Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

I have strength in the Kinesthetic Intelligence aspect of this MI test. I scored 100 on this sections and after reading about the Kinesthetic Intelligence as a whole I quite agree with this score. One of the core characteristics that was listed stated that I am “concrete meaning I like to express my feelings and ideas through body movement.” This is definitely true for me. I teach dance at the SRC and work with THS and its dance program and dance for me is my art. It is how I can show people how I am feeling. I also like to talk about what I’ve learned along with explaining it to others. I always seek to be with others and show others things along with learning new ideas with tangible items rather than never before seen object that we can only conceptualize about its existence.

I also scored a 100 on the Intrapersonal Intelligence sections and its core characteristics said that students in this category monitor one’s thoughts. I like to think I do this well but I have found myself in certain situations where I certainly did not think before speaking. It also said students with this trait will “express strong like or dislike of particular activities.” This is oh so true! When I don’t like how something is being handled or how things are going I make sure to understand why it is happening this way and try to fix what I can and talk to others who can change what I cannot.

I agree when it says that those with Kinesthetic Intelligence like to have a ‘learning center’ rather than constant seated work. I would like to have a classroom where some days we are up and moving or are outside taking observations or just engaging each other. I also want to have reflection (book work) times where the students have time to collect their thoughts on a subject and ask questions about anything that may be difficult for them. I, like many other future teachers, have that vision of my future class where students are asking questions and are curious and want to know more, I can only show them my passion and hope it passes on and that they themselves find it hard not to want to learn more.

Again for me teaching a lab science it will not be to difficult to engage almost all MI’s. I say this because we will have opportunities where students will be in groups or alone working on labs both in and out of the classroom. They will have methodical projects (lab reports) they will have abstract questions asked and will be presented with much information that is touchy to many people. They will experience so much because there is so much information out there and it is growing by the day. Each new day brings forth a new discovery or a cure or a new gene for something. It is the immense size of the subject of science that I think makes it so fascinating. I also believe that this fact helps make the science classroom the most interesting (but of course I am biased, I am an aspiring science teacher therefore I love my subject and will talk it up at any given opportunity) and the easiest to become engrossed in. I want to show others that we can get so much out of the subject, anything we are interested in can be linked to science, I will bet my life on it. In my classroom I want to get as many interests from my students and show them how even what they may not think has anything to so with science has everything to do with it.

I have seen several program where they simulate something within the body or in our surrounding and let you manipulate them (conduct an experiment) to see what the outcome could be. This is an activity where you can use the computer as your hands-on object that is representing other items in such a way that you yourself are almost conducting the experiment. Another very good example is a program where you can learn about vectors and how diseases use these empty vessels to transfer its DNA and infect cells. You extract the DNA, cut it, learn how it gets into the vector, simulate that, then infect a new cell. There are many programs with all sorts of experiments that do the same type of things. I think these are great because they introduce the students to new ideas and it shows them a resource they can reference later to study or just poke around at.

By trying to incorporate both learning styles and MI into the classroom, overall, you make your students feel welcomed. When a teacher has only one approach to teaching their subject (especially if it doesn’t help me) I feel very discouraged and have no desire to try, I mean why should I if the teacher doesn’t? When you mix it up and make it fun then that’s what it is! FUN! When students are having fun learning comes easy, when you struggle to maintain focus or behavior then thats what your class is. A place for them to waste time in. Not for me. I want to reach the students and I want them to discover the amazing capabilities of science and the splendor it has to offer us all. How it transcends not only just science but how it can be the inspiration for writers (Brave New World, 1984, etc) how it can foster cures in medicine or studies on how to better treat mental illnesses, how it can decipher the body, brain, stars, planets, chemicals, electricity, everything! It’s diversity alone fosters learning styles and MI but I too will plan exercises and activities that ties these all together so that if I am not reaching each student to day I will get to them tomorrow!