|
Multiple Intelligences Action Research
Method
American
schools have traditionally favored those students who excel in the
linguistic and analytical arenas because these skills are highly valued
in our culture. Unfortunately, this traditional approach leaves certain
students behind to stumble blindly through an educational system that
ignores their unique abilities. This action research study seeks to
show that instructional activities that incorporate the multiple
intelligences can improve students' attitudes toward learning and
students' academic achievement in English class.
by Michele R. Acosta
Multiple
Intelligences Based Instruction: Part 3
During the six week
unit, the researcher employed the following
multiple intelligences activities designed to improve students'
attitudes and academic achievement...
Following the "Soldier's
Dilemma" lesson, the class
read and discussed "To Build a Fire" by
Jack London,
after which they were assigned to write an essay which required them to
use their intrapersonal intelligence.
Before reading the
short story,
students were asked to complete a Wilderness Survival Opinionnaire
(Johannessen, 1994) (see Appendix
J). After reading and
discussing the
story, students were asked to complete the same opinionnaire for a
second time.
The essay assignment
asked them to identify three
statements from the opinionnaire for which their answers changed as a
result of reading and discussing the story (Johannessen, 1994) (see Appendix
K). Students needed to
consider the reasons for their answers
on the first opinionnaire and then were required to consider what about
the story and the class discussions made them change their opinions
when completing the second opinionnaire.
|
|
There was also an
alternative
assignment for those students whose answers had not changed on the
second opinionnaire; however, the same introspective thought process
was still required. Students were also required to use textual evidence
in support of their reasoning. As a result, students used their
logical-mathematical and verbal-linguistic intelligences for analysis
of the literature and for organization of their essays, in addition to
the verbal-linguistic intelligence for reading and writing and the
intrapersonal intelligence for the introspective thought process.
The author is a
writer, a former English teacher, and the mother of three boys. She
spends her time writing and teaching others to write. Visit articles.TheWritingTutor.biz
for more articles or TheWritingTutor.biz
for other writing and educational resources for young authors,
teachers, and parents. Visit writing_editing_service.TheWritingTutor.biz
for a description of writing and editing services provided by the
author.
Return
to
articles.
|