How Does One Take into Account Student Personalities and Emotions?

I enjoyed Gardner’s insight in the eight types of intelligence. I can see classrooms are filled with each of these types, but I struggled with how to address their preferred learning diversity. How do you apply a kinesthetic appeal to a math lesson? Or a musical appeal for that matter? I turned to the internet to get some ideas.

I found this lovely article titled Multiple Intelligences: Practical Classroom Ideas (Provini 2012). It talked about the five ways to integrate Gardner’s psychology into a classroom, through: lesson design, interdisciplinary units, group projects, assessments, and apprenticeships.

We have previously discussed how to integrate different learning styles into our lessons. From the old model of lecture and individual work, to group work and performance art reports, they all touch a part of Gardner’s learning models. One of the kinesthetic solutions provided by the article for a math class was to use the students as the data points on a graph. When the students move around and become part of the problem they retain more. Music can even be woven into a math lesson by discussing that a musical scale is just a string that is divided into fractions. See the 1959 Donald (Duck) in Mathmagics Land for an example.

The article really made me think about how to adjust assessments. As a student, tests were a learning experience for me. I never really knew I could do something without the crutch of the text until the test. I observed a class last year where the teacher always gave a second test. If you didn’t get the score you wanted on the first, take the second one. I think her method took a lot of performance pressure off…. if one has to take a standard test. The article and Gardner encourage other forms of assessment and allowing the student to choose their preferred method of being assessed. Would the student rather write a paper or give an oral report? What about a diorama or working model? These are class design items I will be contemplating before my first day as a teacher.

Interdisciplinary units will depend on the willingness of my fellow teachers and the rules in my school or department. I certainly can relate math to almost any subject. Group projects will be a staple in my class and I will have to see if I have the resources and time for apprenticeships.

Provini, C. (2012). Multiple Intelligences: Practical Classroom Ideas. Education World. retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/multiple-intelligences-integrating-classroom-tips.shtml

Disney. (1959). Donald in mathmagics land. retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv4gWPurN9k