Multiple Intelligences: Chapter 14

This chapter discussed Howard Gardner's "ninth intelligence", the existential intelligence. This intelligence is defined as someone who has "a concern with ultimate life issues". Gardner makes clear, however, that he is not propsosing an intelligence that's about spiritual, religious, or moral intelligences. One concern of this intelligence is how it would be assessed because it covers such broad concerns. The chapter also how this intelligence can be integrated into the different subjects, but that it might be more difficult to say in math than in social studies.

We thought this chapter was very interesting. A couple of us feel like we probably belong in the existential intelligence category, if it were a full one yet. This intelligence seemed like an important one to cover, perhaps some of those daydreamer students are off in their own world contemplating one of those life questions. It was interesting to see some of the ideas as to how to integrate this intelligence into different subjects.

Multiple Intelligences: Chapter 11

This chapter focused on the use of Multiple Intelligences in special education. It discussed how learning "disabilities" can occur within any of the eight intelligences and also that just because a student is in a special education program does not mean the eight intelligences do not apply. Another topic covered in the chapter is use of MI theory in the development of IEPs (individualized educational programs). Also mentioned was the fact that applying MI to special education places a greater emphasis on the students' strengths instead of their "weaknesses".

We thought this chapter was a fairly important and interesting one. We all agreed that focusing on their strenghts and MIs is a great thing. Not only does it allow the teacher to see what they can use to help the student learn, but it is also a self-esteem booster for the student if their strengths are discussed instead of their "weaknesses", or areas of learning that are less developed. We also thought that the charts they gave of famous people who had learning disabilities were, how they're not that uncommon, and how you can work with them and still achieve great things.

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 10

A part that stuck out to me in this chapter was the part about doing regular class work outside of the school (such as taking your science class out every now and then to do a lab outdoors).

This part stuck out to me because when I was in high school and we got to outside for a class it was a HUGE deal, we all got pretty excited about, just being able to get out of the stuffy classrooms. Not to mention those naturalistic learners! Also it helps them get a hands-on experience, which enables a lot of students to better remember the material.

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 9

One part of this chapter that stuck out to me was the post-report card "questionnaire" if you will (asking questions about how they think the report card went, do they think they deserved the grade they cat, what can they do to improve, what can you do to help them, etc.).

This part stuck out to me because I have never seen or even heard of this idea. I think it's a really good one because it gives the students a chance to sit back and reflect on how they've done and/or how they want to do. It also seems like a good way for the teacher to get feedback about how they can be helping the students succeed in class.

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 8

A part that stuck out to me in this chapter was about how students who speak English as a second language don't just want to "comprehend what a teacher says" and that's the whole class, they want to learn, in more depth, about the class topics.

I thought the whole chapter was pretty interesting because at my high school we had ESL students through foreign exchange but all of their English seemed really good, so it was interesting to read about what it's like for some of them. This particular part, however, because it does seem like teachers forget sometimes that they're not just there to try and scrape through a course, they're there to learn as well, so basically doing their test for them isn't helping.

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 7

One part of this chapter that jumped out to me was the part about helping students "visualize history", such as brining in a person to talk about their experiences or having them assume the roles of important people from history.

This stuck out to me because I think it's a great way to help teach history. For a lot of people history is "the most boring subject ever" (my brother) because sometimes they're just being told to memorize names, dates, and events. IF, however, you make it interactive and interesting, there's a good chance they'll not only be more fascinated but also be able to gain a better understanding of the importance of these names, dates, and events.

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 6

One part of this chapter that jumped out to me was one of the quotes from Montoya, "Once in a while students want to laugh and have fun" (pg. 104).

This part stuck out to me because I love to laugh and have fun and I'm pretty sure most everyone else does as well, and I know that incorporating into the classroom isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of times this can be used to help keep the students attention; if the class is entertaining and educational then you've got a good thing.

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 5

One part that stuck out to me in this chapter was a part that mentioned how not every student in a class is able to produce work of the same quality.

This stuck out to me because I think it's a key thing to keep in mind. Everyone learns differently and at different speeds, so just because one student makes a wonderfully outstanding product doesn't mean that all of the other students can produce the same thing; instead you should be looking for progress from their first few assignments to later on, over time.

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 4

One part that I thought was important was about how "teachers can speak privately to students having trouble, and without humiliating them explain their expectations and help them find ways to meet them" (pg.71).

This part stuck out to me because I know how self-conscious most high schoolers are and I know that I, personally, hated it when teachers would address your "troubles" out loud, or announce your bad grade out loud, it's embarrassing. There are plenty of other ways to address the student's problems in quiet manner. I also liked that it not only addressed that issue but also the issue of how you can help them find ways to fix the problem(s).

Fires in the Bathroom: Chapter 3

One part of this chapter that stuck out to me was the short paragraph discussing how a certain behavior could have a number of meanings (for example: putting their head down on the desk doesn't necessarily mean they don't want to pay attention, they could be tired, angry, depressed, sick, etc.).

This part stuck out to me because I think it's an important topic. I know in my school we had a teacher that would reprimand you if you even looked like you were even thinking about putting your head down. Instead of automatically assuming they're just lazy, teachers should at least ask why they're so tired, maybe they work a job and have to watch their siblings as well as do their school work.

How can I productively react when students misbehave or act up?

This is a tricky question. There are many thinks to take into consideration when you are dealing with a student, or students, who misbehave or act up. Is this there first time or does this happen often? What is the severity of their acting out? What is the whole situation at hand, were there others involved? The first thing you should probably do is find out what happened and, if you can, why. You need to analyze the situation to see if you can take care of it yourself or if you need to get somebody else involved. It also depends on the student (do they have emotional or mental disabilities? etc.). My biggest concern is knowing what, as a teacher, you can and cannot do as far as dealing with situation while it happens and also punishment. Obviously if it's something like acting out in class it's mostly up to your discretion, but what if it's something bigger such as a fight in the hallway?

Which strategies are most effective for maintaining order in the classroom?

There are many strategies for maintaining order in the classroom as we've read about and discussed through our courses thus far. There are many factors to take into account for "maintaining order" such as establishing your expectations for the class from day one, how you set up the room, if you're fair and consistent with "punishments", how you delegate and assign tasks, etc. It seems like the main things that help towards better classroom maintenance is expresing from the beginning your expectations and what could happen if these are not met, establishing and holding your status as the authority figure in the room (while also keeping a kind and approachable demeanor), and being consistent in the ways in which you deal with classroom issues. Is there any way to establish a firm set of methods in which classrooms will always be maintained, or does it change from year to year or even day to day depending on those in the classroom?

How can you effectively integrate technology into your teaching and learning?

Because technology is so common it's easy to get a hold of for use in the classroom for both teaching and learning. In class we've gone through multiple examples of how technology can be effectively integrated into the classroom, such as using a class wiki, Google Earth, iMovie, podcasts, smartboards, and many more. There are many MANY different technologies out there that can be applied in the classroom to all subjects. By using these technologies we are not only able to educate the students on technology use, but we are also able to get across to their multiple intelligences making education better for everyone all around. My only concern, and we've gone over this before, is that when we use the technology in the classroom it might be more distracting for some students and it could be difficult to monitor what they're doing to make sure that they are staying on task.

Why might it be important for students to learn with technology?

It is important for students to learn with technology because we are now in the 21st century and technology is everywhere. Our world is only going to keep advancing so it is important for students to learn how to use it because of the huge role it plays, and will continue to play, in their life. Not only this but technology can also be useful for students with learning disabilities and for them to get a good grasp on using technology to help them would be great. We've discussed the topic of students learning with technology in both classes. My only concern is that technology changes so fast and it will be difficult for schools to keep up with the updates because the schools are only given so much money and technology can get pretty expensive.