Howard Gardner and Applications of Multiple Intelligences Essay Example for Free

Howard Gardner and Applications of Multiple Intelligences Essay Gardner believes that there are different ways of solving problems and that there are different ways that intellectual ability is manifested or expressed (Gardner, 1993; 1999). What had been accepted in education in general had been to assess students in terms of their capabilities in Science, Math and Language or Communication (English in written and spoken communication). Gardner expanded this to what he termed as multiple intelligence which introduced the domains with which every individual may possess in whatever degree. These domains include, the logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, linguistic, intra and inter-personal, naturalistic and existential intelligences (Gardner, 1993; 1999). There are evidences that support the theory in terms of the biological and cultural underpinnings such as those done on development focused on children, empirical research from individuals with brain damage and persons with giftedness. The theory has significant implications on both structure and curriculum in the educational setting such as the kind of set up with which the classroom is arranged or the strategies employed in introducing material or assessment of learning (Gardner, 1993; 1999). Problem statement Since Gardner believes that the educational setting at all levels must foster and promote the understanding of multiple intelligences the following pertinent parts of the educational set up involving curriculum and assessment strategies must be changed or reformed (Gardner, 1993; 1999). This research therefore attempts to answer the following problem statements: What is Multiple Intelligences as a framework in school? What is the description of a curriculum in the secondary level (high school) incorporating the Gardner theory? In this framework, how can assessment be done on student learning and overall progress of students? Discussion Nature of the learner in the Secondary Level There are basic observations gathered by experts on the kind of learner expected to enter into the secondary level. Since the concept of Multiple Intelligences by Gardner would be revolutionary even today, when in essence, most institutions of learning already recognized the brilliance and applicability of his position. It would be helpful to have alongside in the direction of this notion, quite important figures and principles that would further make the application of the Gardner framework in the secondary level easier to grasp and more feasible to comprehend. The curriculum would serve to reflect how learners inch their way into the classroom and courses they are about to undertake and to finish. It is always important to start right by understanding how the learner apprehends and appreciates the material, his preparation in terms of physical, emotional, and psychological maturity, and the way these materials or knowledge could be absorbed and thereafter applied at the correct time and place. It was Malcolm Knowles (1978, 1990) and his theory andragogy who emphasized the model of adult learning. The premise is based on his hypothesis that the maturation of an individual into adulthood is manifest when people conduct themselves in adult behavior and consider themselves to be adults. Then they should be dealt with as adults. By adulthood people are self-directing. Knowles taught that adult education was special in a several ways. This will mean that the presence or absence of some significant details will improve or pull down adult learning experience. This implies that knowledgeable background on adults and the developmental characteristics of that particular stage will spell effective or disastrous results. This paper attempts to show the various positive and negative learning environments specifically for adults. Positive Learning Environment include: 1. Adult learners carry with them a vast amount of experience to the learning environment. This means that tuning in to their particular psyche creates a conducive atmosphere for learning; 2. Adults expect on the kind of training they are exposed to and how they are to be educated. Example: Unlike the younger learners where most take on passive role, adults have goals in mind and the learning they receive must fall within those predetermined personal goals; 3. the active involvement of students should be encouraged in planning and implementing educational programs; 4. Adults need to be able to see applications for new learning; 5. Adult learners expect to have a high degree of influence on how learning will be evaluated; 6. Adults expect their responses to be acted upon when asked for feedback on the progress of the program. Andragogy is therefore student-centered, experience-based, problem-oriented and collaborative (Brooks, J 1995). On the other hand, the following can influence adults specifically in the learning experience in an unhelpful way. The Negative Learning Environment includes the fact that: 1. some adults can move toward prescribed educational settings with anxiety and feelings of high or low self-efficacy. Their method to new learning milieus can be prejudiced by how they assess or evaluate the new experience. A case in point: given two adults in a classroom where an exercise is about to begin, one individual may interpret the assignment in such a way that leads to a feeling of excitement, while another individual interprets the task in such a way that leads to the feeling of embarrassment. It is a fact that the way the individual interprets the situation and the consequent emotion that arises, will affect the kind of action the individual is to take (Burns, 1995, p.16). Burns considers that such assessments, together with the labels such as fear or anxiety can direct some learners to psychologically disengage from the source of distress that is the learning experience. Conversely, when coupled with labels such as excitement or challenge the learner is conducted to take measures that focus on the undertaking. With this slant, the abovementioned findings just aptly show how the Multiple Intelligences framework is the better if not best option to amplify what adult learning insights have offered and how the issues are met and addressed. It would seem that the Gardner framework can be both an approach in the arrangement of teacher’s approach to the student’s ease assimilating information and training of skills development; Gardner’s framework serves as assessment tool as well to further check and evaluate status of learning as well as secure its usefulness (i.e., training and knowledge) for a future job (Gardner, 1993; 1999). The curriculum then would appear more like a university level type that can be seen as implementation of several tracks, individualized in nature, with personal advising installed, and students are evaluated on their overall grade point average performance. Personality tests that are primarily geared to measure the Gardner â€Å"traits† are indispensable tools to discovering the possession of either or combinations of the â€Å"intelligences† (Gardner, 1993; 1999). On the course or subject level, students are also handled in individual cases but getting used to the variations will be established in the long run and may no longer be as difficult to implement and follow-up. Evaluation of the student performance and any behavioural changes are pertinent tasks that teachers are to be cognizant of. In this manner, the application of formative and summative assessments would not only be appropriate but timely as well. According to studies on the subject, both summative and formative assessments are employed to provide a very objective result as to the efficiency and efficacies not only of the teacher’s methods. The evaluation itself (i.e., assessment for and of learning) is a vital factor that is found to help the student realize his potentials and attenuate the weaknesses he’s had in the process of learning (Northern Arizona University, 2009). I believe that the methods of evaluating the interventions for the problem cannot be easily applied or even seen/grasped. However, this can only be understood well when applied (hands-on) to a particular school, class, and individual during a certain period like during the first half of a given school year. A detailed lesson plan, or syllabus is part of this tool with specific dates and key result areas to serve as a guide. This way, every student has each given the chance to shine his best and not just be a statistic in an otherwise lopsided contest where no real winners are found but instead disillusionment for failed dreams and succumbing to societal pressures are more common and expected. Reference: Brooks, J (1995) Training and Development Competence: a practical guide Kogan Page, London. Burns, S. (1995) Rapid changes require enhancement of adult learning HRMonthly June, pp 16-17. Knowles, M.S. (1978) The Adult Learner: a Neglected Species 2nd edition, Houston: Gulf Publishing Company, Book Division   and Knowles, M.S. 1990 The Adult Learner: a Neglected Species 4th edition, Houston: Gulf Publishing Company, Book Division. Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: the theory in practice. New York, NY: Basic Books. And Gardner, H. (1999). Multiple approaches to understanding. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models (pp. 69-90). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Northern Arizona University. Formative vs. Summative Evaluation. Retrieved on May 9, (2009), from http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/edtech/etc667/proposal/evaluation/summative_vs._formative.htm

Essay on Spiritual Poverty in James Joyces Dubliners -- Dubliners Es

Spiritual Poverty Exposed in The Dubliners  Ã‚   Joyce describes the spiritual poverty of the people of Dublin in the industrial age, with powerful images of mechanized humans and animated machines. In "After the Race" and "Counterparts" he delineates characters with appropriate portraits of human automation. Machines seize human attributes and vitality in opposition to the vacuous citizens of Ireland's capitalist city. Joyce's use of metaphorical language brings to life the despair of his country. In Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson writes an allegorical account of the failure of mankind (1919). Although Anderson depicts rural life in the "New World," his understanding of human nature and descriptive terminology provide a valuable framework for examining Joyce's rendition of urban misery in the "Old World." "The Book of the Grotesque," the opening piece of Anderson's short story collection, animates the thoughts of a dying old man: It was his notion that the moment one of the people took one of the truths to himself, called it his truth, and tried to live his life by it, he became a grotesque and the truth he embraced became a falsehood. (24, Penguin Edition). This notion, that belief in a single truth or paradigm distorts people such that they become warped and can no longer function as human, is central to Joyce's characterizations of the Dubliners. Twentieth Century Homo sapiens can be distinguished from machines by their potential to think openly and consider myriad ideas without being paralyzed by a singular absolute. When people clutch an idea and transform it into an ideal, the separation between man and machine becomes blurred. Human automatons mechanically follow the programming of their truth. In "A... ... demands that he find an outlet for his frustration, and he beats his child to slake the strange thirst for violence of an alcoholic. When an individual seizes a single idea or paradigm they loose their humanity and assume the form of a grotesque machine. Joyce's characterizations of mechanical people and animate machines in The Dubliners follow this philosophy as presented by Sherwood Anderson, and reinforce its applicability. Dubliners are anesthetized by their truths and experience a paralysis of their human possibilities. Only dull machinery remains. This machinery is then capable of great inhumanity as it follows the scripture of its truth. Alcoholics can beat children, Capitalists can ravage countries, and Nationalists can fight wars (religious or profane) to exterminate other ethnicities. Works Cited: Joyce, James Dubliners, New York:Penguin, 1993.

Be Yourself Essay

Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and friends. Today I am going to deliver a speech about â€Å" Be Yourself†. Firstly, find yourself. You can’t be yourself if you do not understand, and accept yourself first. Stop caring about how people perceive you. The fact is, it really doesn’t matter. It’s impossible to be yourself when you’re caught up in wondering â€Å"Do they think I’m funny? Does she think I’m short? Do they think I’m stupid?† To be yourself, you’ve got to let go of these concerns and just let your behavior flow, with only your consideration of others as a filter—not their consideration of you. Beside that, Be honest and open. What have you got to hide? You’re an imperfect, growing, learning human being. If you feel ashamed or insecure about any aspect of yourself—and you feel you have to hide those parts of you, whether physically or emotionally—then you have to come to terms with that and learn to convert . Relax. and stop worrying about the worst that could happen, especially in social situations. So what if you fall flat on your face? Or get spinach stuck in your teeth? Learn to laugh at yourself both when it happens and afterwards. Turn it into a funny story that you can share with others. It lets them know that you’re not perfect and makes you feel more at ease, too. Next, Have a Productive Day. Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and that some days, you’re the statue. People might raise eyebrows and even make fun, but as long as you can shrug and say â€Å"Hey, that’s just me† and leave it at that, people will ultimately respect you for it, and you’ll respect yourself. Lastly, believe in who you are. If you’re always working to be someone you’re not, you’ll never be a happy person. Be yourself and show the world you’re proud the way you are! Yea and don’t forget that being yourself and honesty is the best policy! 2010 English speech

Short Story The Kite Runner - 1246 Words

Nick St. Sauveur World Literature II 20 November 2015 Mrs. Hogan Kite Runner Essay Amir: Lost In Fear Over the duration of history, it has been shown that guilt not brought to light can do little in the name of personal redemption. Moreover, this is clearly connected with and related to Khaled Hosseini s fantastic novel The Kite Runner, one of which describes as well as shows the thoughts and actions of teens through the story s main character, Amir, and his many adventures as an upset adult in the United States during which he recalls the memories of his rich youth in the unstable conditions of Kabul, Afghanistan and its crippled government. The novel shows the simple yet powerful ability of guilt to influence the choice and cause conflicts that come up between Amir s teen companion and half-brother, Hassan. The recoil of which affects Amir s father, Baba, and most importantly of all, himself. Amir’s difference in class and his personal search to become good again brings on a revelation, telling Amir to recognize his sins an d change into the person he wants to be. The difference in class causes discrimination and creates tension among inhabitants as well as close friends in Afghanistan. In the novel, the main character, Amir, and his father, Baba, are both members of the Pashtun Sunni Muslims. Many Pashtuns of Afghanistan have thought of themselves to beShow MoreRelatedSymbolism Of Kite Running By Khaled Hosseini1243 Words   |  5 PagesKali Denney Mr. Snyder AP Literature and Composition 11 December 2015 Symbolism of Kite Running In this essay the book being discussed is, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Khaled Hosseini’s biography will be discussed as well as the historical influences upon him that affect the novel as a whole. The essay will contain a critical analysis as well as an analysis of the critical response to the work by others. In the novel and now a grown man, the main character Amir recalls events in his childhoodRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1367 Words   |  6 Pagesshare the same characteristics. Akin to siblings, the best-selling novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini in the early twenty-first century parallels â€Å"Roman Fever†, a short story written by Edith Wharton in 1934. Despite their gap of publication, only a year shy of seventy years, these two novels are more related than one might originally consider. For those who have not had the pleasure of reading The Kite Runner, Hosseini marched to the top of New York Times’ Best-Sellers list for a reasonRead MoreKhaled Hossieni s The Kite Runner1433 Words   |  6 Pagesmedicine in the private sector in 1996. (britannica.com) The Kite Runner was his first novel and he had the idea to write a novel while still practicing medicine in 2001 and then published The Kite Runner in 2003. 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This boy changes drastically throughout his lifetime from a close minded, considerably arrogant boy to an open hearted and mindedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Kite Runner And Oedipus Rex 1309 Words   |  6 PagesEven as literature has multiple genres, themes can still parallel each other regardless that they will appear in two altogether varying works conceived and written by very different authors and in distinctly separate timeframes. Even as The Kite Runner is written as a work of historical fiction and Oedipus Rex develops a well known and praised Greek tragedy, a theme of betrayal places itself throughout both. Literature demonstrates that morals can genuinely be learned through any method. In bothRead MoreTheme Of Betrayal In The Kite Runner1331 Words   |  6 PagesThem Out Because Of It Even as literature has multiple genres, themes can still parallel each other regardless of appearing in two altogether varying works very different authors of distinctly separate time frames conceive and write. Even as The Kite Runner is written as a work of historical fiction and Oedipus Rex develops a well known and praisable Greek tragedy, a theme of betrayal places itself throughout both. Literature demonstrates that morals can genuinely be learned through any method. InRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini Essay797 Words   |  4 Pages The book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a fictional story that follows Amir, a Afgani refugee who fled during the revolution of the early 1980 s. Amir and his family s servant Hassan would play together as kids, innocent to the world. Ignorant of any differences between them, neither socially nor ethnically. 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The story providesRead MoreHistory Now1070 Words   |  5 PagesSentence Variety Quiz, 35 points Begin Unit: Loyalty and Betrayal, Section D, The Kite Runner The Kite Runner: Introduction Section Warm-Up: Kite Flying Before You Read Building Background - Tutorial: The Kite Runner Reading 2: The Kite Runner Continue Unit: Loyalty and Betrayal, Section D, The Kite Runner Friday, 3/2/2012 Reading 2: The Kite Runner. continued Assignment: Web Page 100 points The Kite Runner Quiz, 40 points Unit Exam: Loyalty and Betrayal, 50 points Begin Unit: Life andRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini687 Words   |  3 PagesMistakes come with consequences that may follow one for the rest of their life. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Amir, the protagonist, makes rash decisions that come to haunt him and cause him to think twice about himself. 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