Teachers.Net Meeting - Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

Wednesday, January 26, 2000
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom
with
Carolyn Chapman

If the Shoe Fits
Developing the Multiple Intelligences Classroom
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932935648/teachersnet
Multiple Intelligences for Centers and Projects
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1575170159/teachersnet
Multiple Assessments for Multiple Intelligences
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1575170760/teachersnet
by
Carolyn Chapman
Home of Carolyn Chapman

Kathleen - Teachers.Net is happy to introduce Carolyn Chapman, educator, author, consultant and trainer, for tonight's session entitled "If the Shoe Fits-Developing the Multiple Intelligences Classroom." Carolyn, welcome to Teachers.Net. We'll invite participants to submit questions in a few minutes, but would you open by telling us why it is important to consider the Multiple Intelligences Theory when planning classroom activities, lessons, and environment?
Carolyn - Welcome and thank you for this honor. I believe that the theory honors everyone in being smart, gives avenues to reach students we never reached
Kathleen - Carolyn, how does one begin to implement MI?
Carolyn - I believe students have enough, labels so I believe in teachers labeling activities instead of students.
Kathleen - Carolyn's consulting and training firm, Creative Learning Connection, supports educators in their process of change for today's students. As an international consultant and trainer, her workshops on multiple intelligences, developing centers and projects, integrating the curricula, and authentic assessment provide a theory base to effective practices.
Kathleen - Information about Carolyn's work is available at http://www.carolynchapman.com
Carolyn - Ask me specific questions and we will brainstorm together
B - My biggest problem is "lack of time." What's the best way to 'create' MI activities for students?
Joan - Carolyn...in setting up my lesson plans...should I be conscious in every lesson presented to incorporate MI or should I select certain opportunities during my day to include MI?
Carolyn - Look at your lesson plans the last 2 weeks and label them with the targeted intelligence. Then you will see those that you are omitting.
Kathleen - I would like to mention that Rita King is also present tonight. Rita is Carolyn's colleague and co-author of their soon to be released book (Carolyn's 4th) Test Success in the Brain Compatible Classroom, due out this Spring from Zephyr Press http://zephyrpress.com
TWEET - What intelligences are included in MI?
Carolyn - Tweet the mis are verbal/linguistic, musical/rhythmic, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, naturalist, intrapersonal, logical/mathematical, and interpersonal
Carolyn - Joan, it is being conscious when you teach to an intelligence more than trying to fit them all in.
Carolyn - If you are omitting an intelligence like Musical/Rhythmic you are leaving out an area that you could teach some difficult information as a target and more students could learn that.
Rita - Thank you, Kathleen! Our new book incorporates the intelligences in teaching test-taking skills.
ArtW - I'm interested in the relationship between learning styles and multiple intelligences. Is there a correlation between certain learning styles and combinations of strengths in certain intelligences?
Carolyn - Just when you start trying to correlate you run into problems but I will give a shot. The visual is included in the visual/spatial, the auditory in Verbal/ linguistic and the musical/rhythmic and the tactile in the bodily/ kinesthetic
Dee - Carolyn, I'm interested in information on the Naturalist. It seems that teachers have the most difficulty with this intelligence. Thanks for your ideas.
Carolyn - Dee - Mans ability to survive and the labeling and identifying of nature. Our science curriculum addresses the naturalist intelligence
Kathleen - The "Making the Shoes Fit" CD is a collection of songs about teachers and their impact on the world as well songs to use in the classroom for fun and instruction. The CD is available along with Carolyn's books at her Creative Learning Connection site at http://www.carolynchapman.com .
Freezing up North - Our Math program offers suggestions that address each of the MI's but the implementation of these accommodations can only happen in ideal situations
B - What math program are you using, FREEZING????
Freezing up North - The Math program is Math Quest published by Addison Wesley
joan - "T"- Could you give us an example of how to teach, say, basic math facts using a variety of different MI?
denise/3/nj - Could you tell me how I can best determine what kind of learner a student is?
Carolyn - denise everyone has 3 or 4 of these areas of strength. You will tend to teach in those areas most of the time. There fore you leave out some areas of strength of some of your students and wonder why they are not getting it.
Dee - That's a great comment on "teaching to the teacher's strength and then wondering why the STUDENTS don't get it!"
nancy - Carolyn, what is a simple definition of multiple intelligences that I could communicate to parents?
Carolyn - The different ways we learn and solve problems
nancy - Thanks, that makes sense.
Dee - Suggestions for overcoming our natural tendencies to go with our strengths and - as usual - to teach the way we were taught???
denise/3/nj - How would I then try to compensate or change my teaching to address the styles that "are not naturally" mine?
Ginny - Hi, I'm just joining in.....but denise, I don't think you change teaching techniques--more so you add to what you already do.
Carolyn - A teacher will do anything to reach students . When you realize this find ways that you can bring in activities to teach the difficult concepts you are teaching using these other intelligences.
Carolyn - denise tell me an area of weakness and I will give you an example
denise/3/nj - Can you give me a few examples of how someone might add to the more traditional approaches to teaching that could include more intelligences?
denise/3/nj - I was wondering how I might add in the logical, intra- or naturalist?
Carolyn - denise add visual, musical, and bodily activities to teach your concepts and you will address more students.
Ginny - Denise some activities that fit logical are measuring, classifying experimenting, puzzles, sequencing,,,
Carolyn - Logical is problem solving, sequencing etc. nat. is science intra is working by oneself
eimmik - Denise some activities that fit naturalist are growing plants, collecting classifying data, creating charts and graphs, creating displays
Carolyn - Thanks Ginny
Ginny - Denise Intrapersonal activities might include personal goal setting, individual projects, journals, personal response, self-esteem activities..
Carolyn - Emotional intelligence addresses the intrapersonal working alone and interpersonal working with others. therefore the social you.
denise/3/nj - Thank you, I know I naturally lean towards verbal, visual, and bodily; so I wonder if I might be teaching more to these. I am starting multiplication and wondering what other strategies can be applied to help everyone learn them? I use rhymes, songs, drawings as well as the traditional rote type of activities.
Cheryl/NH/Ece - Would you recommend tracking students choices for a 2 week period to determine their areas as you do with lesson plans or is there another way to assess/identify the students?
ArtW - In any given population what intelligences are most prevalent?
Kathleen - Interesting question, Art, is any intelligence more common within a population?
ArtW - I know that's the case with certain combinations of learning styles and wondered if it was also true of combinations of intelligences.
ArtW - Maybe a topic for your next book. ;-)
Carolyn - Yes a culture has an impact because we develop intelligence by experience. Like El paso, Texas Very strong in art so many strong in visual/spatial
jill - i hear of a term "spiritual intelligence"
jill - is this similar to "emotional intelligence"
Rita - Gardner explains spiritual intelligence as understanding our realms of experiences and domains of existence.
eimmik - Rita, is the spiritual intelligence the now being researched, existential intelligence or is it something different?
Carolyn - Gardner is not just talking about religion when he names the spiritual intelligence. ex spiritual part of a poem or nature
lisa - If I have a child that is strong in one area, such as visual spatial, and the child is constantly choosing the art center...should I allow that child to constantly choose the art center or should I encourage him/her to explore other areas?
Kathleen - The transcript of our live chat with Dr. Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences theorist, is available in the Multiple Intelligences section of the Archives http://teachers.net/archive
eimmik - Carolyn, outside of Gardner, what theorist do you see as a guru so to speak in MI?
Leslie PreK - I have a very strong intrapersonal in my classroom. Today she invited me to work on a floor puzzle with her, we then included 2 more children. I thought this was a big step for her...am I right?
Ginny - Denise, touch math has some great physical activities to go along with math.
Life - Hi...I just retired at the end of Jan. The first semester, I was getting involved with the DWOK program...Different Ways of Knowing...and we touched on this subject...very interesting..
Carolyn - so it is not a waste of time in your mind. Also the flipside is that there are times when they need to explore weak areas to strengthen them.
Cheryl/NH/Ece - Carolyn, does your book Multiple Assessments for MI cover assessing the students as WELL as assessing the activities?
nancy - Speaking of assessment, any ideas for making this easier on the teacher and the students?
Carolyn - More assessing the activities than the students.
eimmik - is the spiritual intelligence the same as existential intelligence or is this yet another new intelligence that he is researching?
Kathleen - The Disciplined Mind : What All Students Should Understand by Howard Gardner http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684843242/teachersnet/
Cheryl/NH/Ece - How would you recommend assessing the students to get a clearer idea on the MI they use?
Carolyn - be careful labeling students. Just when you get them labeled they get a new interests and are working on developing in another area. Don't you think students already have tooo many labels.
Carolyn - Observing students and asking probing questions will show you how they solved that problem at that particular situation. ex. Tell me how you did this. or What are you doing?
Ginny - Cheryl there are many good check lists, but I find children will respond best to their MI..so teaching with the intelligences...giving choices...that seems important to me. Carolyn, when planning for a lesson in a classroom do you try to incorporate many MI's or just the ones that naturally fit?
Leslie PreK - By offering more activities in different MI's I am allowing for more opportunities for growth and change...am I headed in the right direction?
Carolyn - Those open ended questions get students to process and tell you their thinking. Then you understand where they are coming from.
Tammy - The main thing to remember about MI is to provide a wide range of opportunities to students in order to develop all of the intelligences. Yes you can reach a student often by assessing their strengths, but students must develop their weaknesses.
Cheryl/NH/Ece - Yes, they do have many labels in ECE, especially for behavior..So looking at activities for a 2 week period and then adding the MI's that are being left out would be the best way to reach students better?
Carolyn - That is why I named my book If the Shoe Fits... Gardner agrees it is you conscious of when you are using these in your lessons. There will be a target or one that you are emphasizing the most and then there will be supporting ones like s journal entry. you could say your target is interpersonal and they are writing and so verbaal/linguistic will be the supporting.
Kathleen - Carolyn, can students be "trusted" to make selections of activities that best match their intelligences/learning styles? Or is it incumbent upon the teacher to guide students in that direction?
denise/3/nj - Ginny, are the check lists you refer to for the studnet to fill out like an inventory or for the teacher to do?
Ginny - Kathleen, I like that question....I know how I would answer. Students sometimes look for the glamous fun choices...and ignore their real MI...but when it is serious...they move quickly to the right process for themselves.
Kathleen - Very basic info about Howard Gardner and MI: http://www.aenc.org/ABOUT/MI-Gardner.html
Carolyn - Watch their choices. Everyone has a tendency to work in their favorite zones. Remember we all have 3 or 4 favorites. You have to mske areas of discomfort comfortable, appealing and somewhere I have to have some growth or success.
Kathleen - An ERIC Digest about MI: http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed410226.html
Rita - If a student doesn't learn a skill or concept, you can present it again using the learner's "way of knowing".
Kathleen - the Multiple Intelligences: http://academy.d20.co.edu/pve/mi/index.html
Carolyn - Right. Think of something you teach that the students are not getting. Are you teaching it the same old way. Try a new intelligence target and some more students will begin to understand it. Give me an example and I will show you what I mean.
Carolyn - Gardner is calling his new intelligence the existentialism
Kathleen - In Their Own Way- Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style by T. Armstrong: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874774667/teachersnet
Tammy - Has anyone been to the training offered by the IRA training organization? The training went over If the Shoe Fits. It was pretty good.
Carolyn - Thanks. Were you in one of my trainings?
Tammy - No, I don't remember the trainer's name.
Carolyn - The new book by Rita king and I will be out in the spring. It is on Test Success in the Brain Compatible Classroom
denise/3/nj - If you have a student that is struggling in many areas, especially anything visual(reading), logical(math) and all independent activities ; what could or should a teacher do to make things more concrete for the learner?
denise/3/nj - How about teaching multuplication?
Carolyn - Macarena motions and put the answers to the facts to them 2 4 6 8 one motion per number.
ArtW - Denise - How about music? Multiplication rock, etc.
Carolyn - denise take an objective, skill, or concept and brainstorm all the ways you can teach that . label your targets. see what you are leaving out and add some activities to address those areas. This is over a period of time.
Kathleen - Here is what Howard Gardner told us during his appearance here: The existential intelligence is in limbo-- we are trying to find good biological evidence for it. I have a chapter on this question in INTELLIGENCE REFRAMED Briefly, existential intelligence draws on the human capacity to ask and try to answer Very Big Questions. As far as I am concerned, all education should begin with such Existential questions like Who are we, where do we come from, why are we here, what is going to happen to us? When you get mired in testing and long-distance standards, such existential issues necessarily go by the boards. Intelligence Reframed by Howard Gardner: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0465026109/teachersnet/
Kathleen - Carolyn, can students benefit in any way from working outside of their intelligences?
Tammy - I am hearing a lot about Brain Compatiblility research lately. Is this another name for multiple intelligence?
Tammy - Kathleen-yes because they need to test their comfort zones to become more rounded individuals.
Kathleen - For a long time, teachers well-trained in educational psychology and in possession of good instincts have been accommodating students' varying needs and learning styles. Now we benefit from having those talents recognized and labeled, and studies of the brain back up what we have known for a long time about what makes a good learning environment and what practices work well for many students. So, this serves as more ammunition in the struggle toward providing appropriate school experiences for all students.
eimmik - Tammy, Teachers.Net has a Brain Compatible Learning Chatboard that can give you some great information on BCL http://www.teachers.net/mentors/bcl
Carolyn - Multiple intelligences is one part of brain compatible.
denise/3/nj - Art, thanks I have used that to review but I think this year I'll try it early on!
Kathleen - Carolyn, tell us about your CD
Kathleen - The "Making the Shoes Fit" CD is a collection of songs about teachers and their impact on the world as well songs to use in the classroom for fun and instruction. The CD is available along with Carolyn's books at her Creative Learning Connection site at http://www.carolynchapman.com .
denise/3/nj - Thanks Carolyn, I will look at my current practices and start webbing out to see what forms I have been reaching. I can't wait to read your book!
Carolyn - Art and Denise when I said the Macarena I am addressing another way to use music. Yes!
Kathleen - http://teachers.net/archive/ec030999.html is the transcript of a Teachers.Net meeting about Multiple Intelligences
denise/3/nj - I love the macarena idea, we use cheering and movements for spelling but I never thought to add them to math before.
eimmik - Carolyn, I would love to hear more about what is on your CD!
Tammy - Does anyone have resource books that are great on brain compatibility that I can utilize. My school is about to undergo some changes to incororate this philosophy more in our class room.
Rita - The best book I have read on brain compatibility is Making Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain by Caine and Caine.
Cheryl/NH/Ece - Carolyn-thank you so much for everything..I now see MI in a new light and can not wait to use this info in the classroom!
Carolyn - I have a CD that has some songs on it to use in the classroom with students and it also has songs about teachers and my philosophy of believing in you. Like Parents are the Key and Thank a Teacher
Ginny - Hi Carolyn, I just wondered if you were still active in some way in the classroom or are your efforts going completely toward your writing?
Carolyn - I go in to classrooms all the time. I am presenting workshopsand courses for school districts everywhere. I travel ovefr 130 days a year.
Carolyn - I have an office in my home in Ga. on a 58 acre farm.
Kathleen - Carolyn and Rita, do you know Ginny? (Last name Hoover) She hosted a session recently about teaching to children's styles of learning: transcript at http://teachers.net/archive/mi011200.html Ginny is a trainer, too.
Kathleen - Ginny's web site: . http://www.myfreeoffice.com/ginnyspages/index.html
Rita - No, but I would like to know more about her.
Carolyn - Where are you?
Ginny - I was just wondering, I get some of my best ideas when observing my students and I'm retiring this year...
Ginny - I think I'm going to miss their inspiration...I'm in KS... I'm publishing a book this summer. But on the Gifts Of Children.
Carolyn - Yes if I stay out of the classroom visits too long I have to go get a fix. I call myself a Grandma in the classroom. I go in and get them all riled up and then give them back to the teacher.
Rita - I am a consultant and university professor. I retired as a principal this summer, but I am staying in contact with children in classrooms.
Rita - Are you a teacher?
Ginny - I teach 8th graders--English, reading, and civics...but I've taught everything....it seemslike.
Kathleen - The hour is up already! Thank you Carolyn for presenting tonight!
Kathleen - Check Carolyn's web site for ordering information Information about Carolyn's work is available at http://www.carolynchapman.com
Carolyn - Rita will be with you next week
Kathleen - Next week, Feb. 2 Rita King moderates on Test Success in the Brain Compatible Classroom, assisted by Carolyn Chapman.
Carolyn - Thank you for this opportunity.
Kathleen - Thank you all, and goodnight :-)