The results of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Test indicate that my strengths lie in the Intrapersonal, followed closely by Rhythmic, and Verbal areas. Judging from the MI descriptions at Walter McKenzie's Surfaquarium site, I'd say that the characteristics associated with these areas are pretty spot-on. Examples of some of these characteristics include an awareness of one's thought process, a regulation of one's thoughts, actions and behaviors, a sense of one's morals - basically, Intrapersonal people really know themselves quite well inside and out. Characteristics of Rhythmic intelligence include seeking out and identifying with patterns and a heightened listening ability. And finally, Verbal or linguistic intelligences include the ability to express oneself orally and in writing, a pretty accurate description for me, a writer.
Discuss which of the core characteristics best describe you and your learning style.
I found the descriptions to be quite accurate. For example, I know my self pretty well, and I like working alone. I am very Type-A about my projects, and I fear having to give up that power over the quality of a project if I'm put into a group. (Hate group work!) I also prefer assessment that allows for either creativity or writing, since I believe I express myself best in writing (especially storytelling). I find it easy to apply rules and skills involved in language to a variety of different disciplines: I hate any types of tests that rely on logic, one-correct-answer, or multiple choice. If I am allowed to explain myself or explain how I came to the conclusion that I did, I feel as though 1) I am learning something and 2) I am being fairly assessed.
Discuss what students with this type of intelligence enjoy, are like, or tend to do within classroom settings.
Intrapersonal learners are communicators, they express strong likes/dislikes, show confidence, and relate to others based on a sense of themselves. Linguistic learners enjoy and are skilled at expressing their learning through discussion and essays, they enjoy word play, and are good storytellers who use descriptive language.
Discuss how you will support this type of intelligence within your classroom and within your teaching.
For all learners, I will offer students a variety of activities and assessment tools so that they don't feel as though they are being misunderstood and I will differentiate instruction so that learners of all intelligences will have the opportunity to flourish. When working with Intrapersonal learners (and all learners, for that matter) I will ask students to set goals for themselves and reflect on their own learning and I will involve students in the development of the assessment we use in the class.
I'm also a proponent of online forums for student work: blogs, wikis, websites. I feel that all students can benefit from having a wider audience for their work (especially Intrapersonal students who might not feel comfortable sharing their work aloud or face-to-face).
For Linguistic learners, I will utilize journals, promote opportunities for writing in different genres/styles, I will include oral storytelling and emphasize the importance of preserving different forms of storytelling, and I will provide a small library of quality young adult literature for all of my students and will work with individuals to come up with other reading suggestions.
Discuss what technologies stimulate this type of intelligence.
For Intrapersonal learners: class discussion, real time projects, digital portfolios, self-assessment, journals, and YA lit.
For Linguistic learners: newspapers, magazines, and web-based publishing are fantastic tools.
And finally, discuss how you might impact student learning by applying your understanding of learning styles and multiple intelligences within your classroom.
As I said in the post before this one, I feel that it's important for me to be cognizant of the variety of ways that exist to teach a concept. I hope to affect student learning by changing things up, offering choice, and realizing that just because a student doesn't understand a concept when I teach it one way, that doesn't mean they won't understand it if we try a different tactic.
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