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Abstract - Sarah McGinley
1/26/10

This chapter talks about first [|analyzing your own multiple intelligences] as a teacher before analyzing the student’s multiple intelligences. Although there is not a standard exam for identifying the multiple intelligences, there are other ways, like looking into someone’s personal history, for this identification. As teachers, you should be able to join forces, with other teachers or students, in order to utilize the intelligences you tend to ignore. If you would like to incorporate an intelligence that is one of your weakest ones, you have the option of using other technological resources. For example, printing off computer generated Bingo cards if you are not spatial and you do not like to draw. Although, teachers have to be careful when determining which activity to use for a lesson because it could have a positive outcome or negative outcome. There are activators of intelligences which are called crystallizing experiences that students can build on positively and there are deactivators of intelligences which are called paralyzing experiences that students use to shut down certain intelligences. Therefore, not only do teachers need to know about the multiple intelligences but they also have to build on them positively.

Synthesis - Sarah McGinley
1/26/10

Many people agree that [|teachers should first find out what intelligence best fits him/her] before focusing on what intelligence best fits the student. Although, one person brought up a good point about how our intelligence preferences might change over time where there is room for improvement when it comes to the intelligence skills. This is just one of the reasons why we should not be labeling the intelligences as “strong” or “weak” intelligences. There are many tools available now to help us identify our Multiple Intelligences. Our self changes to multiple intelligences could also be due to crystallizing or paralyzing experiences that take place in the classroom. Teachers are always striving to achieve a crystallizing experience but that does not always happen and a student has shut out a particular intelligence.

Jared Boghosian
Well in this chapter I learned that as teachers we need to develop our own intelligence levels before we can hope to help the students develop theirs. Clearly we cannot master all eight of them, but we should at least dabble in intelligences we are not so confident in. I learned it is ok to have the students help if we are lacking in an intelligence that they are especially good at. And especially in this day and age teachers need to use technology such as CDs and DVDs and the World Wide Web to supplement our knowledge in each of the intelligences. This impacts me not only as a future teacher but as an actor. I should be developing skills I am not proficient in to make me more marketable in the classroom as well as in the theater.

Amanda Fitzpatrick
In Chapter two, the section that really stuck out to me the most as being beneficial is the one in which it details how one can tap into different MI resources. One that I found very intriguing was “Ask students to help out” (pg 26). Although it is certain some teachers ask for student opinions, in my schooling I have found that it is not used enough. From this prompt, I came up with multiple ways in my head that I could get students involved with the curriculum, from allowing the students to choose what literary work to read next and picking out writing assignments that are interesting and current to their lives. In my opinion and from what we have learned in Dr. Theresa’s class, making students feel as though what they are learning has deeper meaning in their lives is a way to get the class more involved. If the student helped to pick out the reading, for example, I believe they will feel more connected to it, and thus will be more interested. I believe that as a student in an English class in high school I would have felt much more connected to my reading if I would have been able to vote on what the class were to read next, instead of having to read what the //teacher// thought was best for the class to read.

Diana Quinlan
In the second chapter of //Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom// I learned that it is very important that I get to know my own learning styles as well the learning styles of my students. If I am aware of what my learning style is than it will be easier to identify what my teaching strengths and weaknesses are. That way I can use what works best for me but will be able to find resources to make up for learning styles that I tend to shy away from. Some such resources may include other teacher in the building or from surrounding areas as well as technology provided by the school I will be teaching in. Although the M.I. theory supports both nature and nurture arguments, it is more bias towards the nurture side. This means that I have to be very careful when dealing with students so that I do not cause a paralyzing experience. Paralyzing experiences are negative experiences that students have which cause them to shut down and avoid certain intelligences that they might have. It is my goal to help students develop all their intelligences not turn them off.

Mike Lawson
Chapter two allowed me to think about how my mind and intelligence developed. Although I can’t point out one specific event in my life that made me the learner I am today, it would be interesting to figure it out. I think that would be really awesome to look back and see that one moment. Learning about the crystallizing experiences and paralyzing experiences was also cool. I would really like to try and expand my intelligences. This chapter didn’t really help in my classroom because it’s more about expanding and identifying your intelligences. However, it gave me some ideas about how to get my students to know how they learn. They will be able to isolate how they learn and use it to become better learners.

Scott Bowden
I was provided with additional insights in this chapter as far as how to enhance my own growth with respect to the eight intelligences. It would never have occurred to me that these could be enhanced as experiences increase. I was under an impression that these intelligences determined what classes and ideas we liked to think about, not the other way. I know now how to not stifle a student’s learning and appreciation for a subject as it might decrease their strength in that intelligence (e.g. to not criticize a student who raises their hand in class or to publicly talk down my students). I think it would be worth my students’ (and my own personal) time to take the inventory in the book. As a teacher, I could identify the needs of each of my students using this inventory and tailor my lessons to help accommodate that. In addition, it could help me to know where I stand with these intelligences and know what intelligences I need help implementing in the classroom.

Alicia Kenison
Armstrong emphasized in this chapter that it does not matter the type of school you teach in, but the type of students you teach. Each individual is unique and formatting an MI profile is easy, like our first day of classes where we were interactive and discovered whether we were a “puppy,” a “clipboard,” a “beach ball,” or a “microscope.” It is crucial that the teacher knows who they are teaching for, what they like and what they dislike. Knowing your students allows you to adapt your lesson plans to their needs. An MI comes from genetic factors (who your parents are or what they are), experiences (what you’ve done and what you’ve seen: what made you who you are), and cultural (where you were born, how you were raised, economic status, race, etc). When a teacher knows who you are, they then know how to teach you adequately. MI’s are also formed by crystallizing and paralyzing experiences as labeled by David Feldman. A crystallizing experience includes those “turning points” in the development of a person’s talents and abilities. For example, making a sports team would crystallize your bodily-kinesthetic MI. A paralyzing experience, on the other hand, is an experience that “shuts down” intelligence. For example, failing a math test may make you think you have no logical/mathematical intelligence. As a teacher, I want to improve all my students by finding out what “shuts them down” and working past the struggle to show that they possess the ability to accomplish anything. Before I do that, I will have to know their strengths and weaknesses, which a MI test will come in handy (maybe the first day of class) as a fun “getting-to-know-you activity.”

Jared Merrifield
Chapter 2: MI Theory and Personal Development

I am surprised that it took me so long to realize that the teacher’s intelligence levels are just as important as those of the students! It’s quite clear to me now that the teacher’s intelligence levels will “rub off” onto each student taught, depending on how the teacher conveys the lesson. If this didn’t happen, that would be like a person who has devoted his life to the subject of English, only to wind up teaching a math class! Because of the importance of these intelligence levels, I think it might be a good idea to introduce my students to this test at the beginning of the year as a head-start to adjusting to their intelligences and learning styles. Of course, I also plan to administer a survey so I can familiarize myself with my students’ personal interests, backgrounds, and motivations. I now realize that my intelligence levels may “conflict” with those of a few of my students, thus affecting my teaching habits and their learning competency, and the chapter provides some valuable pointers regarding this problem. Of course, I have had teachers in the past who are shameless in their intelligence deficiencies (messy penmanship, common misspellings or mathematical mistakes, indiscernible diagrams or drawings), and surprisingly, these took very little away from the lesson as a whole.

Sarah McGinley
Multiple Intelligences Chapter 2: MI Theory and Personal Development 1/21/10

The very first thing to consider when talking about multiple intelligences is how to identify the multiple intelligences in a person. In this case, the teacher should identify his or her own multiple intelligences and then identify each student’s multiple intelligence. By identifying you own first you are able to get a better understanding of how you learn and what are the different ways to learn differently from your own. Through a few activities, I now know what multiple intelligences apply to me. In my classroom I would like to be able to identify each student’s multiple intelligences and use them to teach the class the lesson at hand. If I do have a rough time identifying certain student’s multiple intelligences, I always have the option of seeking help. Other teachers know about multiple intelligences and have the experience I don’t have but are available to ask. I also have the option of looking information up on the internet.

Jason Malbon
Looking more closely at our own intelligences and nurturing our weaker ones will help us to improve as educators. We have to be willing to constantly look within ourselves and think how we can bring different modalities into our teaching. Luckily, we do not have to reinvent the wheel alone. Fellow colleagues, students and technology are all available resources at our disposal. A student who shows obvious aptitude as a naturalist may be willing to suggest a way she would like learn a certain topic. Crystallizing and paralyzing experiences are great terms to consider when thinking about our own classrooms. We certainly want to have nurturing, more crystallizing moments to spark learning interests. Constantly examining and planning how we interact with students would certainly help to avoid paralyzing experiences. Developing a positive, safe, and nurturing learning environment will allow students to further develop strong intelligences as well as weaker ones.

Sarah R.
Chapter 2 opened my eyes to how every teacher should know their multiple intelligences because it will help them know their teaching styles and what they have to work on to adapt to students different learning styles through their multiple intelligences. It is easy as a teacher to teach in a style that is beneficial to your multiple intelligences that you excel at. But you need to remember that you have a classroom of students that excel in many different multiple intelligences. This chapter has impacted me in the way that I know that in my classroom I want use other teachers with different multiple intelligences to help make my students learn better. There are three main factors that add to the development of multiple intelligences, and the three are biological endowment, which involves your genetic history. Second would be personal life history, this involves who your parents, teachers and others that have impacted your life as a learner, and lastly is cultural and historical background, which includes where you grew up and how that impacted you. This chapter has also impacted me in the way that I want to make sure I never give a student a paralyzing experience, which would stop them from developing a multiple intelligence, I want to give them crystallizing experiences that help them grow their multiple intelligences.

Eric Cole
This chapter focuses on one big message: In order for teachers to be effective they not only have to understand MI theory, but they need to know what intelligence they are. You do this for a few reasons. First, it allows you to understand not only your strengths, but your weaknesses as a teacher. I know that I am an Intrapersonal person. I like doing things on my own, and away from groups. However, in order to become an effective teacher, you need to be an Interpersonal person. You need to be comfortable with talking in front of an audience, and dealing with groups. I know that this is something I need to work on because I understand what intelligences are strong in me, and which are weak. Second, if you know what intelligences are weak, then you can build them up and make them stronger. Now, this may not always work because you may not be genetically able to use a certain intelligence, but it is always worth a shot. Finally, if you know what intelligence you are you can then reflect back on that one crystallizing moment that made you more in tune with this one intelligence. To me, this is the coolest one. I love being able to look back on my life and know when it was that I fell in love with writing. For me, it was after I saw “The Dead Poet’s Society” aka my favorite movie of all time. I can’t wait to get into the classroom and see what my students have to say about this.

Susanna Cooper
I learned in this chapter that when I are having trouble with a certain intelligence that I lack, as an educator it is my responsibility to still find ways to teach incorporate it into my class lessons. A way of doing this is by asking my students to help out. It they are great at music or love nature, ask them to demonstrate or show the class something about that subject. I also learned that MI theory can allow me to “activate” neglected intelligences that I may not be nurturing or paying any attention to. It is not good to label intelligences as “strong” or “weak” because there is room for growth. I was also very fascinated to learn that some intelligences don’t develop if we are not in the right place, family, or culture. What could have been a great intelligence may never be touched in a different environment. In addition we can have crystallizing experiences that encourage the growth of an intelligence, or a paralyzing experience that hinders further development in a certain intelligence. This all relates to me and the classroom because I know it is my responsibility to identify what I struggle with and find ways to improve it. I think that it will be a very hard, yet a beneficial challenge, to admit where my weaknesses are and ask my students to help me address my weaknesses by showing me their strengths.