Chapter 2: MI and Personal Development

Abstract

In this chapter, the first thing we are told is that before applying any model of learning in a classroom environment, we should first apply it to ourselves first. If we do not fully understand something when we first start using it in the classroom we will not only not fully understand how to teach it but we will later lose fluency from not having a complete competence in the intelligence we are trying to use. As teachers we should experiment on ourselves before trying anything in the classroom. We must know how we learn best in order to teach as well as you can. Ideally right in this chapter there is a multiple intelligence inventory for adults. The book says repeatedly that there is no standardized test to definitively answer exactly where each of your eight intelligences are. Each test that is out there is quick way to give you a rough idea of where your strengths and weaknesses are. It is always a good idea to know what kind of intelligences you are strong in because that is an intelligence you do not have to further develop for teaching. Luckily there are many options available to you if you are lower than you want in certain intelligences. Some of the options at your feet are: seeking help from a colleague who is especially high in a certain intelligence, using available technology such as CD recordings, videotapes, calculators, or computer, also one can use the kids themselves for help with drawing on the board, providing a musical background or sharing their own knowledge in an area. Some people may not need to develop a certain intelligence at all and it will still remain relatively high for them throughout their lives but for the average person, each of the eight intelligences are constantly changing throughout their lives. There are three major factors that come into play that will effect how far each of your intelligences develop: biological endowment, personal life history, and cultural and historical background. Your biological endowment is your hereditary or genetic factors and injuries to the brain before, during, and after birth. In other words, these are the cards you were dealt. The other two factors are more about your environment than your biological being. Almost every person you know or have spent extensive time around has changed how your intelligences have awakened or developed. Even where you live and what is going on around you will develop your intelligences differently. If you were born and raised in a small town with neighbors that live miles away will naturally develop your intrapersonal intelligence much more than that of someone who has always lived in the bustling city atmosphere. Throughout ones life one will unknowingly experience crystallizing and paralyzing factors. Crystallizing helps intelligences develop and can be thought of as “turning points”. During times of crystallization the intelligence takes off and experiences high and quick growth. On the other hand, a paralyzing factor is where a intelligence is lowered or shuts down temporally due to many different experiences. Usually this will happen at times of humiliation or extreme duress. We can adapt any classroom to fit in with all the types of intelligence we would expect in a classroom. By doing this we can promote flexibility and variety in the classroom. There are many different resources available to you as a teacher to put to use. While it is almost impossible to have an extremely high aptitude in every intelligence, it is imperative though to at least understand each one.

Reflection

As a whole we were all very interested on how to heighten each of our own intelligences so we could do the best we can at teaching. While a lot of us had some worries about how we were going to implement each of the eight learning styles, after reading the chapter we learned of multiple ways to get support through resources. Pooling all of our resources will make everything that much easier. Some of us had already learned about multiple intelligences in either an earlier education class or through psychology so a lot of different theories were brought up. Some believe that developing intelligences is more nurture than nature, others believed that nature vs. nature is even when it comes to developing intelligences, and some said that the testing is essentially flawed because the answers may differ just from what time of day or what day it is when they took the test. Most of us have decided that we will make changes based mostly on the students imput. If a project or area does not go over as smoothly as planned, it has to be assumed as our fault, not the students. Depending on how the students participated and took to the section will determine what changes we make to our teaching style and presentation. It was almost unanimous that the best way to test a theory is to experiment with it in the classroom. From there we can properly apply it and take a look at it from afar to see what, if any, changes need to be made. Most importantly, this chapter made us re-think how we are going to teach.