Howard Gardners Theory Of Multiple Intelligences Education Essay

Howard Gardners Theory Of Multiple Intelligences Education Essay Walk into a class of typical second grade students and you will quickly learn that there is nothing typical about any group of students.   It would be expected that some of the students would excel in reading, and some would excel in math.   According to traditional academic standards, these students would be considered intelligent and their intelligence would not be questioned. But look beyond the surface of academic achievement, and you would find that some of the students in this class can express themselves through beautiful poetry, some are graceful dancers, some are superior basketball players, some play instruments with such ease that it looks effortless, some can create exquisite artwork, and some are peacemakers.   Are these children intelligent, or are they simply talented? Howard Gardner would say that their abilities stem from intelligence, not just talent. Howard Gardner introduced his theory of multiple intelligences in 1983 and in doing so challenged the way people regarded intelligence (Ferguson, 2009).   In the 1920s Spearman proposed that there is only one type of intelligence, called general intelligence or g. The notion that there could be only one type of intelligence was questioned by other psychometric theorists, such as Cattell and Thurstone.   But even these theorists proposed that intelligence is limited to cognitive functions that can be measured.   Traditionally, intelligence is measured using IQ tests such as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. IQ tests focus on assessing verbal skills, perceptual and spatial reasoning, working memory and processing speed (Berk, 2013). Gardners theory offers an opposing view to the psychometric theory. His theory proposes that intelligence is broader than what can be measured on an intelligence test. Gardners theory suggests that there are eight intelligences and each person possesses each one to a certain degree.   The intelligence types are linguistic, logico-mathmatical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal, intrapersonal (Berk, 2013).   A person who possesses linguistic intelligence has the ability to understand and manipulate language.   A person who possesses logico-mathematical intelligence has logical reasoning ability and can understand and manipulate numbers. A person who possesses musical intelligence has the ability to understand and manipulate sound.   A person who possesses spatial intelligence has the ability to understand and manipulate visual or spatial images. A person who possesses bodily-kinesthetic intelligence has the ability to move his or her body with skill.   A person who possesses naturalistic intelligence has the ability to understand and question the natural world.   A person who possesses interpersonal intellige nce has the ability to understand and respond to the emotions and needs of other people.   Finally, a person who possesses intrapersonal intelligence has the ability to understand and respond to their own emotions and needs (Christodoulou, 2009). Gardner has proposed a ninth type of intelligence called existential intelligence (Christodoulu, 2009).   In Howard Gardners 2005 paper Multiple Lenses on the Mind he explains that when people ask questions regarding the how and why of life, they are exhibiting this intelligence. However, Gardner explains that he is not sure if this phenomenon should be declared an intelligence, My hesitation in declaring a full blown existential intelligence stems from my uncertainty about whether certain regions of the brain are dedicated to the contemplation of issues that are too vastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to be perceived (Gardner, 2005, p. 9). This statement reveals that the heart of Gardners intelligence theory is intelligence, not talent. Gardner reminds his readers that in order for something to be classified as a type of intelligence it must be something that the brain is capable of doing. In this case, Gardiner has reservations about including this type of intelligence in his theory because the human brain may not be able to fully ponder existential questions. From an educators point of view, Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences makes sense. Go back to the second grade classroom and take a look at the students sitting in the seats. Every child in that class learns differently. Every child in that class observes and understands the world in his or her own way. I was the teacher in that classroom and I drew on Gardners theory to reach my students. I learned about the theory of multiple intelligences as an undergraduate education student. When I was first hired as a teacher I researched ways to integrate this theory as a way to promote learning in my classroom. I found many educational books, websites, and journal articles that provided real world application of multiple intelligence theory. My students clapped and sang their spelling words, which appealed to those with strengths in the musical or bodily-kinesthetic intelligences. My students drew pictures to illustrate main ideas, which appealed to those with strength in spatial intelligence. Our class took a field trip to the Mississippi River, which appealed to those with strength in naturalistic intelligence. In implementing these teaching methods I was doing more than reaching out to the different way my students learned. I identified their intellectual strengths and gave them opportunities which allowed their strengths to grow and flourish. This understanding and belief in educating the whole child extends beyond self-contained, grade level classrooms. I taught in a school that valued education of the whole child. The students attended weekly classes in Spanish, art, music, physical education, library, and computer. For three years I was a specialty teacher in the school and I used multiple intelligence theory to guide my lesson planning. I taught computer for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. As the computer teacher, I designed curriculum based projects where students used technology to create original works that had a direct classroom application. For example, elementary school students used Kerpoof, a web application, to make stories illustrating their understanding of beginning, middle, and end. Middle school students used a program called ComicLife to create comics about everything from the Revolutionary War to famous scientists. The eighth grade student read The Giver in their literature class and the n used a web application called Weebly to create a website for their own, imaginary, utopian society. All grade levels had the opportunity to use Garage Band to write music to accompany their PowerPoint presentations. Not every project appealed to every intelligence type. Some of these projects were required group projects while others were individual. Some relied more on verbal intelligence abilities, while others required more visual intelligence. But, every project relied on more than one intelligence type. And every project lead to the creation of work that the students were happy to share with their classmates and the school community. Reconciling the theory of multiple intelligences with the traditional psychometric theory of intelligence is difficult, if not impossible, to do. The debate that started nearly thirty years ago when Gardner introduced his theory continues to this day. In the article Not Every Child is Secretly a Genius, Christopher Ferguson criticizes Gardners theory for being an all encompassing theory that allows for everyone to be smart (Ferguson, 2009). Joanna Christodoulou takes the opposing view in the article Applying multiple intelligence. She explains that we need to stop thinking in terms of how smart people are. Instead, we should be asking, In which ways is she smart, and how can that profile be marshaled for meaningful goals? (Christodoulou, 2009, para. 22). The theory of multiple intelligences is not a data driven theory. There is little empirical evidence to support it (Ferguson, 2009). It will not yield an IQ score. It will not lead to a diagnosis of learning disability, intellectual disability, or gifted. If a teacher is interested in tracking a student Gardners theory will be of little help because this is not the purpose of Gardners theory (Christodoulou, 2009). The purpose of Gardners theory is to understand the intellectual capabilities of the whole child. It tells us that everyone is capable of intelligent thought or intelligent action on some level. It is a hopeful theory. It is a theory that highlights that intelligence is not fixed, but rather a dynamic capacity amenable to change via good teaching, high motivation, and adequate resources (Christodoulou, 2009, para. 24). Finally, it is a useful theory with many practical implications for the classroom. The purpose of the psychometric theory is to give an IQ score and, possibly, a diagnosis. But, the purpose of Gardners theory is to give educators a plan for reaching all students regardless of their score on a test or diagnosis on a psychoeducational evaluation.

Futurism :: essays research papers

During the first decade of the twentieth century, a group of young Italian painters united together, under the influence of poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Before creating their new style, these painters embraced the ideas of Marinetti’s The Foundation and Manisfesto of Futurism which appeared in the newspaper Le Figaro on February 20, 1909 (Tisdall 7). His manifesto of futurism was primarily concerned with peotry, but artists such as Boccioni, Balla, and Severini used his ideas and applied them to painting and sculpture. The Museum of Modern Art holds Umberto Boccioni’s Dynamism of a Soccer Player, 1913, a fine example of the Futurist vision. In his Futurist Painting: A Technical Manifesto, Boccioni tells us that the â€Å"growing need of truth is no longer satisfied with Form and Colour as they have been understood hitherto. The gesture which we would reproduce on canvas shall no longer be a fixed moment in universal dynamism. It shall be the â€Å"dynamic sensation itself† (Apollonio 27). This goal of creating the dynamic sensation itself, rather than simply a fixed moment within a dynamic action is exemplified, among other ideas of the Futurist movement in Boccioni’s Dynamism of a Soccer Player. Before going further however, it is necessary to discuss some of the principles of Futurism as created by Marinetti. Marinetti’s The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism is a work which begins like a work of poetry, and deals with the celebration with the technology, the future, and the machine, while rejecting the natural world and the past. Marinetti despises the sounds created by canals â€Å"muttering feeble prayers†, and â€Å"the creaking bones of sickly palaces,† while he embraces the â€Å"famished roar of automobiles† (Apollonio 19-20). He orders us to â€Å"shake the gates of life†, and instead, â€Å"test the bolts and hinges† (Apollonio 20). To Marinetti, technology and the machine, such as the automobiles, are to be embraced and celebrated for its speed and beauty. No longer is a natural landscape beautiful, rather â€Å"the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. A racing car whose hood is adorned with great pipes, like serpents of explosive breath – a roaring car that seems to ride on grapesho t† is seen as more beautiful than any romantic painting (Apollonio 21). In addition to celebrating the machine, the Futurist movement represents a striding towards the future. This is accomplished by rejecting all of the past, even going as far as saying that it is harmful.

Shame Is Worth a Try

Dan M. Kahan argues in his article â€Å"Shame Is Worth a Try† that people who understand the potential of shaming know that it is â€Å"cheap, efficient, and an appropriate alternative to short jail sentences† (571). Any crime that is committed must have a punishment linked to it to avoid a repeat of the offense. Serious crimes, for example, those that involve a murder obviously need the jail sentence that comes along with them. Nonviolent crimes, such as theft or littering could receive cheap and personal punishments with the implementation of shaming. Those against shaming are mostly those that view it as a worse and demeaning punishment compared to imprisonment. They would typically support a punishment that would seem more discrete to those the offender knows but shaming is a more personal punishment. Instead of a short sentence in custody, the offender would be required to announce their crime to the public in some manner. Shaming in some cases â€Å"doesn’t seem to hurt as much as imprisonment† (573); imprisonment not only makes the offender feel the shame of the crime they committed, but it also takes away their ability to continue supporting their family. Living in a prison cell won’t allow the offender to continue on in their life. With a jail sentence, a criminal must change their entire life. They must find someone willing to pay their bills, and take care of their children while they are locked up. This not only hurts the offender but it makes it very difficult to continue their life afterwards. Shaming, like any other punishment, is just as susceptible to overuse in some cases. Using shaming in a way that is outrageous as in public flogging or putting an offender in stocks does not help the offender at all. This only hurts the individual and does not provide any shame for the crime. Also, using shaming alongside a jail sentence is not only more harmful to the offender but it also decreases the cost efficiency of the punishment. In â€Å"Shame Is Worth a Try†, Dan M. Kahan provides well executed examples of how using shame instead of a short prison sentence is cheaper and just as efficient but not the views of the opposition. Kahan first shows how shaming is currently used in the American judiciary system. Kahan’s first example is from Wisconsin, where a person caught stealing from their employer will be required to wear a sign around them stating their offense (571). Another example Kahan uses is the fact that drunk drivers in both Texas and Florida and required to place a bumper stick on their car, for a period of time, stating their DUI to the public (571). And finally Kahan states, â€Å"Refusing to pay child-support in Virginia will get you a boot on your car, pink for an abandoned girl and blue for a boy† (572). The examples show just how shaming is picking up in some states in America. Kahan also addresses the violent crimes and their punishments. He reassures the reader that all violent crimes will continue with the same long term imprisonment as they do now. Kahan, along with the examples of shaming, provides statistics that support his cause. Studies performed at the University of Oklahoma state that shaming provides a greater pressure for the general public to comply with the law (573). The threat that one’s neighbors would find out of his or hers offense will keep most offenders from committing the act they planned to do. On the negative side, Kahan seems to be fairly one sided with his examples in this article. He only provides the fact that shaming can be overdone if used alongside imprisonment. I also believe that he could have shown more examples of the â€Å"pointlessly degrading† tactics that could have been used as a shaming device (573). Even though Kahan’s article is very one sided, I would still recommend this article to other college students. I wouldn’t recommend it as a source for alternatives to imprisonment but I might offer it as an example of how to prove one’s point with limited examples. This article is a prime model of how an author can use examples to prove one’s point and persuade their reader. Again, it lacks the full view of the opposition but it is still very convincing.

Attila the Hun at the Battle of Chalons

The Battle of Chalons was fought during the Hunnic Invasions of Gaul in present-day France. Pitting Attila the Hun against Roman forces led by Flavius Aetius, the Battle of Chalons ended in a tactical draw but was a strategic victory for Rome. The victory at Chalons was one of the last achieved by the Western Roman Empire.​ Date The traditional date for the Battle of Chalons is June 20, 451. Some sources indicate that it may have been fought on September 20, 451. Armies Commanders Huns Attila the Hun30,000-50,000 men Romans Flavius AetiusTheodoric I30,000-50,000 men Battle of Chalons Summary In the years preceding 450, Roman control over Gaul and its other outlying provinces had grown weak. That year, Honoria, the sister, of Emperor Valentinian III, offered her hand in marriage to Attila the Hun with the promise that she would deliver half the Western Roman Empire as her dowry. Long a thorn in her brothers side, Honoria had earlier been married to Senator Herculanus in an effort to minimize her scheming. Accepting Honorias offer, Attila demanded that Valentinian deliver her to him. This was promptly refused and Attila began preparing for war. Attilas war planning was also encouraged by the Vandal king Gaiseric who wished to wage war on the Visigoths. Marching across the Rhine in early 451, Attila was joined by the Gepids and Ostrogoths. Through the first parts of the campaign, Attilas men sacked town after town including Strasbourg, Metz, Cologne, Amiens, and Reims. As they approached Aurelianum (Orleans), the citys inhabitants closed the gates forcing Attila to lay siege. In northern Italy, Magister militum Flavius Aetius began mustering forces to resist Attilas advance. Moving into southern Gaul, Aetius found himself with a small force consisting primarily of auxiliaries. Seeking aid from Theodoric I, king of the Visigoths, he was initially rebuffed. Turning to Avitus, a powerful local magnate, Aetius finally was able to find assistance. Working with Avitus, Aetius succeeded in convincing Theodoric to join the cause as well as several other local tribes. Moving north, Aetius sought to intercept Attila near Aurelianum. Word of Aetius approach reached Attila as his men were breaching the citys walls. Forced to abandon the attack or be trapped in the city, Attila began retreating northeast in search of favorable terrain to make a stand. Reaching the Catalaunian Fields, he halted, turned, and prepared to give battle. On June 19, as the Romans approached, a group of Attilas Gepids fought a large skirmish with some of Aetius Franks. Despite foreboding predictions from his seers, Attila gave the order to form for battle the next day. Moving from their fortified camp, they marched towards a ridge that crossed the fields. Playing for time, Attila did not give the order to advance until late in the day with the goal of allowing his men to retreat after nightfall if defeated. Pressing forward they moved up the right side of the ridge with the Huns in the center and the Gepids and Ostrogoths on the right and left respectively. Aetius men climbed the left slope of the ridge with his Romans on the left, the Alans in the center, and Theodorics Visigoths on the right. With the armies in place, the Huns advanced to take the top of the ridge. Moving quickly, Aetius men reached the crest first. Taking the top of the ridge, they repulsed Attilas assault and sent his men reeling back in disorder. Seeing an opportunity, Theodorics Visigoths surged forward attacking the retreating Hunnic forces. As he struggled to reorganize his men, Attilas own household unit was attacked forcing him to fall back to his fortified camp. Pursuing, Aetius men compelled the rest of the Hunnic forces to follow their leader, though Theodoric was killed in the fighting. With Theodoric dead, his son, Thorismund, assumed command of the Visigoths. With nightfall, the fighting ended. The next morning, Attila prepared for the expected Roman attack. In the Roman camp, Thorismund advocated assaulting the Huns but was dissuaded by Aetius. Realizing that Attila had been defeated and his advance stopped, Aetius began to assess the political situation. He realized that if the Huns were completely destroyed, that the Visigoths would likely end their alliance with Rome and would become a threat. To prevent this, he suggested that Thorismund immediately return to the Visigoth capital at Tolosa to claim his fathers throne before one of his brothers seized it. Thorismund agreed and departed with his men. Aetius used similar tactics to dismiss his other Frankish allies before withdrawing with his Roman troops. Initially believing the Roman withdrawal to be a ruse, Attila waited several days before breaking camp and retreating back across the Rhine. Aftermath Like many battles in this time period, precise casualties for the Battle of Chalons are not known. An extremely bloody battle, Chalons ended Attilas 451 campaign in Gaul and damaged his reputation as an invincible conqueror. The following year he returned to assert his claim to Honorias hand and ravaged northern Italy. Advancing down the peninsula, he did not depart until speaking with Pope Leo I. The victory at Chalons was one of the last significant victories achieved by the Western Roman Empire. Sources Medieval Sourcebook: Battle of ChalonsHistorynet: Battle of Chalons