it is to look at only one sample of a child’s work and assess form that (standardized testing). The book stresses how important it is to gain a compilation of works and look into those to decide if the child has achieved mastery. My aunt is a teacher in a seventh grade classroom, and she is a very good example of a teacher that uses Multiple Intelligences for assessments for virtually every assignment. On almost every assignment students are given the option to act out in a skit, create a power point, write an essay, make an illustrated picture book, or any other form that they can think of. My Aunt is very open to new and exciting ideas. This is effective for her students because they get a chance to switch it up for every assignment if they wish to. They could (theoretically) also do the same type of project every time, if that is what they wanted to do. The use of Multiple Intelligence incorporated assessments is so important in a classroom environment because it give kids a chance to be creative, but also feel comfortable doing so.

Paul Santamore
Chapter ten references the different ways to assess and test students in order to provide them the best possible experience. By varying the ways in which we assess our students we develop students who have higher levels of content retention and confidence in their ability to “test”. The sections of this chapter that were particularly informative were “MI assessment projects” and “Assessment in eight ways”. These sections of the text helped me to understand why students must be tested in a variety of ways and also gave me a few good ideas as to how I should apply those ideas in my classroom. Gardner suggests developing an MI portfolio for each student in order for him or her to understand how important and helpful it is to attempt to develop each of one’s MIs. Using this information in the classroom will be fairly simple. If we change the way that we assess students, or at the very least vary it, our students will have more success; After all, that is the ultimate goal for me as a teacher, student success. If my students are struggling with one way of assessment I will vow to provide them with another until they are fully comfortable and able to succeed at their highest possible level. I will certainly be using the variety of assessment section of this chapter (131-134), because it provides a plethora of resources and ideas that help to vary student assessment while looking at each of the MIs in particular. I think that this is a wonderful way to help my students succeed and benefit from all of the material that I will display in my classroom.

Jason B
Standardized tests are just one form of assessment. There are many ways of assessing a student. MI theory proposes that teachers focus less on giving formal standardized tests and more on authentic measures that connect the material to a student’s past performances. This way the students can build upon what they already know. Standardized tests also provide no opportunity to explore or discuss specific interpretations. The book gives the example of describing Huck Finn from the novel //Huckleberry Finn//. A standardized test would probably give a list of adjectives and ask the student to select one. However, the student may have a valid opinion and select a different option than the one that the test was looking for. In other words, the test has one answer while students could come up with a variety of answers for a variety of reasons based on the way they think. Using the Multiple Intelligences Theory, teachers can create questions or projects that can relate Huck Finn (or any other topic) to specific learning styles. For example, a musical learner could answer the question, “If Huck Finn were a musical phrase what would he sound like or what song would he be?” After reading this chapter, I have thought about what assessments will be like in my own classroom. I have decided that the majority of my exams will not be they typical math exam that asks students to answer a set of questions and solve some problems. Instead, I will work with the Multiple Intelligence Theory to develop tests that students can take to show their maximum learning potential.

Bianca Stoutamyer
Documenting your student’s multiple intelligences is also important to assessing their multiple intelligences. How I would go about assessing my students multiple intelligences would change depending on what grade level I teach. If I were teaching high school I would not ask them to do a calendar record of what they do during the month. I would probably ask my junior high or middle school students to do something like that in order to teach them organization and the importance of everything they do. I also like the “Assessment in Eight Ways” or at least I like it in theory however coming up with ways to assess knowledge for every unit in each of the eight ways seems overwhelming for the teacher and the students. Some times I know I won’t be able to give the students as much of a variety for their assignments as they would like but I could use Figure 10.3 on page 95 to organize all of my student’s different options. Though I would make sure if I ever used this format for my classroom that I would only put projects on that pertained and made sense for the unit. Giving the students choices may keep them interested in the lesson but they also might miss the point of the unit and instead of thinking more in depth about the unit they may only take in superficial knowledge. As a teacher it is my job to push my students but to also make the lessons entertaining and informative while keeping their interest on the class lesson rather than on the drama outside of the classroom.

Allison Reynolds
The use of multiple intelligences in the classroom will always bring new and exciting ideas to me for my classroom. As I read this chapter I couldn’t help but get more motivated to teach! This chapter addressed how to assess student using the eight intelligences and how to reach students in different strengths. There were some projects that were documented, like the Project Spectrum for early childhood. I think the one that would work the best for me would be the Practical Intelligence for School Units program for middle school. It brings life lessons as part of units to the curriculum in order to have students learn things about the “real world”. I like bringing this aspect of learning into the classroom, but I think I would have to see a curriculum based on this before I create one or implement one. One thing that truly helped me was the Chart 10.4 that described where an assignment might be in the intelligences and how to apply it in others. That was such a great reference for me as a student and a teacher. Not only can I use this to help me figure out a way to do an assignment in my strengths but also work with students. I loved the chart. It would even be a great poster in my room so students can bounce ideas off of me and the poster! The other big idea that I took away from this chapter is using a portfolio. I have written before that I don’t understand how to use a portfolio, but as I read more I realized I use one all the time. I keep everything my teachers give me and everything that I have done. I am making a portfolio for myself and I want to encourage my students to do the same. They make learning so much easier and you can really see how you grow in a certain subject. I am going to make a conscious effort to use them in my classroom.

Kellie Sanborn
As I read this chapter I found myself constantly thinking of the Albert Einstein quote " Everybody is a genius . But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." It only makes sense that we assess learners in the way that their knowledge and application is best displayed. Mathematical and Linguistic are only two of the eight multiple intelligences, so why is it that we use only those two to assess everyone? Assessments should play to students’ strengths. The article also brought up the point of the impracticality of standardized tests. When, in real life, will anyone ever have to complete the task of filling in bubbles on a sheet of paper? I would argue never. Assessing based upon multiple intelligences also provides the opportunity for practical assessment, where students will become more enriched through the material because they will be able to see its real-life applications and demonstrate their ability to apply it in such a way. The dispute that I had with this chapter was that it seemed like the author was saying that we should not have grades at all. He said that by putting a number on the assessment, it was digressing back to standardized tests in their worst form. I agree that in a perfect world, grades would not be necessary, but in the world we live in, they are. Eliminating grading entirely just isn’t going to happen, so I think that what the author was talking about seemed to apply almost solely to formative assessments.

Chris Whitney
Chapter ten of the Multiple Intelligences book talks about how to properly assess students for evidence of mastery. One of the big points that I got from this chapter is that a teacher must be consistent throughout their unit. If they are going to put a lot of emphasis on using different MI activities during the unit to help reach all students, then a teacher needs to be able to test using the eight different MI’s as to not create a double standard about how useful the multiple intelligences really are. It was interesting to see the types of examples the book used to help demostrate how to assess using the different MI’s. Just being able to have students think in a different way will help students perform better. As mentioned in other chapters, a great way to assess students is through a portfolio as both the student and the teacher will clearly be able to see the students progress over time, and it was be easy to see if the student has mastered the concepts or is having trouble with a certain idea. It was interesting to read different ways of testing that I wish I would have been opened up to when I was in high school.

Mel Christensen
The Multiple Intelligences Theory approaches assessment from the standpoint that students should be able to show the proof of their learning through the method that is most natural to them. For instance, students may have the opportunity to connect to the material they learn in English class through their spatial or musical intelligences, but when given a standardized test they are forced to prove their understanding in terms of linguistic intelligence. This chapter suggests that educators should rely on more varied forms of assessment and play with test questions in order to find ways to phrase them that would appeal to different learning styles. One suggestion in the chapter was to use standardized test questions in an informal setting in class and allow students to practice answering the questions in different ways, such as by drawing a picture or explaining their answer to someone through a story. This exercise could be valuable to students who struggle with the format of standardized tests because it presents students with a strategy for working through problems. Portfolios are a strong assessment tool for multiple intelligences because they are a blank canvas that can reflect the students’ accomplishments. Portfolios are very versatile assessment tools and can be assembled, viewed, and assessed many different ways. Students, teachers, parents, peers, and administrators can all learn a lot more about a student by looking at a collection of work samples rather than one test. Portfolios are also a great visual tool for students to use when doing reflections or self assessments.

Ashton Carmichael
The chapter discusses multiple ways to assess students using the eight types of learning styles. The author gives thirteen examples of how an educator can document student growth. The examples range from keeping samples to interviewing the students, most seemingly good ideas. I like the idea of keeping these types of documentation. If we can go back and look at this “photo album” as described in Rick Wormeli’s __Fair Isn’t Always Equal__ we will get a whole picture of what each student is like. I think it would be hard to keep this collection for each student unless we turned it into a class project. I would ask students to keep documentation on themselves at the beginning of the semester and have them reflect throughout the year on how they have grown or sustained in the subject. The author goes on to explain how to assess students without actually giving them a standard test. The author is sure to include all eight learning types on the same example. The author states that, “By linking Huck Finn to pictures, physical actions, musical phrases, scientific formulas, social connections, personal feelings, or animals, students have more opportunities to use their multiple intelligences to help articulate their understanding” (Armstrong 137). Obviously a teacher would not be able to design one test that included every learning style, the assessment would jump around and confuse everyone involved. I agree with Armstrong when he says that we need to give students multiple opportunities to grow and reach full potential. These students will not reach their full potential if we are teaching them all the same and not differentiating our lesson plans to meet their needs.

Kaite Bukauskas
This chapter explores the idea that teachers and schools should revise the ways in which they test students if they are to follow the multiple intelligence theory. The author points out that it would be counterproductive, and possibly confusing to students, to spend so much time instructing lessons using activities and experiences to utilize all eight intelligences to then asses what students have learned with strict standardized testing. This makes for an unfit assessment because it often is focused narrowly on linguistic and logical-mathematical approaches. The ways in which the tests are structured also go against the beliefs of the multiple intelligence theory because the tests normally require students to stay seated at their desks, spend a restricted amount of time on the tests, and to refrain from speaking to anyone. The MI theory suggests instead that students demonstrate their learning and knowledge in a context or environment that better resembles that in which he or she would utilize the information in the real world. The author referred to this as authentic assessment, which involves observation of the student and documentation of what he or she has learned. This documentation can take one of many forms, such as anecdotal records, work samples, audio files, photography, video, student journals, interviews, or checklists. By linking the information students have learned to projects such as these, a teacher or observer can get insight on student performance that is based upon the content area, subject, or skill being taught. I believe an assessment strategy such as this would greatly relieve many students of their test anxieties and allow them to focus instead on what they have learned or are about to perform.

Megan Hoffman
This chapter centers on an idea similar to //__Fair Isn’t Always Equal.__// It focuses on using the multiple intelligence theory to properly assess your student in your content area. The MI model can’t be properly evaluated if the teacher doesn’t know their students’ intelligence so the general suggestion is to keep an observation record of your students and get to know them in terms of how they learn best. One of the suggestions on how to use MI theory in your assessment is to develop an 8 way exam method with 8 different assessment types to go with each child’s unique learning type.

I like the idea of using the MI theory to develop my assessments. It would be more work on my part, but in turn it will make the students feel like they actually learned something. When a kinesthetic learner faces a lengthy paper test, they feel like they haven’t learned anything because it isn’t put into a form that helps them understand. However, the verbal-linguistic learner would love a paper test because it is how they understand best. Is it fair to give everyone a paper test when only the verbal-linguistic students will succeed? In my personal opinion it isn’t, it is one-dimensional assessments like these that turn kids off to learning and make them feel unintelligent. It is the same thing as standardized testing like the SAT or even the PRAXIS exams that make the educational systems completely ineffective and unfair. Education is slowly turning into “passing the test” rather than learning the material.