Garrett Oleson

PHYE 210 Sec. 01

Mat Erpelding
5 March, 2012
Intelligences
People have their on a! o" thin#ing and learning. $%t even tho%gh ever!one has the
capa&ilities to thin# and learn, not ever!one has the sa'e t!pe o" intelligence. Intelligence is
categori(ed &! Gardener)s seven theories o" intelligence, each hich is 'eant to provide an
%nderstanding o" di""erent a!s o" thin#ing. *side "ro' Gardener, +ain and +ain ,1--0.
introd%ced a set o" telve principles that descri&es ho the &rain or#s &ased on the na'ed
principles. /hat I a' going to rite a&o%t is the ho these theories and principles and other
researches co'pare ith each other and ho the are relevant to toda!)s learning and teaching.
In the telve principles stated &! +ain and +ain ,1--0., the! descri&e in each principle a
little &it o" ho the &rain "%nctions. 0heir "irst principle &asicall! descri&es the &rain as a '%lti1
"%nctioning tool that serves as o%r core1processing %nit "or storing and processing in"or'ation.
0he second principle descri&es the ph!siological aspects o" the &rain, and ho "actors s%ch as
e'otional trends can a""ect o%r a&ilit! to learn. *ll tho%gh these are si'pl! the &asics o" o%r
"%nctioning 'ind, their st%dies go on to sho that each 'ind is di""erent, learning e2periences
can &e &ased and a""ected &! "actors listed in their "i"th principle, s%ch as 3sel"1estee',4
3e2perience,4 3e'otions,4 etc. ,+ain and +ain, 1--0, p. 56.
I "ind it tr%e that there are "actors that a""ect %s as the learners as e develop and learn as
e age thro%gh o%r !o%th. E2periences and e'otions can &e the deciding "actor in so'eone)s li"e
as to ho the! learn and i" the! even ill learn. Principle "ive, as stated &! +ain and +ain ,1--0.
sa!s that teachers need to ta#e the e'otions and attit%des o" a st%dent into consideration hen
&rea#ing don the ire o" ho these st%dents ill learn.
Even as the &rain develops, and e as h%'ans learn thro%gh hat e are ta%ght, o%r
&rains are contin%all! developing, and going thro%gh hat Elaine 7enned! descri&es as
38evelop'ental Stages O" 9eadiness,4 hich consists o" "o%r di""erent age gro%ps. 8%ring these
stages the &rain gros and 'ove'ent and cognitive s#ills are developing and i'proving hile
still at a !o%ng age. +hildren at the earl! stages "oc%ses on 'ainl! 'ove'ent &e"ore the! ill
their lang%age s#ills, each hich i'proves as children gro older and are a&le to "%nction &oth
ph!sicall! and cognitivel!.
I thin# it is i'portant "or children not onl! to develop cognitive s#ills &%t it is also
i'portant to incorporate 'ove'ent that ill ena&le the' to learn thro%gh the 'ove'ent rather
than to learn in a 'otionless environ'ent here children ill not &e as 'otivated to learn. 7ovar
,2010. states that ph!sicall! inactivit! d%ring childhood !ears that "or's as a contin%ing 3ha&it4
ill contin%e thro%gh their ad%lt !ears. ,7ovar, 2010, P. -5.
Gardner)s seven intellegences has its 'an! applications to the individ%al 'ind. Gardner)s theor!
notes that all o" the intelligences are re:%ired to &e a&le to &e e""ective thro%gh societ!.
*ccording to Spar# ed, teachers and ed%cators ali#e sho%ld p%t an e'phasis on teaching %sing
the di""erent intelligences to teach the variet! o" 3s#ills4 that 'an! st%dents ill have. Ever!
st%dent ill have di""erent strengths and ea#nesses ithin the seven intelligences, &%t ithin
these di""erent intelligences co'es the ter' 3learning st!les,4 hich in other ords 'eans a st!le
in hich a st%dent learns &est. ,Spar# ed, n.d..
0he 'ore a teacher %nderstands a st%dent)s learning st!les, the &etter a teacher that the!
ill &eco'e in the long r%n. 7ovar ,2010. states that 30eachers ho %nderstand their on
&ac#gro%nd are &etter a&le to accept and %nderstand the &ac#gro%nd their st%dents &ring to the
classroo'.4 ,7ovar, 2010, P. 15;.,
I &elieve that state'ent to &e tr%e, &eca%se not ever! teacher ill %nderstand a st%dent
itho%t %nderstanding their &ac#gro%nd t!pe, their capa&ilities, and their e2periences either
inside or o%tside o" the classroo'. I thin# teachers need to have 'ore than <%st the patience to
%nderstand ever! st%dent in their class as ell as having the e2perience and the #noledge o" the
di""erent intelligences o" Gardner)s theor!. *ccording to =enni"er >olen, Gardner)s intelligences
3re:%ires teachers to ad<%st their instr%ctional strategies in order to 'eet st%dents) individ%al
needs.4 ,>olen, n.d...
0his state'ent is also tr%e d%e to the "act that not ever! st%dent learns the sa'e. Ever!
teacher has to 'eet ever! st%dents) needs in di""erent a!s so that ever! st%dent can get the sa'e
#ind o" learning e2periences as the others aro%nd the'. I &elieve that ever! teacher sho%ld have
to teach each s%&<ect in di""erent a!s %sing Gardner)s intelligences, and as 'ove'ent
ed%cators, sho%ld &ring the concept o" 'ove'ent into all o" their teaching strategies as ell.
9e"erences?
+aine, 9. >., +aine, G. ,1--0. @nderstanding a $rain1$ased *pproach to Aearning and
0eaching. 55160.
7enned!, E. ,n.d.. $rain +o'pati&le Aearning
7ovar, S. 7. ,2011.. Ele'entar! classroo' teachers as 'ove'ent ed%cators ,Bth ed... >e
Yor#? McGra1Hill. -5, 15;.
M%ltiple Intelligence 0heor! ,n.d.. 11C
>olen, =. ,n.d.. M%ltiple Intelligences In 0he +lassroo', 115.