Gardner's multiple intelligences theory challenges teachers to appeal to a variety of intelligences in their classrooms. By being aware of the different ways in which children prefer to learn, teachers may create lesson plans that appeal to even more learners. For instance, a logical/mathematical learner might be fine listening to a teacher lecture, but a visual learner would need images to connect and process the information. Therefore, the visual learner would be at a disadvantage. However, if the teacher used presentation tools while also speaking about a topic, that teacher may better reach those students.
Personally, I fall into the learning styles of intrapersonal and existentialist. Looking at information from a big picture perspective and then exploring those topics through introspection, inspires me. In college, I enrolled in a two year Humanities program that explored topics from various disciplines and perspectives. I learned more from those four semesters than I ever did in single subject classes. I loved to see how things all came together. In terms of the intrapersonal learning side, I prefer to process information myself before talking it out with groups. Therefore, opportunities allowing me to sort through my thoughts allows me to clarify my own beliefs.
In terms of how I teach, I try to include various intelligences into my lessons, but some intelligences are easier for me to incorporate than others. I often use my whiteboard, chart paper, projector, and SmartBoard in my lessons to help my explain points or show examples of what I am talking about. I also encourage interpersonal learning through class discussions, post-it note responses to writing, and collaborative projects.
My lesson plan appeals to various intelligences. Students will use their verbal/linguistic skills to identifying sound words in the texts they hear. They will use their visual/spatial and interpersonal skills as the class creates a sound observation chart with pictures and sounds. Students will also use their musical/rhythmic skills when they create their own poem using sound words.
Below is a list of the intelligences and ways in which technology could be incorporated into the lesson:
Verbal/Linguistic: word processing, email
Logical/Mathematical: graphic organizer, spreadsheet
Visual/Spatial: picture book, slideshow
Bodily/Kinesthetic: adding comments on the whiteboard,
Musical/Rhythmic: digital sounds, multimedia presentation
Intrapersonal: journal, learning center
Interpersonal: class discussion, post-it notes
Naturalist: semantic mapping tools, database
Existentialist: virtual sound hike, online community
No comments:
Post a Comment