Teaching Theories: Multiple Intelligence Approach

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The day I walked into the sixth grade classroom at County Elementary, for my very first job of Substitute Teaching, I was nervous and wondered to myself, “How am I going to teach this group of kids?” Rows of desks all facing the front was the only thing that seemed familiar to me. So with a deep breath, lesson plans in hand, I pressed on. The day consisted of me lecturing and the students infrequently responding. For years the prevailing thoughts on classroom setup have been what I call a teacher centered approach to learning. This involves the teacher at the front of a classroom giving a lecture, and expecting the student to regurgitate it later on a test. Sound familiar? Teacher centered classrooms were the norm for many of us. The problem with this approach to learning is not all students learn in a lecture focused setup. Many people need to have the material presented in different ways; this allows them time to processes, and really understand the material. I am going to show you how taking into account multiple intelligences, and using different teaching approaches, other than the traditional teacher centered approach, will help the student to gain a better understanding of the material as a whole. In addition, I will give examples of how this looks within a classroom setting. Howard Gardner has done much research on multiple intelligences. Many teachers have taken his idea and extended it to the classroom in the form of something called learning styles. Although Gardner himself does not ascribe to the learning style extension of multiple intelligences, many teach... ... middle of paper ... ... Gardner, Howard. Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons. 1993. New York: Basic Books, 2008. Print. Kazu, Ibrahim Yasar. “The Effect of learning styles on education and the teaching process.” Journal of Social Sciences (Apr. 2009): 85. Academic OneFile. Web. 20 July 2011. Lamarche-Bisson, Diane. “Learning Styles - What Are They? How Can They Help?” World and I Sept. 2002: 268. Academic OneFile. Web. 20 July 2011. Lemlech, Johanna K. Curriculum and Instructional Methods for the Elementary and Middle School. Ed. Debra A. Stollenwerk. 4th ed. 1994. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1998. Print. McClanaghan, Mary Ellen, et al. Master In The Art Of Teaching. Illus. Bob Winberry. Santa Monica: Canter Educational Productions, 1996. Print. Nolen, Jennifer L. “Multiple Intelligences In the Classroom.” Education (Fall 2003): 115. Academic OneFile. Web. 20 July 2011.

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