Teach English in Haimenshi Jingji Jishu KAifAqu - Nantong Shi

The concept of ​​multiple intelligences is an area of ​​psychology, but I believe that every teacher should have some basic knowledge in psychology, especially developmental psychology because knowledge in this area gives teachers the necessary insight on how mind functions and develops. The theory of multiple intelligences was proposed by psychologist Howard Gardner in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences involves the use of these intelligences in student learning to emphasize their strengths and aid success. It is geared towards the encouragement of students to use their talents and strengths to learn and interact with the content. There is a debate between social scientists on the empirical validity of multiple intelligences and has been criticized for its lack of empirical evidence. Despite a lack of general acceptance in the psychological community, Gardner's theory has been adopted by many schools. His work with multiple intelligences allows students to realize their strengths in learning and gives teachers the opportunity to understand the dynamics of the classroom. Everyone has all types of intelligences is just a question of which one is more prominent. An important thing that every teacher who is familiar with MI (multiple intelligence) theory should understand is that he/she should not emphasize only those activities in which student is dominant, regardless in which of the nine intelligences/learning styles is student dominant. Each intelligence should be encouraged with an emphasis on intelligence that is dominant in order to increase motivation and efficiency in learning. When the teacher gets in touch with a new group of students he/she should conduct some form of test or quiz of multiple intelligence in order to better understand the learning styles of the students. The results of this test can provide a general direction for an individual’s future success and the potential of a certain domain. The nine intelligences include; spatial, visual, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, verbal/linguistic, naturalistic, logical/mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal. Gardner mentions in his Big think interview two more debatable intelligences, existential (holistic perspective on life and self), and teaching-pedagogical intelligence (how successfully we teach others). It's important to understand better each of these intelligences and what activities can be used for specific learning styles in classrooms. Visual/spatial learning style, or visual-spatial intelligence, refers to a person's ability to perceive, analyze, and understand visual information in the world around them. People with this intelligence or learning style tend to think visually and often prefer learning the same way. They are good at seeing the "big picture," but they sometimes overlook the details. Students who are strong in the visual-spatial learning style enjoy school activities such as art, drawing, geometry, computer graphics, illustration, etc. Bodily/Kinaesthetic Intelligence can be observed in those who are “body smart” that is, those people who able to control themselves so as to employ their whole bodies to interpret a skill, to express thoughts, ideas and emotions through movements and gestures (acting, dancing, sports, using body language) or who manipulate objects skillfully (sculpting clay or hands-on learning). Bodily/kinesthetic learning style students understand and remember material longer when they use it in an active way. They will enjoy taking things apart and constructing things, sports games, role playing games, etc. Musical Intelligence involves sensitivity to musical patterns, sounds, tones, rhythms, which is the ability to recognize or use those mentioned above. People with musical learning styles learn best when taught using spoken instruction and auditory media. Students with strong auditive learning styles would benefit from recording lectures in class. Students who are strong in the musical Intelligence learning style enjoy school activities such as background music in class, choral reading, music chosen for assignment, etc. Verbal/linguistic intelligence is commonly described as the ability to master and make use of language in an effective way and to communicate both in speaking and writing. It also means mastering the language so well as to be able to use easily persuade the others, to easily understand various patterns of a language. They usually enjoy written projects, speech and drama classes, debate, language classes basically everything with manipulation of the language. People with Naturalist intelligence have a sensitivity to and appreciation for nature. People with this learning style intelligence focuses on how people relate to their natural surroundings. Students in this category enjoy outdoor activities more than traditional classroom learning logical/mathematical learning styles use reasoning and logical sequencing to absorb information. This is a type of intelligence that allows people to recognize abstract patterns, to make predictions, challenging them to sequence, to master problem solving, scientific thinking and investigation. They prefer structured, goal-oriented activities that are based on math reasoning and logic rather than less structured, creative activities with inexact learning goals. interpersonal Intelligence (“people smart”) points to the capacity to interact with people in an efficient manner, that is to be empathetic, feeling and thinking readily. More specifically, people with a high preference for the interpersonal intelligence always have a talent for understanding and caring about other people – their feelings, thoughts, motivations, moods, needs and inner struggles. People with interpersonal learning styles learn best when they are permitted to use their people's senses as part of the learning process. They often prefer direct involvement with others in group projects in school or within the larger community. Intrapersonal Intelligence is the ability for self-analysis and reflection, the ability to grasp and know about oneself and quietly contemplate and assess one’s accomplishments. Gardner (1999:43), describes this intelligence as “ the capacity to understand oneself, to have an effective working model of oneself – including one’s owns desires, fears, and capacities- and to use such information effectively in regulating one’s own life.” People who are dominant in this learning style love school activities like journals, silent flection time, goal setting, self evaluation, etc. References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences Gardner, Howard (1983), Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences Gardner, Howard (1999), Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century