2010.06.30

This day we focused on critical thinking skills. The format was through the Theory of Multiple Intelligences as first created by Howard Gardner. The seven categories of intelligences are as follows: Verbal-Linguistic Logical-Mathimatical Visual-Spatial Body-Kinesthetic Musical-Rhythmic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Most classes of instruction will utilize one or two points of instruction, and will often be utilizing the strong points or manners of learning that are successful for the teacher, ignoring most if not all the others. This makes it extremely hard for a student who, for instance, is a strong verbal-linguistic learner (who learns well from listening and makes sense of material this way), but poor at body-kinesthetic (who relates to movement, hands-on, manipulating of self and or environment) who is taking a class (such as learning sign language) where the instruction is mainly do as I do (demonstrating hand movements but not explaining out loud), the end result being that the student fails to perform to the teacher's expectations. Where do these different intelligences come from? The brain utilizes different parts of the brain when it is performing different functions (this has been determined through brain research, where electrical activity can be observed to move to different parts of the brain while doing different activities). This is something you are: 1. inherently born with; 2. exposed to early and quickly develop; 3. choose to improve (through practice, application). Sometimes an intelligence may not be well developed (keep in mind, no one has all intelligences developed equally). Sometimes a certain skill may be culturally encouraged, and in a sense gives 'flavor' to how a population can be inclined to learn, or even how it could be 'deficient' on other levels. As a teacher, one needs to be aware of these differences, and be able to provide different styles from which students are able to demonstrate their strengths. This makes it more challenging for a teacher to figure out how to teach to and then grade a student, but not impossible. As an example if I have a poor visual-spatial intelligence (a huge intelligence relied on in Western instruction), I need to figure out ways for my material to be understood to others. As a football coach I can expect my players to be all reasonably highly developed with body-kinesthetic intelligence (otherwise they probably should not be on the team), and learn from doing. But I need to give information to my students in other ways that help them to learn. Charts on the whiteboard of plays (visual). Explanation of how to do (verbal-linguistic). Get groups together to plan actions (interpersonal), use memory tricks like cadences during drills or little sing-song styles that encourage an even movement or memorization of patterns (musical rhythmic), etc. This material will take some time to process and fully integrate, but I must say that it is another excellent tool for teaching. There is too much focus is on teacher-centered learning. The shift over to the students interest and then also their strengths is what helps to make for a life-long learner. In the afternoon Dr. James Foard made a presentation on religion in Japan, and I finally understand why many Japanese say they don't have religion even though they practice the rituals of religion. The focus on the political influence and manipulation now puts a different light on all countries and their individual zealous natures. I will try and go into more detail later.