Multiple intelligences Essay Example for Free

Multiple intelligences Essay Multiple intelligences is a theory birthed by Dr. Gardner. It challenged the traditional IQ based education system. Gardner did not approve of the traditional benchmark of education by using IQ. He insisted that this system is narrow in its focus and ignores other intelligences that could be used. The other intelligences are as follows: †¢ Linguistic intelligence which deals with wording and speech †¢ Spatial intelligence which deals with interpretation of pictures and pictorial data e. g. graphs †¢ Musical intelligence †¢ Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence that deals with body understanding †¢ Logical-mathematical intelligence that deals with the reasoning and processing of number information †¢ Interpersonal intelligence dealing with how a person relates to others †¢ Intrapersonal intelligence deals with how a person deals with himself †¢ Naturalist intelligence deals with nature knowledge (Armstrong, 2000) These intelligences are used to gauge a persons inclination and offer alternatives for information ingestion by the brain. As opposed to the traditional IQ method, this presents an opportunity to for the educationist to explore new methods of teaching and exploring the talents of their students. By using the talents of their students, the teachers are able to explore the best methods of teaching for the student (Armstrong, 2000 pg. 110). The implications for teaching are enormous. The teacher is as a result made to use a variety of tools to teach. This makes it easier and more engaging for both the teacher (in creatively looking for solutions) and the pupils (making learning more conceptual and fun). The process also enables the students to discover their talents and inclinations early in life and therefore have a sense of direction in life. If the student is gifted in interpersonal intelligence, the student can start to chart their career path toward this talent and explore fields relevant to this talent (Armstrong, 2000 pg. 109). Another implication is that there is increased academic performance and decreased referrals to special education classes. This happens as the multiple intelligences model of learning in the classroom approaches teaching from the perspective of the student. It focuses on the needs of the student thus is sensitive to the needs of special students, that is, students who were not adequately catered for in the traditional system. This catering is done by identifying the strengths of the students rather than looking at their weakness. The intervention strategies employed by the teacher strengthen the students talents thus giving them better grip on their content. As a result of using strengths to equip these students, the students get a better understanding of the content and therefore do better in class. This leads to better self esteem and image by the students, since they can identify their different talents and successfully use them. The use of these varied talents and identification of their various needs also helps the students learn to appreciate their differences and thus cultivates their tolerance and understanding (Armstrong, 2000 pg. 108-111). In summary, the system allows the student to have personalized attention in terms of diagnosis and learning. Here, the student, not the course content, is king. This allows the student to learn in a way that is best suited for them personally by utilizing their strengths. The strengths and talents discovered help in the process of self-realization and self-esteem building of the student, thus having good emotional spill over effects. Therefore, this process is more advantageous and yields greater results. Part four: journal critique Lujan and DiCarlo (2006) in their discussion on the phenomenon of teaching but no learning cite the use of multiple intelligences as a useful tool in assisting the learning process. They cite that traditional learning methods do not effectively contribute to the learning process. Instead the process frustrates students due to large amounts of information needed in the course and frustration due to the inability to transfer these facts to their memory. The solution according to them is to make the learning process more active and participative. This will require that the teacher becomes more innovative in his methods of teaching. The use of games, music and other interactive methods are cited as helpful in the teaching process. The teachers role should shift from being a passive information transferor to an assistant and tool giver. He or she should offer support to the students to learn and explore by empowering them to be able to creatively solve problems and learn out of their own volition. As very well cited, it is the active learning and information processing rather than the information that is passively received that leads to learning (Lujan and DiCarlo, 2006). The other journal article becoming a truly helpful teacher, Jason (2007) examines how to make the teacher a more supportive person in the classroom environment. The argument of the author is that no matter how high your expertise or good your intentions, the teaching style one uses determines the learning effectiveness. The article is based on the teaching of health courses. These courses tend to be more challenging and exerting than others. He surprisingly suggests that the instructor should seek ways to make the course more challenging as opposed to making it easier. The challenge process, however, is not in a bid to make the course harder. The challenge is in a bid to make the course more attractive and involving for the students. The role of the teacher in such situations is less traditional and needs the full commitment of the teacher. His role becomes facilitating the student to own the course as opposed to viewing the course from the instructors perspective. The truth is that this process is exerting on the teacher and therefore needs commitment and patience on his or her part. The task should be taken in a long-run perspective as opposed to making the short term goal of exam passing. This way, you equip your students for life and obtain a deeper sense of satisfaction (Jason, 2007). Both articles examine the role of the teacher in the learning. They both agree overwhelmingly that the teachers role is increased in the use of active learning as opposed to passive. The teacher must facilitate the process of learning rather than force it using lectures. They both allude to the non-conscious learning principle of using the attitude of both the teacher and the student to influence the learning process. The teacher is a supporter, not forcer, of the information gathering process and is supposed to offer the right tools to the students to achieve this. The use of outside sources is stressed in detail by Lujan and DiCarlo as a resource tool at the teachers disposal. By making the students venture into other information resources, while using the teacher for support, the owning process described by Jason is facilitated. However, Jason also cites the challenging of the students by making the course a bit more difficult while still keeping it fun as a viable method of helping the student gain interest and gain more from the course. References Kaye E. , (1976), Attention and Memory. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Medphys (n. d). Basic Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Brain, Sourced on 21 April 2009 http://74. 125. 47. 132/search? q=cache:29YkK2OXvngJ:www. medphys. ucl. ac. uk/research/borg/homepages/florian/thesis/pdf_files/p25_34. pdf+physiology+of+braincd=2hl=enct=clnkgl=keclient=firefox-a Mark B. , (n. d) Brain Physiology Part One: The Major Structures of the Brain. Sourced on 21 April 2009 http://www. enspirepress. com/writings_on_consciousness/brain_physiology/brain_physiology. html