Howard Gardner | |
Multiple Intelligence | |
Attitude toward education & Philosophy | · Gardner criticizes just having an intelligence defined by IQ, humans are better thought of as having eight, maybe nine, kinds of intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Gardner defines these “as abilities to solve problems or fashion products that are valued in culture. There are many ways in which we know, understand, perceive, learn and process information.” · Students will be better served by a broader vision of education, wherein teachers use different methodologies, exercises and activities to reach all students, not just those who excel at linguistic and logical intelligence · Deep understanding', performance, exploration · Additional intelligence identified – Existential, spiritual and moral intelligence |
Conception of literacy | · Describes literacy as the mastery of symbol systems, o First there exist many kinds of symbol systems, many of which are not closely related and which can be conveyed through a multiplicity of media. o Second attainment of literacy poses a different task for children of different ages and, even more so, for adults who are trying to master one or another symbolic system |
Curriculum | · Multimedia curriculum resources · All intelligences are needed to functions in society o Implies that educators should recognize and teacher to a broader range of talents and skills · A deeper understanding of curriculum material takes place when more intelligences are incorporated o Curriculum needs to facilitate the interconnections between the intelligences |
Ethics | · Gardner on Ethics in a YouTube video · Ethics have more to do with personality and emotion. The respectful mind, Gardner indicated, has to do with "how we think and relate to other people, most importantly to other people around us.” While this mind develops at a relatively young age, a kind of intuitive altruistic sense of reaching out to those around us, “attempting to understand differences and work with them,” the ethical mind is more abstract, and generally develops during adolescence. It has to do with fulfilling one’s responsibility in the world in terms of job role and as citizen. · Personal challenges of respect versus ethics |
Evaluation | · Providing opportunities for assessment of students using their stronger intelligences gives an better idea of their nowledge of the material o Student portfolios, independent projects, student journals and assigning creative tasks · As children do not learn in the same way, they cannot be assessed in a uniform fashion · Individual evaluation practice - allow students to explain the material in their own ways using the different intelligences |
Pedagogy | · Allows educators to reflect on the curriculum and their pedagogy to better meet the needs of their students · Material to be learnt in authentic environments · Utilize mentoring with experts in the area of development · No benefit in attempting to teach all subjects using all of the intelligences. He also expresses concern that some ducators have a shallow understanding of what it takes to really engage an intelligence · Teachers should introduce a topic with different entry points, each of which taps primarily one intelligence. Entry points are designed to intrigue the student via a presentation in an intelligence that is a particular strength for him or her. Gardner also believes that a thorough understanding of a topic is achieved only through multiple representations using different intelligences. Hence significant time must be invested to approach a topic from many different perspectives, and topics should be important enough to merit close study · To foster creativity in the classroom, Gardner recommends that teachers “model novel approaches and answers to questions and indicate [to students] that those responses are legitimate.” |
Political/Sociology | · Believes ignorance is the root of most evil. Promoting intelligence, education, and reasoning skills won't solve all the world's problems, but at the least, we can know our world is escaping inertia and propelling itself far into the future · Gardner believes that scientists and researchers, those involved in the arts, and teachers at all levels of education can change people’s minds. He discusses how this goal is achieved by these “indirect leaders” through “scientific discoveries, scholarly breakthroughs, and artistic creations.” 7 ways to change peoples’ minds: o Reason: Presenting logical facts in sequence such as Benjamin Franklin’s habit of listing the pros and cons of a given situation to reach a decision o Research: Presenting relevant data, an example of which would be gathering price information before making a purchase. o Resonance: An idea feels like a fit; in other words, the idea “feels right” to the audience o Representational Redescriptions: A viewpoint becomes more convincing when it is presented it several different ways, each of which proves the same point. For example, an executive implementing a policy change would present the change differently to managers than he would to line workers o Resources and Rewards: In this instance, one option has an obvious advantage that makes it too good to pass up. Someone who decided to purchase a modest home to stay within her financial resources would suddenly reconsider her choice in the face of a sudden multi-million dollar lottery win. Coercion can fit into this category; a parent who promises a child extra privileges to reward an improvement in grades could greatly influence that child’s behaviour. o Real-World Events: Wars, economic depressions, or natural disasters can cause people to change their views. Someone who moved to Florida upon retirement may well move out of the area after experiencing a hurricane o Resistance: The greater the resistance, the harder it is to convince others to change their minds. It is difficult to convince someone who is a committed life-long Democrat that he should vote Republican. Therefore, it is important to keep resistance in mind. In the book, Gardner attributes an ability to overcome resistance as one reason why Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were able to put their different political views aside and resume their friendship during their later years. |
Psychology | · Cognitive Science or Brain Based Learning · When Gardner says that intelligences are independent, he is referring to separate sections of the brain that control each intelligence and have distinct methods of processing information. No one kind of intelligence is better than another each intelligence has its own sphere of expertise · Intelligences do not work independently of one another in a real-world setting. Most tasks require the simultaneous use of several intelligences in order to be completed successfully - intelligences are not fungible · Gardner’s criteria for selecting these particular abilities as intelligences include: o Independence from other intelligences (within the brain); o Having a central set of information-processing operations; o Having a distinct developmental history; o Having roots in evolutionary history; and having a cultural basis. · We all possess all of these intelligences but in varying degrees of strength, skill and limitation |
13 October 2007
EPISTEMIC “FOUNDATIONS”: MODERN
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment