Mapping How People Learn to the Classroom
Interpersonal: Exercise requires students to communicate with each other to find their group and arrange themselves
Logical/Mathematical: there are specific rules/guidelines for the exercise. Students must figure out what order would be logical
Spatial/visual: Students have the visual of their specific step. They must visualize and picture the list as complete as part of the process.
Musical: Music playing that reflects the fast paced mood.
Linguistic/Verbal: Students must communicate verbally in order to find their group and arrange themselves. Students must read their specific step.
Intrapersonal: Students must reflect on how they handle stress in order to determine their opinion on how the steps should be ordered.
Bodily kinesthetic: Students move around the room while seeking their group and ordering themselves physically.
Very nicely done! You have a really good understanding of how the MIs work. These are all very good ways to make learning easier for all kinds of people.
By recognizing stress, it shows the aptitude for identifying emotion (emotional); Finding the four other people involves interpersonal and linguistic/verbal abilities; By thinking of the importance, one is using their existential intelligence; By arranging themselves in the proper order, the student is demonstrating logical/mathematical and bodily kinesthetic MI's; and, with the music playing in the background, the students will move around at a pace that mimics that of the beat.
This is reminiscent of a model game I devised during my Master's program in Education as a portion of a 6 week thematic unit bridging all of the content areas. I called it "Treasure Hunt"... both the theme and the game. It was primarily designed to integrate eight year olds into a more research oriented learning style. And not coincidentally to tie into Gardners Seven Intelligences ((this was several years ago).
Despite a rousing round of kudos from the instructor and classmates for the project and particularly the game, I had a pretty severe lack of enthusiasm for the way it turned out. The problem that I ran into for the original model was the same one I had for most "cooperative learning" experiences... where it seems one heavy weight carries the slackers.
However, this one seems to leave out the design flaw, since they form a team rather than carrying information back to the original team.
I like it! Thanks for the boost. I might just give "Treasure Hunt" ((and cooperative learning))another go... albeit with the adult students I have now instead of those barely remembered eight year olds from Crestview Elementary. Wait... one of them is the same! :)
Thanks again!
Kevin -
I'd love to hear how it works out. I think it helps when you make sure learners have intrapersonal time first (structures, say, 5 minutes) to figure out their own solutions, then get in a team for interpersonal (say 20 minutes) with the instructions for everyone to share. This helps reduce the likelihood of a coup.
I don't think there is anything more fun than watching a game teach a group of people without me!
Lou Russell
Ronald -
That's exactly right. I like the way you've pointed out that multiple intelligences can be taken care of with a single activity.
Lou Russell
I agree with jean the exercise is as follows:
Interpersonal: Students have to communicate with each other to complete the exercise
Logical/Mathematical: There are specific guidelines to follow
Spatial/visual: Students have to visualize their particular step
Musical: The fast paced music reflects the steps
Linguistic/Verbal: Students have to converse to complete the exercise
Intrapersonal: Students must look inside themselves on how they handle stress
Bodily kinesthetic: Students move around the room while seeking their group and ordering themselves physically.
Linda:
Good answer. Be careful with fast paced music (over 60 beats per minute) during an exercise unless you mean to create confusion and stress.
Lou Russell
Hello,
This exercise utlizes all of the seven intelligences.
Hello Jean,
You did a great job mapping out the seven intelligences.
I think this is a great exercise. I would mix up the class and add a requirement that in finding four other people they have to find people in the class they don't know well. I think it would add excitement and opportunity to meet some new people in a fun, safe environment.
This exercises engages all the students in the class. All students have a part or responsibility and some peer pressure in which helps them retain more information. They have to communicate to complete and understand the exercise.The music may set a tone of since of urgency and stimulation. A student will sometimes feel better about the learning process and realize that other students may apreciate their input.
Hi Paul! You're right, cross-communication is the key and a foundational precept to the tone of the classroom or lab.
Thanks so much for your observations!
Jay
ED107
Body kinesthetic and existential - taking time to process physiolgical events to identify stress, to think aobut oneself; and kinesthetic also in terms of moving about room to find other members of your group
Interpersonal - encountering various class members and then working together in small groups in arranging the steps
Spatial/visual - weak - unless asked to write lists on poster board attached to walls; but, spatial relations invovled in just moving about the room.
Logical/mathematical - creating the sequence for the steps is a logical process
Musical - having music paling during the exercise
Naturalistic - weak - except that experiencing stress is a natural reponse to any degree of threat
Emotional - just encountering other class members and working in a small group will generate a range of emotions for the participants.
Linguistic/verbal - being able to read the list and any accompanying instructions
Intrapersonal - weak
Interpersonal: working with others to arrange themselves in proper order
Logical/Mathematical: weak, not much here other than placing in order
Spatial/Visual: weak, other than the frantic movement, not real visual
Musical: fun, fast, frantic music adds to the stress
Linguistic/Verbal: must communicate with other students, but briefly and not an essay
Intrapersonal: weak, the appreciation of the stressful event
Bodily/Kinesthetic: Physical movement of arranging in the proper order
A big part of the stress of this assignment has to do with dealing with others and the unknown. One of the methods of managing these stressful situations is total avoidance. If the teacher used this exercise, I would recommend adding a solitary exercise too.
This exercise will definately assist students in relaxing, having fun and learning without the torture of traditional lectures.
interpersonal
visual
verbal
logical
intrapersonal
kinesthetic
musical
Students are interacting to compare pieces fo the puzzle. So, they are using visual, interpersonal and logical processes. The students are evaluating the pieces of information they have and determining what is missing so there is an intrapersonal activing ongoing. The movement around the room provides a kinesthetic element accompanied by music. So, all of the elements are present.
Interpersonal - Students talking to others to find who might complete their group
Logical/mathematical - Steps in the process for stress management and taking action to relieve it.
Spatial/visual - Arrangement of the students into "proper order"
Musical - Music playing while students are finding their group.
Linguistic/verbal - Students talking with one another to find who completes their five.
Intrapersonal - reflecting on which one of the steps they represent.
Bodily kinesthetic - Students must move around the room to talk to other students and arrange themselves.
Emotional - Students will think this activity is fun.
Naturalist - The activity could be staged out doors.
Existential - Students could reflect on the meaning of the activity and their role in it.
To begin with, the game sounds like fun while also providing a nice learning activity.
Secondly, I thought there are 10 Intelligences, not 7. So I guess I'm not intrepreting the question correctly. The question must be which 7 of the 10 are "mapped".
I guess it would easier to state which are either not involved or are a stretch (weak):
1-Naturalist-Don't see evidence of this Intelligence.
2-Existential-Perhaps a "weak" presence here; participants are making an effort to figure out where they fit in their world of "five."
3-Intrapersonal-Perhaps a "weak" presence; a student would have to do some individual problem solving within the Interpersonal component of the activity.
