Teach English in Liyuan Diqu - Beijing

Multiple IntelligenceHe was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in the united states in 1943. He entered Harvard in 1961, after his shift from history into social relations (which includes psychology, sociology and anthropology) he met his mentor Erik Erikson. Gardner was also influenced by Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner and Nelson Goodman. Gardner defines intelligence as ?the capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural setting? He used both biological and cultural research to formulate a list of seven intelligences. This differs from the traditional view which recognizes only two intelligences, verbal and computational. In his Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Gardner expandes the concept of intelligence to also areas such as music, spatial relations and interpersonal knowledge in addition to mathematical and linguistic ability. The seven intelligences Gardner defines are: ? Logical-Mathematical Intelligence- it consists of the ability to detect patterns, thinking logically, scientific reasoning , analyse problems , perform mathematical calculations. Typical roles: scientists, engineers, accountants, statistians, bankers, insurance brokers etc. ? Linguistic Intelligence- it involves having a mastery in language. It includes the ability to manipulate effectively language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically. Typical roles: teachers, lawyers, journalists, linguists, editors, tranlaters, TV and radio presenters, etc. ? Spatial-Visual Intelligence- it gives one the ability to manipulate and create mental images in order to solve problems. This intelligence isn?t limited to visual domains. Gardner notes that this intelligence is also formed in blind children, the child is able through mental images to create, through the mind?s eyes, to create a story and tell it. Typical roles: architects, artists, designers, etc ? Musical Intelligence- it gives the capability to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones and rythms. Tyipical roles: singers, musicians, accustic engineers, entretainers, voice coaches, etc. ? Bodily- Kinaesthetic Intelligence- is the ability to use one?s mental abilities to coordinate one?s own body movements. This intelligence challenges the belief that mental and physical activity are not related. Typical roles: dancers, actors, athletes, artists, fire fighters, divers, sports people, etc. ? Interpersonal Intelligence- perception of other peoples feelings, ability to relate to others, interpretation of behaviour and communication. Typical roles: therapists, mediators, leaders, counsellors, clergy, psychologists, doctors, teachers, etc. ? Intrapersonal Intelligence- anyone who is aware and involved in the process of changing personal thoughts, beliefs and behaviour in relation to their situation, to other people, their purpose and aims. Gardner says that Multiple Intelligence are not limited to this originally seven and he has considered the existance of other possible intelligences in his later works. Despite he has stopped short of adding more, except Naturalist Intelligence, because of the difficulty of defining satisfactorily more complex intelligences such as Spiritual and Moral . Although the intelligences are anatomically separated from each other, Gardner says that the seven are rarely independent one from the other. He says that they complement each other as individuals develop skills or solve problems. For example a dancer will be successful in his/her art if he/she has a strong musical intelligence to understand tones and rythms and musical variations but his/her interpersonal intelligence will make him/her know how to inspire his/her audience as well. His /her body-kinaesthetic intelligence will provide the agility and coordination to complete the movements. Gardner argues that culture also plays a large role in the development of the intelligences. As all societies value different types of intelligences, the cultural value won?t always be placed on the same, certain tasks will be provided more motivation than others. Using Multiple Intelligences in the classroom. Gardner suggests that teachers should bear in mind all seven intelligences when teaching, as they are equally important. He says that in traditional education systems great emphasis is placed on the development and use of verbal and mathematical intelligences. He states an example, when teaching the revolutionary war, a teacher could show battle maps, play revolutionary songs, organize a role-play of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and have students to read a novel about life during that period. He states that these types of activities will not only excite students about learning but they will reinforce the same material in a variety of ways. It will activate the different intelligences so as for students to get a deeper understanding. Although everyone is born with the seven intelligences, not all will have developed them. Each student will have his own unique set of intelectual strenghts and weaknesses. This will determine how easy or difficult it will be for a student to learn information when it is presented in a particular way. Although teachers can?t accomodate every lesson to all her students, she can show her students how to use their more developed intelligence. For example, the teacher can suggest that an especially musically intelligent child learn about the revolutionary war by making up a song about what happened. Or maybe, a child with a spatial intelligence might draw and paint a picture showing an important event occurred in this period. Gardner considers important for teachers to try to individualise students? intelligences through traditional tests(eg. multiple choice, short answers, essay...) As a conclusion, the Multiple Intelligence Theory highlights the different abilities and talents of students. While all students may not be verbally or mathematically gifted, children may have an expertise in other areas, such as music, spatial relations or interpersonal knowledge; approching and assessing learning in this manner will allow students to successfully participate in classroom learning.