Over the last few weeks we have been learning about multiple intelligences. Each student has completed the online survey and found out which are their preferred style/area of learning. The overall results have been very insightful for the students "Yes! That's is so me..." they have begun to understand what motivates and drives their learning. There have been a few suprises along the way which intrigued me One G and T student in particular showed an extremely low preference for linguistic activities (Word Smart) where as this is a strength of hers that is evident throughout most aspects of her learning. So as I do, I try to think of reasons why this may have happened in order to really understand the learner. Has she done the test before and doesn't want to be seen as strong in that area? (Common sign of a Gifted Girl conforming) Or is it just that she doesn't enjoy doing things she is good at and would rather be challenged? Could it be that she would have rather been reading her book as she carried out the online test and answered questions flippantly? Either way I think that it is important for both myself and the student to make the effort to get to know in what ways they learn best. Already I have seen a marked difference in some students in my class who have begun to understand when they learn best and have become aware that the tasks or activities they have been set reflect this.
A great resource I have come across is Books Into Ideas - A community of Inquiry (Tim Sprod) This book goes through real life scenarios and helps you to explicitly model thinking skills.
My big question at the moment is...
Is multiple intelligences giving me a whole picture of the learners in the classroom. I value the information it is giving and can witness the benefits for students learning but I know there is more.......
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