Multiple intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multiple intelligence - Essay Example For example, linguistic intelligence is primarily the ability to read, write, and speak effectively, which is of prime importance in career fields such as teaching, journalism and psychology. Similarly, each type of intelligence is the fountainhead of certain specific skills and abilities, which point towards definite career options.The author then goes on to illustrate how the Multiple Intelligence theory can be used in the teaching-learning process and proceeds to highlight the benefits of the use of Multiple Intelligence teaching practices in helping to make students meaningful learners. The Multiple Intelligence theory pre-supposes that each child has his or her own strengths and his or her own way of learning. This makes the Multiple Intelligence theory better suited to individual needs upon implementation. Accordingly, a child with superior kinesthetic intelligence must be taught with more hands-on activities, while a child with better spatial intelligence will learn faster and better with maps, diagrams and other visual inputs. He cites the example of the New City School in St Louis that has applied this theory successfully. The school keeps Multiple Intelligence in mind while developing its curriculum, during classroom instruction and finally at the time of assessment. It has been found that these students average good scores in subsequent standardized tests. The author then gives us a brief glimpse of how he plans to implement the Multiple Intelligence theory in agricultural education. Agricultural education being multifaceted, the possibilities are endless. The author would like to instruct his students through presentations, speech contests, quiz bowls and the like. Lastly, the author discusses the limitations of this theory and also touches briefly on the implementation problems that the theory might pose for educators. Critique The theory of Multiple Intelligence presents interesting possibilities in classroom application. In fact, it "opens up eight different potential pathways to learning" (Armstrong T). It suggests that teachers present their lessons in a wide variety of ways using music, cooperative learning, art activities, field trips, role play, pictures, multimedia etc. This will help teachers to reach out to students who have different types of intelligence to go beyond conventional linguistic and logical methods and choose the learning tool they want. Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligence helps teachers, school administrators and parents' to understand the learners better. However, only the very conscientious of teachers will be able to apply it on a regular basis. A teacher will have to be truly and deeply interested in children to understand how their minds are different from one another's. Anne Guignon, in her article on Multiple Intelligence, refers to Linda Campbell, who has outlined five ways in which the Multiple Intelligence theory can be implemented. These are: - Lesson design. In this the teacher may even focus on his or her own intelligence strengths. Interdisciplinary units. Here two or more units may be combined. Student projects. Students can initiate and execute their own projects depending upon their individual abilities. Assessments. Assessments ca be devised to test Multiple Intelligence. Students can be allowed to devise the way they want to be assessed. Apprenticeships. Apprenticeships will enable students to work with their specific abilities. One cannot discount the use of technology in the classroom, as one of