Jan8


 * Monday, January 8th, 2007**

Fortunately school was cancelled due to a winter storm advisory (which has now turned to heavy rain)and I was able to spend a lot of time reading about Gesner's multiple intelligence theory. Having spent as much time as I have teaching, a lot I read today wasn't totally new but it did a great job not only reinforcing what I've already seen and learned, it also made me question a number of items.

To begin with, I did the intelligence inventory. It proved my darkest fear....I'm not very smart:-) Check it out using the information here: Actually, it reinforced what I've always believed about myself, I'm not particularly great at any ONE thing. I have a variety of hobbies, a multitude of interests and great general knowledge....I'm just not specialized. Even the 3 multiple intelligence strands that I scored highest in were almost equal, with only a slight lead in the interpersonal strand. Thankfully it indicated that those with highest points in this area make great teachers. Phew!
 * Hello Canuguy. Your User ID number is 430276.
 * [|http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/miinventory.php>]

One of the items I didn't like about the inventory was that many of the questions focused on "Do you like music?" I like music, but I don't have any music ability, skills, etc. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, I think I am tone deaf and honestly think I've mentally blocked anything related to music education in my entire childhood because I can't remember taking music even in elementary school! But, I listen to music constantly and am right now as I write this entry.

Another item of interest was how I placed relatively high in the "Naturalist" and "Spatial" strands, again not very accurate. Yes, I enjoy being outdoors, active and working with my hands, but again, I'm not very good at any of the above:-) Let's put it this way, despite the countless hours I've spent fishing and hunting if I were ever stranded in the wilderness with all the necessary survival tools including poles and arms, I'd probably starve to death. Enjoyment of an activitiy doesn't necessarily translate to skills in the activity, that's for sure.

As I continued to read about MI I read that the detractors believe that MI focuses on abilities, not intelligences. This made me realize that perhaps the inventory was indeed more accurate than I originally believed. Perhaps I scored highest in the strands that I did because of my interests and accompanying knowledge = intelligence, because I obviously lack the skills:-)

Reading the background info of MI also hit home when it emphasized how standardized testing isn't necessarily accurate. My son has many special needs with his most pressing challenge "Speech Dyspraxia." In other words he has extreme difficulties expressing himself using verbal language and despite countless hours (and dollars) of intensive speech therapy, he's still only speaking at a 2 year old level. Most of the intelligence tests designed for 8 year olds revolve around verbal responses...something he is virtually incapable of doing! Is he as "intelligent" as his classmates? No, but he's more "intelligent" than the standardized tests would indicate. He has an incredible memory for details, an amazing sense of direction and boundless enthusiasm. The traditional classroom setting is very difficult for him and he's very unproductive in traditional educational practices, but I can see him excelling in a classroom that promoted the multiple intelligence format, one that allowed him to express himself in non verbal means and allowing him to be a "specialist." This would help his self-esteem, which is very low in the traditional setting.

The more I read the more pleased I was with some of the initiatives I've taken over the years as a teacher. I've tried to incorporate differentiation in all my classes and have been much more creative with assignments/tasks. In many of my history classes, I'll do the "talk&chalk" thing (well, actually, the modernized version, more commonly referred to as "Death by Powerpoint"), but I always make an effort to break up my lessons by having students role playing the battles being discussed, events taking place etc. Student created skits are encouraged as options, as well as art work, comic strips, diaramas, hands-on activities, scrapbooks, discussion circles, etc. I also tend to give bonus points who take the time to digitize their results, being scanning their art, taking a digital photographs of their pyramids or creating flash based movies.
 * Examples of some of my student creations**

http://harveyhighschool.nbed.nb.ca/mrd/112history/guillotineflash/guilflash.html http://harveyhighschool.nbed.nb.ca/mrd/ch120/confederation/samples/peicircus_cartoon_color_by_kd.jpg http://harveyhighschool.nbed.nb.ca/mrd/10historyepssweb/egypt/egyptfunpics/200405/mummificationweb/pages/DSCF0086.htm http://harveyhighschool.nbed.nb.ca/mrd/10historyepssweb/funpics06a/0506webpyramid/0506pyramidpics/target9.html http://harveyhighschool.nbed.nb.ca/mrd/10historyepssweb/funpics06a/0506webpyramid/0506pyramidpics/target0.html http://harveyhighschool.nbed.nb.ca/mrd/10historyepssweb/Greece/greek%20columns%20fun%20pics/greek_pics.htm http://harveyhighschool.nbed.nb.ca/mrd/ms120/avpages/tvads/CokeCommercial/cokecomm.htm
 * Flash based French Revolution guillotine:**
 * Comic strip:**
 * Mummification:**
 * Student-created pyramids:**
 * Student-created sarcophagus:**
 * Greek architecture:**
 * Coke lovers commercia**l

Wow! Lots of fun stuff, right? Sadly, it's not as commonplace as I would like. Teaching a small rural school has been very challenging. Many years I'm "stuck" with teaching many courses for the first time and I'm often responsible for so many other aspects of school life (yearbook supervisor, Remembrance Day assembly, digital yearbook, grad banquet, etc) that I never seem to have the time to devote to being more creative and inclusive. I find that I'm often giving the same test I gave last year, not because it's an excellent specimen of proper evaluation, but just because I don't have time to make a better one for this year! That is why there is validity in the following statement: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/index_sub4.html
 * "It is impractical**. Educators faced with overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources see multiple intelligence theory as utopian."

Phew! I intended this to be a quick intro to my eportfolio and have proably gone overboard. As the "real world"begins again tomorrow with vacation officially being over, I suspect future entries will be much less insightful....

Luckily, I had learned from previous online courses where I'd always end up looking for something of importance or relevance that I had read but could no longer find for referencing purposes and I had started creating my own informal notes as I read through the articles today BEFORE I realized I had to create an eportfolio. This made today's entry so much easier and is based on this set of random notes I had pasted/copied into a word document as seen here: