Understanding Multiple Intelligences
We all think in different ways and we all have different things that we find interesting - I think that is something on which everyone can agree. However, what that means is that we also learn in different ways from each other. In a classroom, that can be a problem if the teacher is teaching in one style and the student thinks in a different style. So, wouldn't it be great if the way a teacher taught a lesson could be similar to the way a student learns? For example, a person who learns well in groups could be able to work with other people, a person who learns well while moving could be able to handle items or move in some way while being taught. These are not new concepts and it is pretty well accepted that if we can bring the teaching style and the learning styles together, both tasks become much easier.
Fortunately, a researcher by the name of Howard Gardner, developed a concept he called "Multiple Intelligences" (MI). The idea behind MI is that there are eight generalized way that people learn information. Most typically we all have a mixture of these MI but some may play a heavier role than some of the others in obtaining and keeping information.
To help me prepare a better, more enriching science education for the scientists in Bobcat Labs, I had them each complete an MI assessment. Upon finishing the assessment, each scientist then mapped their own MI. (I have provided a few examples of some of the MI maps that were created.)
By knowing that a particular student performs best with information given to them in a particular format, it helps their teacher help them to succeed. For a student, knowing this same information it helps them accomplish their tasks and goals. It gives them a sense of ownership of their intelligence and helps them to realize that we are all intelligent - just in different ways. It also gives them an opportunity to possibly try to improve the areas in which they obtain information less effectively.
As you can see by looking at the examples, the MI maps are very different from each other in shape. This is because the minds of each of the students whom these represent are all very different from one another. In fact, for every student with whom I have ever done this activity, I have never had two images the exact same shape. This is because there are about 250 million different maps that could be created with this analysis. This may make it seem like teaching to so many different styles of learning would be ner impossible. The truth, though, is that recognizing these differences helps to make everyone work just a little bit harder to match up their teaching and learning styles. If a student isn't understanding a concept, it is really easy to focus on a method of presenting the information that better matches their learning style. Without the mapping of the MI, it is much more like a shot in the dark.
Fortunately, a researcher by the name of Howard Gardner, developed a concept he called "Multiple Intelligences" (MI). The idea behind MI is that there are eight generalized way that people learn information. Most typically we all have a mixture of these MI but some may play a heavier role than some of the others in obtaining and keeping information.
To help me prepare a better, more enriching science education for the scientists in Bobcat Labs, I had them each complete an MI assessment. Upon finishing the assessment, each scientist then mapped their own MI. (I have provided a few examples of some of the MI maps that were created.)
By knowing that a particular student performs best with information given to them in a particular format, it helps their teacher help them to succeed. For a student, knowing this same information it helps them accomplish their tasks and goals. It gives them a sense of ownership of their intelligence and helps them to realize that we are all intelligent - just in different ways. It also gives them an opportunity to possibly try to improve the areas in which they obtain information less effectively.
As you can see by looking at the examples, the MI maps are very different from each other in shape. This is because the minds of each of the students whom these represent are all very different from one another. In fact, for every student with whom I have ever done this activity, I have never had two images the exact same shape. This is because there are about 250 million different maps that could be created with this analysis. This may make it seem like teaching to so many different styles of learning would be ner impossible. The truth, though, is that recognizing these differences helps to make everyone work just a little bit harder to match up their teaching and learning styles. If a student isn't understanding a concept, it is really easy to focus on a method of presenting the information that better matches their learning style. Without the mapping of the MI, it is much more like a shot in the dark.