MI+B2+Chapter+8

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Abstract
Chapter Eight of the Multiple Intelligence book calls attention to one of the most frightening of all teacher tasks; classroom management. In this chapter, Armstrong discusses how to cope with classroom behavior in a way that addresses multiple intelligences. From establishing rules to enforcing them, he finds a way to appeal the process to each type of learner, thus creating a stronger and more effectively managed classroom.

Synthesis
This chapter seems to have really impacted the way we think about classroom management. Many of us were/are nervous about disciplinary action and were/are generally uncertain about how to establish our presence in the classroom. Many more of us did not even consider multiple intelligence integration as part of the exercise until this reading. We all took note of how much this practice can help our own classrooms and will all employ such a strategy when we develop our own classroom rules.

(By the way, I think that second link is my favorite that I've found so far as it links directly to a yahoo cite where six different groups have ongoing discussions about different learning styles and how experienced professionals have integrated into their own classrooms. Join a group and access their discussion board!)

**Leah**
Armstrong suggest that disorder in the classroom or inability to gain student attention is because teachers usually use only a linguistic approach. Suggestions for each intelligence are given for getting the attention of the class, preparing for transitions, communicating rules, forming groups, and managing disruptions. I think that illustrating the classroom rules under more than one intelligence will help students keep the rules in mind. The strategy of whispering in a students ear having them pass on the message seems both unconventional, but interesting enough to work. If MI theory works to keep students attentive while learning why would it not work for classroom management?

Scott
I do not want to run into the same situation as described in the beginning of the chapter with me having to yell. We were offered a variety of ways in which we could grab the attention of our students. The other area that attention is needed is when making transitions, to lunch, to break and to go home. Allowing students to help come up with the classroom rules serves to enforce their knowledge of them more. It's difficult to list all of the great ideas that this chapter offers in order to manage behavior and help form groups, but there is a ton of great ideas in here.

Mykayla
Classroom management is an important part of a teacher’s day. This chapter focuses on how to maintain a classroom and get the cooperation from all of your students. As we have read in previous chapters, every student has a more dominant of the eight intelligences. These students all learn in unique ways and learning classroom rules is not any different. I would have never guessed to introduce the class rules in all of those varieties. All of the ideas could be done on the first day of class as an introduction. I can see myself writing the rules out on for my class and having them come up with pictures, numbers, songs, animals, and gestures for each of the rules. This would get all of my students involved and it would help the students learn the rules because they are being taught in with the eight intelligences.

Tim
Chapter eight was all about managing the classroom while simultaneously integrating the eight intelligences. Armstrong begins by stating how rules, regulations, procedures and routines are all part of classroom life. Many teachers approach these aspects of classroom life with a similarly ineffective linguistic approach. A linguistic approach, according to Armstrong, is the LEAST effective way to get a student’s attention. Instead Armstrong suggests a plethora of ways to run the classroom. From communicating class rules, to forming groups, Armstrong has an idea for almost all intelligences that are not only easy to do, but appear as if they would work. Before reading this chapter I never even thought about how I would attempt to run the daily classroom life let alone apply the eight intelligences to it. But Armstrong has given me multiple good ideas of how to keep the peace in my classroom, while still effectively associating the different intelligences.

Ryan
This chapter points out that behavioral problems are because of teacher’s lack of hitting every multiple intelligence in their classroom and because of this students feel the need to act out. Most of the time teachers only use linguistic intelligence and disregard all the rest. This chapter suggests how to incorporate the entire eight multiple intelligences are given. Applying the multiple intelligence theory to my classroom is something that I plan on doing. Keeping students attention is important and because of this I feel it is important to include this theory in my classroom.

Kirsten
I think anyone who's working their way to being a new teacher worries about classroom management. I know I do--I just think back to how I acted as a student, or how my friends and peers acted, and it can be bad, especially if a teacher is clueless in how to gain a respectful control. This chapter was particularly helpful in providing tips on how to manage a classroom using MI.

The best information, for me, came from the section on "managing individual behaviors." I'm not so worried about getting students attention or helping them form groups as I about ironing out specific behavioral issues. I really focused my attention on the interpersonal and intrapersonal methods because I felt they were more likely to appeal to students and would work best for an older set of students. I thought something like peer group counseling was a good idea. Often it's hard for students to open up to adults, like a teacher or guidance counselor, but they might be able to communicate issues to a well-adjusted peer or group of peers who can offer some insight. I also thought that the "time-out" idea could work really well. I remember so many times when students in a class I was in would get so frustrated with the teacher or their work they'd just walk out of class to cool off. Of course, they'd get a detention for leaving, but they shouldn't have! They needed to calm down so things didn't get worse. I recall one time where I could have used a time-out instead of telling a teacher to "f"-off (and surprisingly I didn't get a dentention for that...).

Jennie
This chapter is the thing that I think I'm most nervous about when I start teaching. Classroom management is a hard thing for all beginning teachers, and having something like this with different suggestions on how to get students' attention is a really good resource. My teachers have done some of the different things to get students to quiet down, and to form groups. Some of the ideas they talked about here (preparing for transitions, communicating rules and managing individual behavior) I never really thought about how I can have the multiple intelligences integrate into it. Its fascinating how many facets of the classroom you can bring the intelligences into. I'd like to try and bring at least a couple of these to my classes.

Ryan Snowman
The MI theory can offer teachers a new perspective on class room management. Armstrong presents a number of ways that can utilize the intelligences for the good of classroom management. One example that I particularly enjoyed was gaining student’s attention. One way to do this (it targets interpersonal intelligences) is to whisper in the ear of a student “It’s time to start – pass it on” and wait while the message gets passed around from student to student. Somehow, I can see this message getting distorted and by the time it gets to the last person, the message is mysteriously different. MI theory can also be used to communicate class rules and managing individual behavior. Using the MI theory for classroom management is an interesting, and sometimes fun way to try and “keep the peace” in the classroom. In my classroom, I think it would be worthwhile to implement some of these strategies.

Rachel
When I was in high school, I was a mentor for Mrs. Turner, who was a 4th grade teacher in her mid-twenties. The teacher who had the classroom next to hers must have had at least ten years of teaching experience on Mrs. Turner and was frequently heard raising her voice at her students when they were unruly. Mrs. Turner, on the other hand, never yelled once during the whole year I was in her classroom. She respected her students, and they in return respected her. I can see how teaching a classroom full of students who won’t pay attention could be extremely frustrating, but I really feel that yelling is a very unproductive teaching strategy. The tactics in this chapter are obviously geared towards elementary students, but they make good points. The strategies for handling a student who misbehaved are especially valuable, since they involve no yelling. When I wrote my syllabus, I did not say I would give students an automatic zero for late work, absences, or rudeness. Instead, I would have a discussion with them after school. Perhaps there are uncontrollable circumstances in their life that explain their behavior.


Yelling is not one of my key strengths as a person and I believe it is a weakness for teachers to be strong in this area. I liked the ideas this chapter offered on classroom management and calming the unruly classroom. Though the situation is inevitable, I hope to avoid any loss of nerve where I may yell as I know yelling is no way to gain the respect of your students. Instead, it is like falling to their low or being even lesser. Some of the ideas in this chapter seemed rather young and elementary, such as whispering in one students ear that class is starting and having them pass it around the room. I'm not sure how seriously a class of juniors and seniors in high school would take that. If I ever end up in a sixth grade classroom on the other hand, I may find this to be a really useful tool and invent my own variations of it.

Brittany
Situations arise daily in which the teacher has to get the attention of all the students. In the past, teachers have just yelled at the students to try to gain their attention, but this very rarely works. Chapter eight of Multiple Intelligences explains many different ways to gain the attention of the class by utilizing the different intelligences. Depending on the reason for getting their attention, teachers can be creative on the ways that they use the intelligences actively. For example, to get the students’ attention, the teacher can use body language, musical or rhythmic patterns, or even writing to capture the attention that was once elsewhere back at the focus of the class again. One of my favorite parts of the chapter was the section about different ways to form groups. Situations such as finding the people who are making the same animal noise as you cause students to break out of their shell and get to know their classmates. I feel that I will use this strategy, along with the others, to help group my future students. These activities give an active way to get to know the group that each student is going to be working with.

Sarah
I love reading these books because they always give me a new perspective. Chapter eight presented me with an idea I had never considered before; enforcing rules through multiple intelligences. I guess I had always planned on creating class rules, going over them on the first day of class, then taping them on a large sheet of paper to the side of the white board. I realize now that that is a purely linguistic approach and to encompass all my students in such an important matter, I would need to broaden the range of students my rule-establishing targeted. The book provided many ways through which I could integrate these multiple intelligences into this essential exercise, all of which I am thankful for.

Corinne
There are many "tricks of the trade" in teaching that are meant to get the classes attention at the beginning of each lesson. This chapter offers up some examples of how to do this effectively, and how to this using a method that involves one or more multiple intelligences. These are meant to be used during transitions, before instructions or when you get in to small groups, and before activities. Clapping a rhythm and having the students clap it back, as well as turning off the lights, have worked for me in the kindergarten classroom at the daycare I work at. It attracts their attention so that they either stop what they are doing and look at you and the light switch, or they pay attention to you so that they can clap the rhythm back. In my experience it takes much more than words to get the full attention of a group of students.

Cara
I'd hate to have to yell at my classroom in order to get attention. In order to manage a classroom, teachers should use methods other than linguistic ones. Some of these could be playing music as a way to tell students when to become quiet (turn on music for activity, and then turn the music off when everyone is to go back to their seats) or even clapping. Although the examples given in this chapter are for elementary students, I think as high school teachers we can change the techniques a little bit to fit out situation. I love the diagrams in this book!

Jordan
Chapter eight discussed the multiple intelligences and classroom management. In this chapter, the author offered many suggestions on how to manage a classroom while appealing to each of the eight intelligences. Yelling at students is not an effective way to get all students’ attention. Playing music, getting them up and moving around, or getting them involved in nature are better ways to manage a classroom. Students do not respond to a single disciplinary method, or technique to model the classroom. In fact, most students are unreceptive to methods that are not preferable to their learning style. Not all students are going to respond to the same classroom management techniques. This is something that we need to keep in mind as teachers. If we plan to differentiate lessons, we also need to differentiate ways to manage our classroom to fit the needs of our students.