MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES IN A DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE

CLASSROOMby Betty Fernandez and Diane Estrella

Mano a ManoJune 28-July 4, 2010, Antigua- Guatemala

LONG-TERM VISION (Initial proposal)

• To support the EAL (English as an Additional Language) young learners through the implementation of developmentally appropriate EAL strategies in order to meet their instructional needs by developing their proficiency in listening, speaking, pre-reading, comprehension and pre-writing skills, so that they can achieve academic success in a mainstream classroom.

LONG TERM VISION (revised)

• To support each young learner through the implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum for the Early Childhood Classroom, taking into consideration the different intelligences and learning styles of each individual in the classroom so that they can successfully learn and develop.

LONG TERM GOALS

• To continue to provide training for ECE staff on developmentally appropriate practice.

• To continue to provide training for ECE staff on multiple intelligences.

• To continue team building with the ECE staff as we revise our current curriculum. Currently, we meet every Thursday morning.

• The students learning will be enhanced.

LEARNING THEORY• From Piaget we learn that children

need to play, explore, and discover the world around them.

• From Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences we learn that each child possesses a spectrum of intelligences that are combined and used in learning.

HOW ARE YOU SMART?

• If you wanted to learn how to knit a scarf, would you…

- Read a book on how to knit. - Ask a friend to teach you. - Watch a DVD. - Buy the materials and learn through trial

and error. - Observe someone knitting. - Learn to do it through a chant or rhyme. - Take a class.

• Linguistic/Verbal Intelligence: WORD SMART • Thinks in words • Highly developed auditory skills • Plays with sounds in language • Great story tellers, tall tales and jokes • Loves seeing, saying and hearing words • Heads are frequently stuck in a book • Likes to write • Teachers, journalists, writers, lawyers, translators

http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/users/reingold/courses/intelligence/cache/mi.htm#IDE

VERBAL/LINGUISTIC

• STORY TELLING• JOURNALING• PRE-READING • PHONEMIC AWARENESS• WORD GAMES• JOKES• RECALL EXERCISES

WORDS

• Logical/Mathematical Intelligence: NUMBER SMART

• Thinks conceptually• Skilled in reasoning, logic and problem solving • Explores patterns, categories and

relationships • Manipulates the environment to experiment

in a controlled way • Questions and wonders about natural events • Scientists, engineers, computer programmers,

accountants

LOGICAL/MATHEMATICAL

• PUZZLES• MANIPULATIVES• PATTERN GAMES• SEQUENCING• MATH GAMES• PROBLEM SOLVING• COMPUTER• FOLLOW A RECIPE

NUMBERS OR LOGIC

• Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence: MUSIC SMART • Thinks in sounds, rhythms and patterns • Sings, hums, whistles to themselves • Immediately responds to music • Performs and appreciates music and leads in songs • Sensitive to environmental sounds: crickets, bells,

ambient music • Strong opinions of others' music • Choirs, orchestra, bands, disc jockeys, theatre

MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC

• SONGS• CHANTS• RHYMES• PERCUSSION ACTIVITIES• ROLE PLAY• MOVING TO MUSIC• DANCING

MUSIC

• Spacial/Visual Intelligence: PICTURE SMART • Thinks in images and pictures • Clear visual images and representations • Knows the location of everything • Fascination with machines and contraptions • Inventors, architects, engineers, mechanics

VISUAL/SPATIAL

• PAINTING• DRAWING• MULTI-MEDIA• CREATIVE ART• BUILDING• WORK WITH MAPS• TAKE PICTURES

PICTURES

• Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence: BODY SMART • Processes knowledge through bodily sensation • Excellent fine-motor coordination • Gut feelings about things • Great at mimicking your best or worst qualities

and mannerisms • Needs to move around, often labeled

hyperactive • Athletes, dancers, actors, mimes, clowns

BODILY KINESTHETIC• CREATIVE MOVEMENT• SPORTS/EXERCISE• HANDS ON ACTIVITIES• DRAMA• ROLE PLAY• BUILDING• DANCE• FIELD TRIPS

A PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE

• Intrapersonal: SELF SMART • Skilled in inner focusing • Displays a strong personality • Deep awareness of inner feelings, dreams and ideas • Reflective and analytical • Tends to shy away from team activities • Recognizes self strengths and weaknesses • Requires private space and time • Self-employed, researchers, theorists, philosophers

INTRAPERSONAL

• INDIVIDUALIZED PROJECTS• INDEPENDENT WORK• QUIET TIME• REFLECTION• JOURNALS

SELF- REFLECTION

• Interpersonal Intelligence: PEOPLE SMART • Thinks and processes by relating, co-operating and

communicating with others • Leaders among peers • Uncanny ability to sense feelings and intentions of others • Understands people, mediates conflict • Organizer, communicator, at times manipulative • Street smart, has many friends • Counselors, business people, politicians, community

organizers

INTERPERSONAL/SOCIAL

• COOPERATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES• GROUP GAMES - INTERVIEWS• SHARING• COMMUNITY PROJECTS

A SOCIAL EXPERIENCE

Naturalistic Intelligence: NATURE SMART • Bothered by pollution.• Enjoys having pets.• Likes to learn about nature.• Enjoys gardening.• Appreciate scenic places.• Feels alive when in contact with nature.• Likes to camp, hike, walk and climb.• Notices nature above all other things.• Conscious of changes in weather.• Gardener, farmers, scientist, veterinarian.

NATURALISTIC

• CLASS PETS• OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES• EXPLORING NATURAL ELEMENTS

AN EXPERIENCE IN NATURE

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

• “The brain takes in data only through the sensory perceptions that enter through the windows of the body’s five senses.” Lawrence Lowery, “How New Science Curriculums Reflect Brain Research”

• Therefore we must provide a variety of experiences for the young learners.

EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM STRUCTURE (ECERS-R)

• Using the ECERS-R as a tool we evaluated and made adjustments to the activities and practices, scheduled time for learning centers as well as the materials available.

CURRICULUM

• We adjusted our teaching practices and activities taking into account what is developmentally appropriate as well as the different learning styles of our students.

CHANGE/MENTORING

• We have been open to change and have seen the results in our students. Others have seen the change as well and we have been able to share with them, formally through workshops as well as informally when the opportunity has presented to share with them.

• We have a weekly time set up to continue training the teachers and aides what we have learned in the Mano a Mano class.

“Every child is a genius. That doesn’t mean that every child can paint like Picasso, compose like Mozart, or score 150 on an I.Q. test. But every child is a genius according to the original meaning of the word “genius”, which are: “to give birth” (related to the word genesis) and “to be zestful or joyous” (related to the word genial). Essentially, the real

meaning of genius is to “give birth to the joy” that is within each child. Every child is born with that capacity. Each child

comes into life with wonder, curiosity, awe, spontaneity, vitality, flexibility, and many other characteristics of a joyous being. Young children have vivid imaginations,

creative minds, and sensitive personalities. It is imperative that we, as educators and parents, help preserve these genius characteristics of children as they mature into

adulthood, so those capacities can be made available to the broader culture at a time of incredible change.”

Thomas Armstrong. Awakening Your Child’s Natural Genius

WHY HANDS-ON?I Tried to Teach My Child with Books;

He Gave Me Only Puzzled Looks.I Tried to Teach My Child with Words;They Passed Him by Often Unheard.

Despairingly, I Turned Aside;“How Shall I Teach this Child? I cried.

Into My Hand He Put the Key,“Come”, He Said, “Play with Me.”

~Author Unknown