“The bottom line is that learning is a complex process and students learn in various ways. The teacher who acknowledges and actively responds to these truths will facilitate learning success for more learners.”
(Guild, 1998)
Right from the start, this course has made a significant impact upon me and my teaching practices. Although I have been aware of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiply intelligence for years; Silver, Strong and Perini’s approach to integrating learning style and multiple intelligences in So Each May Learn enabled me to synthesize the steps necessary and implement changes in my lessons to reach more students. Their belief that “depth of learning comes as students process and think more intently about the content from various perspectives and in many lights” (Silver, et. al., 2000) has truly opened my eyes to the importance of incorporating these elements into my students’ daily lives both inside of my classroom and beyond.
In both the planning and implementing of my unit lessons, I am beginning to focus on each of the learning styles. I now attempt to make sure that each style is addressed by developing lessons and activities around them. By connecting the models as described in So Each May Learn, I am actively analyzing my curriculum to identify my areas of strength and those areas in which I need to focus and develop. However, none of this will benefit my students unless I take the time to truly discover each of their learning styles and dominant intelligences.
Therefore, I have come up with a plan, a sort of New Years Resolution (if you will) that lays out how I will integrate LS/MI into my classroom and more importantly, my students’ perspectives of themselves. I intent to use the three weeks left in the first semester (after we return from winter break) to introduce these concepts in depth to my almost 200 students. Upon returning to school, my students will complete both a learning-style survey and a multiple intelligences checklist. ISTE recommends Walter McKenzie’s Multiple Intelligences & Instructional Technology for not only lesson plans and planning materials but also as having an excellent MI survey. I also need to thank Denise Bakkum, a colleague in this course for providing a great website with an online survey for students. http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/questions.cfm
After spending time learning about their multiple intelligences and learning styles, both my students and I will have a greater understanding of their varied ways of learning. Also, my students will understand more about me as I share with them my own learning/teaching style. Then, with the start of the second semester, I will be able to implement various teaching and learning aspects, with the knowledge and understanding of which ones will allow each individual student to be successful.
For example, in my Algebra classes, the first unit of the second semester is on graphing and linear equations. While I do include many interesting and fun activities in this unit that encompass many styles and intelligences, I now see the benefit of allowing students to chose those geared to their dominant learning styles and intelligences…rather than requiring all students to complete every aspect (as was the case with my previous attempts to bring variety into my classroom).
MY PLAN
While continuing with my regular lessons and reviews in the three weeks leading up to the end of the first semester, I will weave in the following information as I prepare to fully integrate LS/MI into my classroom. (Probably not on consecutive days, but rather spread throughout the three weeks).
Step 1
Anticipatory Set-
I wanted to create a really easy but fun way to introduce the concepts of learning styles and multiple intelligences to my students that would catch their attention, but not require too much work on my part. What I came up with, was using an activity we have recently done from a workbook called FACEing Algebra, where students solve equations and chose from two possible answers. Each option corresponds to a different version of a facial feature that they must draw onto a blank head. Link to sample worksheet: http://www.mathcounts4ever.com/prealgebra/faceingmathinequality11.pdf
The end products of this activity are some really adorable and easily recognizable faces. I thought it would be great to use four of these faces to represent the cast of characters from figure 6.7 (p. 90) of the course text. For example, the mastery and understanding learners (and their statements) would be:
Samuel T.
“I will often make a list of my next day’s activities so I can be ready. Then I can check them off when I get them done, which usually happens. I don’t mind class projects, as long as the teacher gives us an exact set of directions as to what is due and when. Usually, I turn those projects a few days early to make sure I have them done. Teachers like my work, although they say that I need to be more flexible and realize that there isn’t always a right and a wrong answer. I am not exactly sure what they mean by that. I come to school to learn, and so I like it when the teacher shows me exactly what to do and what the answers are. I know I have mastered the material when I get a test or project back and everything on it is 100 percent right.”
Nancy T.
“I like learning about ideas and their history and the reasons that people believe in them. The part of a class that I like best is when we get a chance to really think through a topic, usually on paper but sometimes out loud in discussion. I remember my mom saying that as a little kid I was always asking ‘Why?’ I guess that hasn’t changed much. If people give me a chance to compare choices and make my own decisions, I usually make the right one. I think school is a great place to find out all sorts of things. If, after a long discussion or an assignment, I have been able to look at all the different viewpoints and start to understand them, then I feel like I haven’t wasted my time. For this reason, I guess I like essay tests the best because they give me some time to really express my opinions and prove my ideas”
As each picture is displayed, I will read the corresponding descriptive quote (attempting to change my voice for each style). Students will then be given a simple chart, similar to the one found in the course text along with this cast of characters, where they are asked to rank the four characters according to their similarity. My hope is that with this fun introduction to learning styles, my students will become excited to further discover their own unique learning profile.
Step 2
I will then formally introduce the concepts of learning styles and multiple intelligences to my students. Using various sources, including Strong et. al. examples to explain these ideas.
Step 3
Next, I will ask my students to speculate what they think my dominant learning style and intelligences are. Then I will actually display both of my test results and analysis. I will then discuss what I learned about myself from discovering this information, saying something like, “This is who I am and how I learn.” I will then ask for feedback and further development of the importance of recognizing our own individual learning profiles… “What do you think? Is this me? I know what works for me… Wouldn’t it be great to discover how you learn best?”
Steps 4/5
In the following days I will take the students to the computer lab where they will complete both the MI indicator and a learning style profile test.
Each student will receive an individualized chart of his/her results.
Steps 6/7
I plan to present class results as a whole. Perhaps, even analyzing the information with various charts, graphs, etc. (Our current unit).
We will also discuss when is it great to work with people who think the same way and when do you like variety of styles/intelligences in a group.
With a plan in place to bring the concepts of learning styles and multiple intelligences to the forefront of my classroom environment, I know that my students (as well as my teaching) will benefit immensely. I look forward to the new year, and see it as a fresh start in getting to know all of my students better.
Resources
Guild, P. B., & Chock-Eng, S. (1998). Multiple intelligence, learning styles, brain-based education: Where do the messages overlap? Schools in the Middle, 7(4), 38–40.
Iste site http://www.iste.org/source/orders/excerpts/multi2.pdf
Multiple Intelligences image from http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/cabc/oddleifson3_2.gif
Silver, H. F., Strong, R. W., & Perini, M. J. (2000). So each may learn: Integrating learning styles and multiple intelligences. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
