MI+B2+Chapter+12

Abstract
Armstrong has emphasized the necessity of teachers to teach to their students specific intelligences, in order for students to gain the knowledge and achieve mastery. In this chapter, Armstrong claims that teachers need to apply these methods to help students retain the knowledge that they achieve. In this way, the teacher allows the students to gain the skills to improve their memory, cumulative knowledge, and thinking ability (problem solving). Retaining knowledge through a multiple intelligence is described by Armstrong, because he claims that individuals strength in a certain intelligence over another, applies to memory because people remember information in different ways. The Musical learner would remember best if the information was put in a rhythm or song, while the visual learner would remember best by putting the information in images and laying it out in a certain pattern. Teachers are not merely responsible for the content, they should also strive to work with the students to build their memory and thinking skills. Armstrong discusses "promoting Christopherian encounters" (pg. 116). Essentially it means that teachers only touch the surface by teaching just the content and not promoting deeper understandings. This means that students may learn the content, but they still hold common general misconceptions, no matter how many small facts that they may know.

[|Corinne Synthesis]
After reading this chapter, many looked back to their experiences at school. As students, it is hard to see the benefits of a class beyond the impact the grade will have. Because of this, a lot of students retain knowledge short term, only for the test, and then basically throw it away and forget it all after the assessment is done. A lot of us were intrigued by the idea of helping our students retain the knowledge we give them by playing to their strengths, and wish teachers would have done this when we were students. The realization was there, that as teachers this idea can help us to give our students the tools to achieve mastery and the skills to succeed later on, in memory, problem solving, and overcoming [|misconceptions].

Kirsten
I thought it was really interesting that Gardner considers memory to be intelligence specific rather than one having a good or bad memory. All I can think of is my husband and his incredible ability to remember NOTHING (or so it seems). Is it possible to have an issue with memory in every intelligence? Armstrong goes on to give tips on how a teacher can utilize MI to help students remember things. I thought the logical-mathematical idea behind memorizing spelling words was great. While I'm primarily a letters sort of gal, I have a knack for remembering numbers (much better than knowing how to spell). I would have LOVED that in elementary and middle school, but I would have never thought of it. The chapter also looks at how students can go about problem solving in different intelligences. I thought a lot of them were pretty self-explanitory according to the intelligences, but it was nice to see the ideas reinforced. Finally, I really loved the idea of "Christopherian Encounters." First of all, it encourages the idea of the student being an explorer and the subject matter being unexplored ideas that students might have some idea about, but those ideas could be misinformed. I also think the book offered some pretty solid examples of what these "explorations" could look like from intelligence to intelligence or subject area to subject area.

Jordan
Memory, problem solving, and misconceptions are all components of the educational field that teachers are working to improve with their students. Teachers are baffled that students do not remember content that was taught merely a week ago, or are clueless about how to go about solving a problem. In this chapter, Armstrong discusses the important role that MI plays in how students process and retain information. Students may have a hard time retaining information because their strengths do not lie in a Linguistic or Logical/Mathematical intelligence. If a student does not effectively in that way, it is unlikely that they are going to retain information that way. Instead, Armstrong suggests that teachers should emphasize different intelligences when teaching students information that they are expected to remember. This can be done through songs, visualization techniques, “digitalizing information”, and translating key words into whole body movements. By offering an array of techniques, students will be able to find one that works for them. As for problem solving, teachers need to pay attention to a student’s thinking process. Typically, how a student thinks will give good evidence to how he or she will best be able to solve a problem. Exposure to strategies is one of the best ways to improve problem solving skills; this way they have a “cognitive menu” (Armstrong 115) to refer to. As a student, it would have been greatly appreciated if teachers had thought outside the box to ensure that we were all able to capture an important concept and keep it in our memory. As a teacher, I find it important to vary presentation of information if I have the expectation of having my students remember the material.

**Leah**
The theory of MI has helped teachers with their many struggles with student memory, problem solving, and higher order thinking in general. Like the majority of this book, the solution to memory problems is found by instructing through different intelligences. Armstrong then introduced Bloom's "taxonomy of educational objectives" to help evaluate whether a students is using higher order thinking. Giving students chances to use the strategies that are presented will help them develop better problem solving skills and help generate higher order thinking. I also think that Bloom's taxonomy will help with assessments and grading to show progress in my future classrooms.

Scott
One of the most pressing and unresolved issues is helping students retain what they have learned. This was basically a repeat of the previous 11 chapters, if you teach students in a way that works with their intelligence, the will truly learn it better and will retain it in their long term memory for much longer. Just like before, if we observe how a student thinks and problem solves, we will better be able to judge how a student will remember the content. The chapter also discusses how Bloom's Taxonomy can be used to chart the development of your students. You want them to gradually rise up the ladder of knowledge as you teach your unit.

Mykayla
This chapter was mainly about the how students and people in general use the eight intelligences in their everyday cognitive behaviors. People use the multiple intelligences to memorize topics and to problem solve. I also found this idea fascinating. I never realized that I tend to lean towards the linguistic way of memorizing ideas by writing them out over and over again or repeatedly reading them. However, some other people learn better through songs or rhymes. I hope that as a teacher I will be able to come up with techniques for all of my students so that they will be able to memorize better. I just am not sure that I will be able to find these techniques for all eight of the intelligences.

Tim
Chapter 12 of Multiple Intelligences dealt mainly with students being able to retain information in their memories after it has been taught. Armstrong made a point that students with poor memories may only have a poor memory in the two most frequently used learning styles: linguistic and mathematical-logical. This means teachers must begin using the other types of intelligences to help students better retain information and be able to apply it later in life. Armstrong says that one way to help stretch a student’s mind is by “promoting Christopherian encounters.” (Page 116) This chapter made me realize even more how important it is to teach in all eight intelligences. I hope one day I will be a creative enough teacher to be able to promote all eight intelligences.

Ryan
This chapter discusses how the multiple intelligences are used outside of the classroom in a more social setting. It seems that everyone uses their dominant intelligence in social settings and this is a cognitive behavior. This chapter really made me think of myself and how I use my intelligences to memorize and to have fun in a social setting. I use my interpersonal skills quite a bit and because of this again I realize how important it is to use all the multiple intelligences in the classroom. So as a teacher I will use this information in my classroom.

Ryan Snowman
The MI theory can also be looked at in the context of cognitive skills. Memory is a cognitive skill that teachers call upon a lot. It was enlightening for me to read this section because sometimes I get blamed for having a bad memory. It is not that I have a bad memory, it is just that in that specific intelligence, my memory is not good. The solution is, and this is what Armstrong touches on, is that teachers have to gain access and utilize students “good” memories in other intelligences that they are more proficient in. It is not a small task, but there are some tricks to the trade that can help teachers do this. Problem solving is another cognitive skill that the MI theory can be applied. Thinking problem through has historically been done by using logical – mathematical and linguistic skills. However, man great problem solvers (Albert Einstein) use other intelligences to achieve the solution. The MI theory is very dynamic. In my classroom, I will encourage my students to use the intelligences to problem solve and I will also help students gain access to “good” memories in other intelligences.

Jennie
This chapter was very interesting. The different ways that Armstrong gives us to help our students convert things from short term to long term memory are really interesting. Some of them I never even thought of. The idea of Christopherian encounters was an interesting idea that I had never thought of too. Pushing students to the limits so they can discover new things is a really good idea. I want to be able to push my students so that they can learn all they can and all they want to.

Rachel
According to chapter 12, there is no such thing as a “good memory” or a “bad memory” (112). Thank goodness, because I know I would certainly fit in under the “bad memory” category if it existed. All throughout school I was a habitual offender of the memorize everything right before the test technique. I committed everything to my short-term memory and a week after the test, had forgotten it all. If had I been retested over the material, I would have been in trouble. This chapter tries to change that by encouraging students to think more deeply about subjects. The goal is that they will be able to apply what they’ve learned to real world situations. There is even a chart at the end of the chapter that proposes different techniques for different intelligences. For instance, I am a visual/interpersonal learner. Therefore, I would benefit from diagrams and interviews.

Drew
This chapter really reminded me of just how guilty I am of being a "short-term memory test taker". It worked to make the grade but, in cases of having retained the knowledge, I will smile and say I did not. Given the knowledge I have or multiple intelligences today, I wish I could go through high school all over again and prove myself in every class. I find it a bit funny how we use our multiple intelligences in social settings but neglect to consider them in learning periods. I've never thought of it before. For instance, I personally am very organized and punctual (unless I sleep through the 4 or 5 alarm clocks I set) and like to have things in a certain order. I also like step-by-step processes. If I had used this mathematical/logical MI that I have throughout high school, I would have never had to bluff my way through any test and would have perhaps even had a better GPA than my high 3.83.

Brittany
Teachers are working to expand their students’ ability to think. This is so important because throughout life, students are going to be responsible for dealing with problem solving. There are different ways to think for each of the intelligences. For example, students who are of the musical intelligence may be more inclined to find a “rhythm” to the problem or equation they are solving (115). Getting students to a higher level of thinking is another important part of increasing a student’s ability to think. In order to achieve this, the teacher must make the student see the world in a way that they think it cannot be seen as. For example, mathematical learners need to be shown a science experiment in which they are testing a theory that is commonly believed to be false (116). This allows the student to think out of the box to the “impossible.” A student can be judged on where their level of thinking is by using Bloom’s Taxonomy (117). All of these ideas help to branch out a students knowledge base, and that is the ultimate goal as a teacher.

Sarah
This chapter iterated my initial premonition as to how to apply Multiple Intelligence. I have always considered this model of learning to be a gateway to universal comprehension. By adapting my explanation based the intelligence needs of a student, I am using the MI theory in a productive way that enables that student to excel in an area he or she may have struggled in before. This leads to mastery of the material a student may have performed poorly in otherwise. This also relates directly back to Chapter one of FIAE when the author describes differentiating as a "prosthetic limb" not a "crutch". This application of the MI theory is proactive and equips students with the tools they need to really do their best.

Corinne
Often students will memorize knowledge so that they can get a good grade on a test, and then forget it after because they don't think they will ever need that information again. As a teacher MI states that we are responsible for helping students retain what they learn. The chapter explains that memory is intelligent specific. I believe this to be true, because some students memorize knowledge by putting it to a beat or making rhymes, others like myself benefit by relating the content to real life. If you can find the strengths of your students, than you have to tools to help them retain the knowledge that is being fed to them. Another method of helping students retain knowledge that works with MI is getting students to think, and allowing them to come to a conclusion themselves. I have many experiences were a teacher made me think and find the answer myself, and with enough guidance it usually led to that "aha" moment where everything clicked. The content or ideas that I understood on my own I never forgot, and my self-esteem was boosted along with my ability to think.

Cara
When I was in high school, I used to memorize material for a test. I have a photographic memory and could bring up the image of my notes into my mind while taking a test. A week later, that image was gone, however. A teacher can use MI in order to help students actually retain the material that they learn in class. I have a really strong musical intelligence and I can to this day tell you the irregular verbs in Spanish because of a song the teacher played in class. By recalling this information, with the song, I can apply it. Again, I loved the diagrams in this chapter and may photo copy them. This chapter claims that a person's memory is specific to their intelligences and I do believe that this is true. I cannot for the life of me remember phone numbers, but I can remember HOW I dialed it on the phone! This could be my spacial intelligence kicking in. Teachers should not simply give information to student to remember for tests, but should tap into their intelligences and TEACH the material to the student. This way, the student will actually remember the information and wil lbe able to apply it (and problem solve!).