The MI's in online learning

Teaching for multiple intellgences

2007-07-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

Since this blog began by discovering how technologies can be used to cater for a multiply intelligent audience, I think this site deserves to be listed and quoted here:
Do Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Learners Need Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Instruction?

I quote the beginning of the article by Daniel T. Willingham:

Question: What does cognitive science tell us about the existence of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners and the best way to teach them?

The idea that people may differ in their ability to learn new material depending on its modality—that is, whether the child hears it, sees it, or touches it—has been tested for over 100 years. And the idea that these differences might prove useful in the classroom has been around for at least 40 years.

What cognitive science has taught us is that children do differ in their abilities with different modalities, but teaching the child in his best modality doesn’t affect his educational achievement. What does matter is whether the child is taught in the content’s best modality. All students learn more when content drives the choice of modality. In this column, I will describe some of the research on matching modality strength to the modality of instruction. I will also address why the idea of tailoring instruction to a student’s best modality is so enduring—despite substantial evidence that it is wrong.

Now that's an interesting statement. I can strongly recommend having a look at the details!

Eier tütschen

2007-04-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

A special Swiss tradition.
First you and an opponent each take a hard-boiled egg. Each person holds the egg -pointy side to pointy side, round side to round side- and hit them together. The egg that brakes is the loser. You can use the other side and try it again or find another opponent.
Then, of course, you eat the egg!

Happy Easter!!!

easter

2007-04-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

On the Sunday we have Easter. We hide Easter Eggs and Chocolate rabbits. The kids search for the eggs and the rabbits. We play a game with eggs, called " Eiertütschi " Two Peoples take cooked eggs and hit them together. The loser is the player has a brocken egg.

Happy easter
Louis and Simon :-) :-s

Answers to the comments

2007-03-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for your comments. My pupils were VERY surprised and happy to get so many repsonses from all over the world.
Now I'll let them answer some of the questions you asked.
(btw- this is a picture of school carneval in the neighbourhood I live with my son the pinguin :-))

Salam
We got comments from Spain, U.S.A. , Argentina, Canada, Sudan, Brasil, Romania, Portugal, Germany.

We learnt Sibiu is near Transylvanien Alps in Romania; the Nile flows through Sudan; Toronto is near New York; Key West is an Island in Florida.

Dennis from Germany -We found out how old you are !!!
We are friends. We go together to Judo.
To both Dennises -What was your favourite subject to teach ?

Louis: My hobbys are Computer, drawing, judo
Simon: My hobbys are judo, saxophone, reading and computer

it is very warm in Lucern. Its 17 °C. Its spring.

Good Bye simon and louis

Simon and Louis

2007-02-28T03:56:00.000-08:00

Louis Simon

After a reflective phase (see last post) I've decided to give an example of how a blog can be used for interaction, building up contact.

Two of my private students are introducing themselves below.
Take a moment to read and write a comment to them. They would love to hear from you!

Hello We are from Switzerland near Luzern (Lucerne).

My name is Simon and I am 12 years old . I go in the 6^th class.

I go to the “Hübeli” in Emmenbrücke.

My favourite subjects are maths,

Sciences and gym.

I have 6 teachers. I like all of them.

My name is Louis and I am 13 years old !!

I go in the 7^th class.

I go to the Erlen school.

My favourite subjects are maths, history and arts.

I have 7 teachers. I like most of them.

But one is very :-( .

reflections

2007-02-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

After a long stretch of quiet, the time has come to reflect on what this blog is about. I realized after a while that it wasn't really the internet tools so much as the blogging tools I was discovering in connection with the multiple intelligences.
Now I am wondering how and if I should continue. This is a start. If it leads somewhere, then it will certainly take me some place, but I won't push it.
We'll see.

Another coffee break!

2006-08-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

It's time to go back two steps in order to go forwards one. I am returning to the topic of body smartness, that is, using webcams in order to convey body language and meaning.
I'm sure there are better ways to do this than talking with your mouth full, but for a first video I think this will do to illustrate the point.

I do hope you enjoy this post, and - oh, why don't you get yourself a cup of coffee to watch it with!

More people-smartness

2006-07-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Looking at how interpersonal relationships can be nurtured, I have found more ideas. What follows are are few which are for blogs, but illustrate other tools which are available online.
I have just managed to download a widget (a virtual gadget which can be placed on ones website, blog or screentop). This enables people to chat while viewing the blog. This can be pre-arranged (which probably works the best) or can happen incidentally if it is a blog which is often viewed by a large number of people.

The ingenious thing about this is that an educator can pose a task, ask a question, start a discussion, etc, and the readers can actually communicate realtime, working together in fulfillment of the task.
So, take a moment to chat with a friendly co-viewer or post a comment saying how you would use a chat tool on your blog!

People smart

2006-07-17T12:45:00.001-07:00

Interpersonal intelligence can play an important part in online teaching. For one to one teaching a sense of trust will help both parties to be honest and make the learning a pleasurable experience. Not only this, but if learning should occure through communication with each other, then it is essential to instill this feeling of trust in order to facilitate communication without the benefit of eye to eye contact. A f2f meet would, of course, be ideal beforehand; however, this isn't always possible.

How can people smartness be encouraged online? This is actually quite easy. One can learn from the kids these days, who are MSN and chat-proficient. And there are other tools which can be used for real-time communication. Skype and other voice chat tools allow the receiving party to here intonation and reasonably predict the feelings the other is experiencing - at least while that person is talking. Through use of video chats you can even see each other, making a communicative experience even more personal.

Groups can also bond through simple group devices such as yahoo. In this case the moderator has an important job, ie encouragement of others and frequent input and comment thereof.
Learning with computers is an excellent example of a bonding group of people, most of whom have never met each other outside the group. And yet there is not just an interest of topic, but a true personal interest for the other members.

My experience in this group has further kindled my interest for the possibilities of learning online, and the level of people smartness has been a major factor in keeping people active and interested!

coffee break

2006-05-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

One way of talking to the body smart is to motivate someone to get up and do something. I've given a couple of examples, but here is another means of motivation.

It was a delicious coffee with lots of milk foam at the top. wouldn't you like one too? Or maybe a nice cup of tea? Mm. Why don't you just go and get yourself one. I'll wait here for you :-)

The original plan had been to use the webcam to show you the art of eating croisants with coffee. Since I couldn't find out how to publish it on this blog, I opted for the easier way.
If you know how to add video to a blog, please let me know in the comments.

Use of the webcam has a couple of advantages (provided you know how to publish the video.)
You can motivate someone to illustrate or explain something in front of the webcam and then publish it, or you can motivate someone to carry out a task which requires movement, e.g getting up.

Videos also appeal to the visual and audio-types (which aren't necessarily equivalent with picture and word smart, but can be), and can also encourage logic-smartness in a problem-solving task.

body smart - a challenge!

2006-04-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

What in the world..!?! you may ask yourself. Why a picture like this? What does it have to do with body smart? Well, I naturally thought about adding a picture with movement, but I came across this picture and realized that it shows movement, and someone needed to place them there and get the camera to take a picture. A very kinesthetic person who enjoys manipulating objects and can imagine the movements in his head.

The kinesthetic aspect of online teaching is a challenge. Is it enough to supply drag and drop options for the kinesthetic learner? In my opinion it is not. How then can one cater for the body smart? First, Body smart is not just the act of moving. There is the aspect of agility and it also encompasses an awareness of space.
Another question is whether online teaching must happen on the computer? Even in its purist form, the main functionis to supply information and activites online.
My first suggestions are quite low-tech, supplying an impulse.

Stop what you are doing! Now get up and balance a book on your head. See if you can walk to the kitchen and pour yourself a glass of water without letting the book fall? Come back and write a comment.

Easter is at the door, and it has motivated me for the following task. Read this text and try to feel what you are reading.

Imagine you are holding an egg in your hand. Hold it very gently so as not to break it. Feel the weight of this egg.
It is warm - feel the warmth radiating from the egg.
Now cover it with your other hand. Turn your hands so that the egg is lying in the other hand. Move your hand up and down and feel the egg move with your hands. Roll the egg gently in your hand. Feel the way it moves.
Now gently place the egg next to the computer and see how long you can remain aware of this egg next in front of you.
Write a comment about the effect this task had on you and to what extent and how long you were able to 'feel' the egg.

Finally, here is a blog which will appeal to not only the kinesthetic, but also the gustatory senses.
Happy Easter!

(The next post will focus on more high-tech options.)

visual and spatial

2006-04-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

Picture smart isn't just about being able to draw or produce images in your head. As the word spatial signifies, it's also about perception of space. Read the following text and then take a minute to lean back and clese your eyes. See what happens.

Imagine a large building that you know. Stand next to it. Feel the space in front of you and the space behind you. Enter the building. Become aware of the space you are in, of the lines and colors. What are your feelings of being in this room?

Your response to this activity will tell you a lot about what intelligences are strong. If you are able to get a feeling for it. Analyse the words you would use to describe what you experienced. Your vocabulary will probably reflect one of the 'smarts' described further down, although this would be considered a picture smart activity.

A very clever and creative person I know is helping me develop and expand my own picture smartness. He advised me to draw only what I see. The result is that I tried drawing what I thought I could draw what I see. This turned out to be a shadow. Now I intend to go further with this idea. You can find an interesting link to another blog that is a good example of how to encourage and develop visual and spatial intelligence on the internet for anyone interested.

An important point here - the intelligences can be developed and strengthened with exercise, but if it is a week intelligence for you, you may need to access it through stronger ones.

Picture smart - visual/spatial intelligence

2006-04-03T01:36:00.000-07:00

Our world is highly visual- oriented. However, when considering the multiple intelligences, it takes more to promote spatial intelligence than simply by adding pictures like this one to your lessons - although this is certainly a step in the right direction! Spatial intelligence is shown in a person's ability to think in pictures, to express themselves through grafic, drawings, colors, forms, etc, and to show an appreciation for the visual world.

By adding pictures to lesson materials you are certianly encouraging this ability, but the pictures must have some connection to the lesson in order to work. Look back at the illustrations and pictures I've chosen. Perhaps you will find yourself attracted to one or the other. Maybe you will even consider the connection they have with the related posts. They may also activate emotions, which are a strong factor in learning. I have added these pictures because of the connections I saw.

a sunrise as a metaphor for the beginning of this, my particular journey through the MIs
the sky clearing as thoughts start to form - daylight being cast upon the topic and scaring away the clouds
a sheltered path to a place full o fsecrets to be discovered
a boy making a letter (any letter), on the side also encorperating body smartness! to introduce a playful element
and of course the Jabberwocky himself! to illustrate a poem
a face of books - a visual game for the picture smart

There are different ways to exploit spatial intelligence on the computer and online. I will look at exploiting it in language teaching in the next post, but here are a couple of ideas in general.

Two relate to the picture above from Arcimboldo.
There are also quite a few ways to use technology for the picture smart. One program -Photoshop- is used above to make your own Arcimboldo picture. Here are other tools listed for you.
Can you think of other ways, especially in relation to other subjects besides art that can be used in online teaching?

Practical application

2006-03-29T01:02:00.000-08:00

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

This has all been very fun (for me at least), but in terms of teaching, what can you do with it?

First, have you figured out the gibberish further below? This is a playful way to stimulate learners who are strong in linguisitic abilities. For avid (and perhaps older) readers, the clue may have stimulated the idea to go back to the gibberish with a mirror. The audio version gives you the answer- in more ways than one, focussing on listening for the auditive learning types, but with an offer of the written version. Here too, there was a hidden activity - scanning a text for specific information.

Although I didn't give a specific task, I may have sparked an interest in you, the reader, to discover what was behind the last few posts. In a eaching situation the input can be exploited by analysing the language. What kinds of words are they? How can you know whether they are nouns, adjectives or verbs? This kind of analysis can provoka a deeper understanding for the language system in a fun way.

Of course, a blog, the web and using a computer are very practical resources for the 'word smart' and the ideas are endless using the given technology. However, the key idea is to stimulate! I hope you have a few ideas of how to do this. Further ideas are to share books or poems on a blog and comment on the contributions. Tell each other your favorite story, either in writing or as an audio post. Write a joint story. Feel free to add other ideas.

The Jabberwocky

2006-03-27T01:20:00.000-08:00

This is for the auditive types out there. However, if you feel more comfortable with reading the text, you can find it here, though you will have to search through the text to find this particular section. Very good for scanning skills!

I have taken it all from the Gutenberg project.

Now look back at the strange text I left for you a few posts down. Any ideas what it could mean and why it looks the way it does?

A hint

2006-03-26T01:13:00.000-08:00

You like poetry?

'Ye-es. pretty well -- SOME poetry,' Alice said doubtfully. 'Would you tell me which road leads out of the wood?'

2006-03-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

YKCOWREBBAJ
sevot yhtils eht dna ,gillirb sawT`
ebaw eht ni elbmig dna eryg diD
,sevogorob eht erew ysmim llA
.ebargtuo shtar emom eht dann

Word smart - linguistic intelligence

2006-03-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

So here we start with the different intelligences. I have chosen to begin with the linguistic intelligence because it is the one which I think most people will relate to. In the OET course we have to be quite word smart and many of us are indeed language teachers. You may be interested in a description of linguisitc intelligences .
Or perhaps a list of the criteria which a word smart person may at least partly fulfil. Or maybe you'd like to begin with a simple test to find out how developed your intelligences are. There are also tips for teachers, including how to use technology! And finally I offer you here a further link to a teacher's site with further links to sites which focus on enhancing and developing this intelligence. Before we go on a little trip through Wonderland, I just want to touch on the topic of the learning types. Some poeple learn better through visuals (did you notice all those pictures I've been adding? ;-) Some poeple need bodil movement - hmm. While others take things in by listening. I will attempt to encorporate these learning types throughout. Although the kinesthetic aspect will be focused on under body smart.
But, enough of words, words, words. It's time for a bit of play!!!!

Why teach for the MI's?

2006-03-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Before looking at the how, we should first look at the why of teaching for multiple intelligences.

By teaching for different intelligences it is possible to reach more people through more channels.
This is similar to teaching for different learning styles, mainly the following three are taken into consideration when referring to the different styles: auditive learning, visual learning and kinesthetic learning; however there are more. The different learning styles are automatically putto use when teaching for different intelligences.
These have long been used for learning disabled to enhance their learning, especially where one or more intelligences are underdeveloped, but the general learning community, including younger learners and language learners, have also discovered and use the knowledge and principle connected with MI. For an example- with intelligence test, see Ldpride.net

One final point that should be mentioned before moving on is that the idea is to integrate as many intelligences as possible at any given time, thus catering for all learners and training weaker intelligences as well as profitting from the strong ones.

Although I will go through each intelligence individually in the proceding sections, I am only isolating them to be able to analyse them and if and how each can be catered for in online teaching.

The next sections will be with activities and I hope you will join in and comment on your own experiences and thoughts :-)

The MIs

2006-03-22T02:08:00.000-08:00

The multiple intelligences were first introduced and described by Howard Gardner in 1983. The idea is that in common IQ tests only the linguistic and logical-mathmatical intelligences are tested, but there are others which are just as relevant. He first identified 7 different intelligences and later added two more. Further ones have been under consideration but been denied on the basis of ethical issues. For Gardner’s own description of the intelligences in a paper authored by himself, see Howard Gardner

The first seven intelligences are often referred to as how to be smart. they are as follows:

word smart - linguistic intelligence showing a strong sensativity towards words

picture smart - spatial intelligence reflected in the abilty to see pictures in one’s mind or accurately depict pictures

logic smart - logical-mathmatical intelligence found in the abiltity to understand maths and complex logical systems

music smart - shown in the ability to understand and (re-)produce music

body smart - kinesthetic intelligence using the body skillfully to achieve a purpose or to express oneself

people smart - interpersonal intelligence related to communicating with others and ‘putting yourself in their shoes’

self-smart - intrapersonal intelligence of understanding one’s self and emotions

Further two intelligences have been accepted into the ranks:

Nature smart - naturalist intelligence used for identifying and classifying

Existence smart - the most recent one with an esoteric touch which is the ability to put oneself into the larger ’scheme of things’

There are so many sites and quite a few test on the web to find your strong intelligences - too many to be listed here, but a simple google of ‘multiple intelligences’ will be enough to find material to wander through for days.

Aim of this blog

2006-03-22T02:02:00.000-08:00

My motivation for this blog is to collect ideas, information and maybe even a bit of help in writing my final paper for the OET course. The topic I’ve chosen (for the time being at any rate) is the multiple intelligences and how and if they can be taught for in online teaching. There will be different tasks for each intelligence and I hope some of you readers will feel inspired to try them out and comment on how they went. New entries will be posted regularly (at least once a week) for the next month or so, so keep this blog aggragated ;-)