Adaptability in the Classroom:
Multiple Intelligences and Multiple Teaching Styles
#4 | 12 November 2015
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,
it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
--Albert Einstein
Learning In Action: Differentiation, Individualization, and Personalization
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Teaching and Learning Styles for Each and Every Student:
What is the difference between personalized learning, individualized learning, and differentiated learning? The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) provides disctinctions between the three models, all of which are centered on technology integration. According to ISTE, "differentiation is a type of learning where instruction is tailored to meet the learning needs, preferences and goals of individual students. The overarching academic goals for groups of students are the same, yet the teacher has the latitude to use whatever resources and approaches they see fit to connect with a student or use practices that have proved successful for similar students." This model is about adaptability. Individualized learning is about learning at one's own pace. In this model, academic goals "remain the same for a group of students, but individual students can progress through the curriculum at different speeds, based on their own particular learning needs. Moreover, "learning strategies are based on student readiness, learning styles, interests and best practices." This model provides students to review/recover previously learned material, or move ahead, depending on their individual needs and grasp of the content. ISTE argues that personalized learning is not as much about student choice as it is "learning that is tailored to the preferences and interests of various learners, as well as instruction that is paced to a student’s unique needs. Academic goals, curriculum and content — as well as method and pace — can all conceivably vary in a personalized learning environment." In this model, students do have control over the creation process of the learning activity, but most of the focus is on student ownership of the material and processes. Despite the minute differences between the three models, all, or some combination of, the three types can be achieved much easier through the integration of technology into the classroom environment. |Click here for the ISTE article on differentiated, individualized, and personalized learning. |
Focus On Best Practices:
Edutopia, Howard Gardner, and Multiple Intelligences:
All learners, experienced and inexperienced, think and learn in different ways. Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences, in which, he "challenges the idea of a single IQ, where human beings have one central 'computer' where intelligence is housed" and "that there are multiple types of human intelligence, each representing different ways of processing information." (Edutopia). According to Gardner, there are eight types of intelligences, ranging from verbal to auditory to kinesthetic. Determining the ways in which we learn (and our students learn) assists teachers in supporting the education of their students.
| Click here to see Howard Gardner discuss his revolutionary theory.
| Click here to read more research on Howard Gardner's theory on Multiple Intelligences.
| Click here to take the Multiple Intelligences Self-Assessment (give it to your students, too!).
All learners, experienced and inexperienced, think and learn in different ways. Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences, in which, he "challenges the idea of a single IQ, where human beings have one central 'computer' where intelligence is housed" and "that there are multiple types of human intelligence, each representing different ways of processing information." (Edutopia). According to Gardner, there are eight types of intelligences, ranging from verbal to auditory to kinesthetic. Determining the ways in which we learn (and our students learn) assists teachers in supporting the education of their students.
| Click here to see Howard Gardner discuss his revolutionary theory.
| Click here to read more research on Howard Gardner's theory on Multiple Intelligences.
| Click here to take the Multiple Intelligences Self-Assessment (give it to your students, too!).
Additional Resources:
EdmodoJoin the CIS Personalized Learning community and see how Edmodo can enhance your classroom.
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Reader ResponsesClick below for reader response journal questions for both fiction and nonfiction selections.
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Common Core MathClick below for free sample math lessons based on Kentucky Common Core content.
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