Enhancing Gifted Education: Strategies for Developing Multiple Intelligences

1. Pintsteins 2008-2009 Elementary Highly Gifted Option

2. Topics for Tonight • Rationale • Plan • Feedback

3. Plan • 9 Wednesdays • Same Day as PLC days plus one more-4/22 • 11:45pm- 1:00pm • Located at Runyon Elementary School • 27 Invited from across district, scattered in 11 LPS elementary schools • Students bring lunch, have time to socialize with like peers

4. Rationale • “We need to prepare students to think, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information.” Dr. Sue Teele • “The ability to produce a product or solve a problem that is valued by a culture or a society.” The definition of intelligence as written by Howard Gardner, Educational Psychologist at Harvard University

5. Factors Influencing Intelligence • Genetics • Personal Life History • Geographical and Cultural Situations

6. Content- Curriculum based upon : Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (“Not how smart you are, but rather, how are you smart.”) • Linguistic • Logical-Mathematical • Visual-Spatial • Bodily-Kinesthetic • Musical • Intrapersonal • Interpersonal • Naturalist

7. Linguistic • Students understand life through language • Read/write/listen/speak-enjoy and excel at one or more of these • Strong auditory skills • Remember names/places/dates/trivia • Enjoy jokes, tall tales, puns, stories • Well-developed vocabulary • Effective communicators • Authors, journalists, poets, comedians, public speakers, librarian, speech pathologist, radio or tv announcer, attorney

8. Logical-Mathematical • Patterns categorize relationships • Need order in life-may be a list maker • Enjoy math, computer spreadsheets and databases • Excel at problem solving and thinking logically • Enjoy using scientific method and conducting experiments • Clear analytical, logical thinkers • Good at strategy games such as Chess, Checkers. Tendency toward competitiveness • Engineers, scientists, economists, accountants, detectives, auditor, statistician, mathematician, computer analyst and attorney

9. Visual-Spatial • Process and think in pictures or visual manner • Excel at art, jigsaw puzzles, origami, map reading • Tendency to daydream, or experiences vivid dreams at night • Notice and enjoy details • Are good at spatial tasks-can tell if something will fit in a certain box, can assemble items without reading directions • Benefit from visual presentations, graphic organizers, color coding, mind mapping, etc. • Architects, sculptors, painters, sailors, photographers, engineer, surveyor, urban planner, interior design, photographer, pilot and other artistic fields

10. Bodily-Kinesthetic • Learn through movement • Needs to move while learning, will find way to move if necessary • Enjoy hands-on, active, role-play, simulations in class • Exhibit good coordination • Tendency to tap/twitch/fidget • Good abilities in sports, dance, active pursuits • Athletes, dancers, actors, artists, builders, surgeons, craftpersons, physical therapist, forest ranger, jeweler

11. Musical-Rhythmic • Sensitive to sounds in environment • Enjoy and appreciate music • Perhaps play an instrument • Good sense of rhythm • Hum, tap, clap often • Benefit from raps, singing, chanting, clapping to learn material • Musicians, composers, recording engineers, conductor, choral director, piano tuner

12. Interpersonal • Socializes and interacts with others • Many friends • Can display empathy and relate well • Pulls energy from being with other people • Organize, manipulate, communicate with other people • Enjoys cooperative learning • Involved in the emotions of others • Teachers, therapists, politicians, religious leaders, administrator, manager, nurse, entrepreneur, and people in the sales field

13. Intrapersonal • Self-aware, ability to reflect and self-analyze • Thinks about self, contemplates one’s own behavior and feelings • Strong willed, opinionated • Takes a stand, others aren’t sure what to think about this • Reclusive-decides who can come in- (can cause struggle- interpersonals burst in, intrapersonals don’t let them in until ready) • Intuitive • Non-conforming • Philosophers, counselors, therapists, theologian, program planner, entrepreneur and people performing at top in all fields

14. Naturalist • Ability to recognize/distinguish plants and animals • Can make important distinctions in nature and use this ability for productive purpose • Enjoy collecting, analyzing, and classifying information • Enjoys applying new knowledge to nature (learns everything he can about dinosaurs compares new theories to his own opinions as they come forward for “fit”) • Collect objects from nature • Enjoys spending time outside • Wants to watch natural occurrences (stars, weather, moon) and record observations. • Botanist, farmer, conservationist, environmentalist, biologist, paleontologist, gardener, astronomer, wildlife illustrator, chef, geologist, landscape architect

15. Class Format • Power Point about each of the Multiple Intelligences- one per class (*Eat) • Video about person who embodies this particular intelligence (*Eat) • Activity to experience the intelligence • Time to reflect/journal about what they have learned

16. Topics for the Videos • Edward R. Murrow • Richard Feynman • MC Escher • Virtuoso Violinists • Leonardo Da Vinci • Nuns of the St. Francis Order • Eleanor Roosevelt • Ansel Adams

17. How do you know what your child has synthesized from class? • Additional class meeting scheduled for April 22nd . • Students will create a project that reflects their own intelligences • Students will present their intelligences project at the Parent Night Celebration April 28th.

18. Feedback • Student I met new friends. There were people in my class who understood me and were like me. I liked having a chance to meet some kids who would be going to my middle school I had a lot of fun.

19. Feedback • Parent I just wanted you to know how much my son enjoyed the Pintsteins program. He was a little hesitant at first, but I believe he really benefited from the program. Thank you! Anything that helps these kids accept who they are, especially at this age is very important, and this class helped a lot in strengthening them to handle the rest of their school week.

21. “Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.” Albert Einstein

22. Resources • Presentation by Dr. Sue Teele on Multiple Intelligences • St Augustine’s College list of MI careers • Howard Gardener’s books and website • Kagan Multiple Intelligences pamphlet • New City School’s book Multiple Intelligences: Teaching Through the Personal Intelligences