Chapters 8 UbD/DI and 8, 11, 12 MI

            These chapters discussed how to ensure success for all students, including those with disabilities who many typically be viewed as inferior. While traditional classrooms only value writing and reading skill as applied to topics such as history, English, and mathematics, a classroom that utilizes multiple intelligences will value a wide range of intelligences.

            There are many ways that the use of multiple intelligences could change special education. One aspect to consider, is its impact on IEPs. The book asserts that currently, IEPs usually ignore a student’s strongest intelligences and force them to do more of what they struggle with. However, there are ways to teach students and build in their weaknesses while still relating the instruction and activities to their strengths and interests. This way encourages more success in students and less boredom and frustration.

            The book also asserts that if multiple intelligence was used more in a typical classroom, there would be less cases where it is necessary to refer students to a special education classroom. This is positive, as it encourages inclusion. This is something we discussed a great deal in my SED101 class, where it was expressed that inclusion is usually extremely beneficial to students with disabilities and it should be something that education is moving towards. However, the use of multiple intelligences is useful for every student, not just those who have a disability.

            It is also expressed in these chapters how important it is for students to learn problem solving and the ability to dig into the content, making connections and being critical. Essentially, this is the idea of teaching students how to think, not what to think. The book recognizes that problem solving techniques can be found that suit each intelligence. Encouraging students to use their preferred style of problem solving will help them be less frustrated and allow them to be problem solvers.

            If we as teachers want to encourage success, it is necessary that we recognize the differences in each students. Whether these differences stem from culture, any disabilities, or learning styles, being familiar with them is crucial in order to design lessons that will work successfully for your classroom. These books give us many methods of how to consider these differences when shaping activities in your lesson, as well as in other aspects of the class, such as deciding how grading will be based.

            I found these chapters to be useful for me as a future educator because I know that I will be teaching some students with disabilities. Previously, I had never thought of a connection between MI theory and special education. However, I enjoy the connections I saw in the text to what I had talked about in SED 101 last semester. It is really important that all teachers are aware of how to work with students with disabilities, as it is not just special education teachers who need these skills. I am aware that I will have these students in my future classroom, and I am excited to help these students learn and grow, just like I am for every other student.

            

MI Chapters 7, 9, 13, 14

            These chapters expanded on how multiple intelligences can be used and included examples in and out of the classroom. While I found many of the techniques listed to be geared to a younger group of students than I will be teaching, some of the discussion in these chapters was very engaging and thought provoking. For example, the information about classroom ecology in chapter 7.

            I found the discussion of classroom ecology to be very interesting. I do believe that learning is shaped by the environment around the student, but I recognize that this environment is very often out of the teacher’s control. The chapter listed many issues to consider, some being factors that are unchangeable to teachers, such as if the room has windows or the way the class schedule is set up. Even though these factors are out of a teacher’s control, it may help to recognize that there is a problem with the classroom ecology and that this problem is impossible to fix but can be compensated for in other areas.

            As a person with strong intrapersonal intelligence, I thoroughly enjoyed the section on the ecological factors on learning for intrapersonal intelligence. I really liked that it mentioned that people with intrapersonal intelligence may desire privacy during the school day. I could relate this to my high school experience, as I often wanted just a few minutes away from everyone but there was nowhere to get that privacy. This section strongly relates to the quote that the chapter opens with, which basically says that it is ridiculous to expect students to perform well in school when they are packed in with others for hours and pressured to do well. This holds especially true for those with a lot of intrapersonal intelligence.

            These chapters also gave examples of how to use multiple intelligences in aspects of classroom management, such as quieting a room down or assigning groups. I found many of these ideas to be very strange and impractical. I feel like many of the methods would not be effective and definitely would not be preferred by students. I think some of the classroom management techniques would work wonderfully in an elementary level classroom but would have to be adapted in order for students in middle school or high school to tolerate them.

The text goes on to explain that the multiple intelligence theory should also be used and considered in many other fields and aspects of life than just teaching, such as career counseling. The book provides a list of careers that use each intelligence. While it is an interesting list to consider, I fear that it could limit some people who will try to force themselves into whatever career fits their strongest intelligence. I could especially see this in a high school student who is searching for a future career goal and is looking for something to base a decision of off. In that case, a list like that might inspire the student to look into a career they had never thought of before, or it could make them feel like they must choose one of the careers listed.

UbD/DI Chapters 6,7 and MI Chapters 5,6

            All of these chapters discuss traditional teaching methods and how they are challenged by differentiated instruction and multiple intelligences. The chapters also touch on how these new types of instruction can be integrated into more traditional styles of teaching. Each of the chapters provides some example or recommendations of successful teaching using differentiation and/or utilizing the multiple intelligences.

            Chapter 6 of UbD/DI discusses how teachers have a tendency to teach students labeled as low achieving only the basics, not allowing them to fully synthesize and understand material. This topic is also touched upon in the next chapter, which discusses how the “ladder method” is flawed. The ladder method is the idea that in order for students to analyze and make meaning of material, they must first understand the basic facts. This practice is flawed, as all studies have shown that all students, despite whether they are labeled as high or low achieving, have the ability to synthesize material. Using the ladder method prevents all students from learning the material and forces low achieving students to be stuck in that category.

            The importance of teaching more than just the facts is emphasized even more in the chapters of UbD/DI. Chapter 7 discusses the flaw in “covering” content. Covering content means the teacher is just skimming the surface of that topic and rushing through it in order to meet standards. The book argues that teachers should “uncover” content. That is, to go into multiple layers and allowing their students to discover and investigate this topic. Due to the pressures put on teachers by standards and testing, many teachers do not uncover content, but rather just rush through units.

            This pressure put on teachers is discussed in Chapter 5 of MI. This chapter emphasizes how standards, pressure to complete text books, and testing is shaping classrooms in a negative way. This chapter discusses how important it is to teach to “awake minds” and how traditional teaching does not always succeed in doing this. However, it is possible to incorporate multiple intelligences into more traditional teaching styles. Chapter 6 of MI goes into great detail of how to suit each intelligence in the classroom. Many of the ideas presented in this chapter could be incorporated into a more traditional chapter, and others are more modern.

            These chapters were helpful for me as a future educator because they gave me explicit examples of how to differentiate and utilize multiple intelligences. I liked the discussions on covering versus uncovering material. I agree that classrooms are under too much pressure to meet standards and not enough pressure for students to actually be learning and enjoying school. I see a lot of posts on social media and hear a lot of people in real life talking about how they hate school and find it to be a requirement to get through life rather than an actual enriching learning experience. I hope that as I teacher I will be able to use multiple intelligences to differentiate my classroom in a way that encourages students to truly dig into material and understand it on a deep, meaningful level.

FIAE Chapter 6

            This chapter focuses specifically on test questions and test formatting. It explains that it is important to be extremely careful in how tests are set up, how questions are phrased, and the type of questions that are important. I really enjoyed what this chapter had to say about testing because it focuses so much on ensuring student success by making questions clear, including a variety of types of questions, and setting the test up in a way that does not tire out the student. I have had so many teachers that have tests that seem like they are designed to make the student fail. This chapter emphasizes how important it is to design tests in a way that is clear and meaningful for the student. I wish I had more teachers in high school and even here in college who design tests in a way that actually benefit the student.

            This chapter also discusses how to design tests in a way that benefits the teacher, as well. There are several methods that can be used to make grading tests faster and easier. However, when using the methods in the chapter, it will take longer to design tests. The chapter encourages teachers to be very specific in how questions are phrased, chosen, and placed on tests. Creating an effective test takes time and work, but in the end will reflect learning much better than tests that are thrown together with unclear questions and a lack of variety. Teachers who care about getting an accurate picture of their students’ understanding will be willing to put the time and effort into creating good assessments.

FIAE Chapter 5

           Chapter 5 introduces the concept of tiering in assessments. Tiering is the practice of changing the difficulty levels to meet the needs of students. This is not based around multiple intelligences, but it based around the skill levels of students. The chapter discusses many ways to incorporate tiering into the classroom along with assignments based on multiple intelligences.

            Both tiering and multiple intelligences are designed to meet the diverse need of students. These concepts work together in many of the examples the book provides. One of the examples that I liked was the “learning menu.” In this type of assignment, there is a list of assignments that students can choose from and some that are required. These assignments should include different projects that meet the various needs of the class. The projects can range in difficulty and in which intelligence they appeal to. I liked this idea because it gives students some choice in what they do, while also being an effective way to assess the students. Tic Tac Toe boards are another similar type of assignment where students have choice in which projects to do, but must connect three of them. This type of assignment can be tiered by having different versions of the board or by including tasks of varying skill level.

            Before this chapter, I had never really thought about how a teacher might build up difficulty in their assignments. I see now that it is a difficult but important thing to do in order for students to learn. The text states that tiering is a difficult practice for new teachers, but I hope that I will become proficient at it throughout my career.

FIAE Chapter 4

            This chapter expands more on the concept of assessment in a differentiated classroom. The two subjects this chapter focuses on are portfolios and rubrics. As a student, I disliked both of these. I never saw the value in portfolios and always found them to be more effort than they were worth. I also disliked rubrics, and would rather teachers explain their expectations of an assignment and return it with a traditional letter grade and notes explaining the reasoning for the grade. However, this text made me see the benefits of both portfolios and rubrics. I also see different ways of using them that I did not experience as a high school student.

            I now see that portfolios are useful because they show a “photo album” rather than a “snapshot.” If final assessments are required, I think that scoring a portfolio that the student has been working on all year/semester is a great way to get an overall look at the student’s achievements in the class. This is a good alternative to a high stakes final exam, big paper, or complicated project that most teachers use as a final assessment.

            I also found this chapter’s insight on rubrics to be helpful. I have attempted to write rubrics before and I know how difficult it was for me to write, even for a very simple assignment. The guide that this chapter provides of how to write a rubric was very helpful, as well as the suggested terms to use for the categories. Although I personally like the letter grade system, I can accept that education is moving away from that method of scoring and toward more rubrics. I think that I will like rubrics much more in practice than I do in concept.

MI Chapter 10

            The main point of Chapter 10 is that, because there are eight learning styles, there must also be eight ways of assessment. I have never thought of the implications that the multiple intelligences theory has on assessment; I have only considered how teachers must differentiate assessment and steer away from traditional exams. However, this text shows me that having eight styles of assessment actually makes a lot of sense. Students will be able to show what they have learned best when they are doing it in the parameters of their preferred intelligence.

            Although this practice is a good idea, it seems like it may be difficult to implement because finding ways to assess certain skills in each intelligence can be a challenge. For example, it may seem impossible to find an assessment for a certain math concept that falls into the category of musical intelligence. While this chapter does provide some examples, it would be helpful to see more examples, especially in regards to English, of appropriate assessments. I fear that some of these styles may not be effective in measuring a student’s knowledge. For example, asking a student to draw a sketch of something Huck Finn might enjoy doing does not seem to reveal as much knowledge as asking a student to write a response describing Huck Finn’s characteristics. Although I have some concerns about some of finding effective and revealing questions for each intelligence, I do think that it is important to consider multiple intelligences in regards to assessment. If I can find a way to accommodate the learning styles of all of my students, I hope to have the eight styles of assessment present in my own classroom.

FIAE Chapter 3

            This chapter discusses assessment and backwards planning. The chapter says that in order to successfully incorporate assessment into a unit, one must first decide what the overarching goals of the unit and have these in mind. It encourages that teachers give the end of unit assessment at the beginning of the unit so that they know what students already know and the students know what they are expected to know.

            The text gives an interpretation of the purpose of assessments that I have never thought of before. It explains that assessments should not be the only way to test a student’s mastery of a subjects and that tests should not have any surprises. One thing that stood out to me about this chapter is when it said that if a student has to ask “Will this be on the test?” the teacher is not using assessments correctly.

            Teachers need to be clear with what they expect of students. In addition to clearly explaining what they will be tested on, teachers should present the goals of each unit at the beginning of the unit. This way, students will understand what the value is of the lesson and what they are going to be tested on later on. I have always disliked when teachers were not clear about what we were expected to know. Studying and learning is much easier when the teacher is specific about what students should be learning. Trying to learn when the teacher is vague is difficult and frustrating.

FIAE Chapter 2

            This chapter discusses mastery and how to assess mastery. The chapter defines mastery as being able to synthesize and interpret knowledge, not just being able to recite facts and replicate answers. Mastery is about encouraging students to think deeper about the facts and relate them to their own experience and their own lives. While mastery is important, the text does not encourage teachers to evaluate the mastery of students via traditional tests. It is important to find your own definition of mastery as a teacher so that lessons and assessments can be based around this definition.

            This chapter is helpful for me because it discusses many issues relating to the concept of mastery, such as definitions, evidence, and determining what is important. With many standards to meet as a teacher and not a lot of time to do so, it is important to determine what the most important parts of the standard are. The next chapter, which focuses on assessment, discusses how a teacher can use pre-assessment to see which concepts need the most attention.

            The text gives many suggestions of which resources can be used to determine what is important for students to master. These include talking to colleagues, reading curriculum guides, looking at textbooks, and consulting professional organizations. Knowing that these resources exist is useful for me because I do not have any experience picking out what is most important from standards. However, the text also discusses how veteran teachers need to use these resources just as much as new teachers do. 

FIAE Chapter 1

            This chapter shows how simple and widespread differentiation truly is in the classroom. It gives examples of when differentiated instruction may have been used in my high school classes, such as providing a variety of assignments and incorporating whole class, group, and individual work into the class. While I had previously thought of differentiated instruction as something used only in cases where students with a disability need accommodation, I now see that differentiated instruction is a more general strategy that should be used for all students.

            This book describes differentiated instruction as doing what is fair for students. Because it has such a broad definition, I think it will be simple to incorporate this instruction into the classroom. The text actually makes it sound more difficult to not use this strategy than to use it because it is such a natural way to teach. I think that I already am concerned about treating all students fairly and making sure they have the tools necessary to succeed. Because I want every student to learn and reach their full potential, I am more than willing to use differentiated instruction to help my students.

            The text also defends differentiated instruction by dismissing concerns about its effectiveness and application to “the real world.” Some people argue that differentiated instruction does not prepare students for adulthood, claiming that it does not force them to understand and overcome problems. However, differentiation is also present in the workforce, with the text giving an example of a mechanic being able to reach out for help from his/her colleagues, consulting a manual, or extending the deadline.

UbD/DI Chapter 5

            This chapter discusses the principles of effective assessment. It is important to consider differentiation in the application of assessments and to understand that assessments need to be varied in order to see a clear picture of a student’s understanding. This principle is explained with a comparison to photo albums and snapshots. The text explains that a snapshot shows one example of a situation but when many snapshots are compiled into a photo album, it is easier to see an accurate representation of the situation. When accountability systems rely on one snapshot of student knowledge—usually standardized tests—there is not a realistic representation of student learning and school success.

            This chapter also explains the importance of backwards planning by matching the assessments with the goals of a unit. It is also important to see what kind of knowledge you are testing and match that knowledge with an appropriate type of assessment. The test explains that there are three types of educational goals: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and dispositions. These categories must be considered when teaching and assessing students. By doing this, it will help students reach a level of understanding than simply knowing basic facts and information.

            For me, I found the comparison the text provides with the snapshots and photo albums to be very helpful. I think that this comparison very clearly demonstrates why it is important to use many testing methods and not just rely on traditional forms of assessment. Although I have always wanted to make sure I am accurately assessing my students, this chapter makes me see how crucial it is to do so if I really want to see my students’ understanding. 

UbD/DI Chapter 4

            According to this chapter, it is important that a teacher ensures that both his/her curriculum and teaching methods are strong. For curriculum, it is very important that it is clear and focused. Curriculum should have set goals and essential questions that shape the learning of the students and make it easy to differentiate the instruction.

            The text states that there are many bad ways that teachers attempt to differentiate instruction. One of these is where struggling students are given less work to do and excelling students are given more. This is not helpful to either of the learners; the struggling students are not getting the assistance they need, while the excelling students are still forced to work on something that they have known how to do for quite some time. Another bad way of differentiated instruction occurs when the teacher does not have a clear idea of his/her curriculum. In this case, the teacher may try to differentiate a plan that is very unclear, resulting in many different, equally unclear plans.

            This chapter taught me how to successfully use differentiated instruction to create student success. It also pointed out example of how differentiated instruction can be used poorly and cause more problems for the students. This chapter included many lists of ideas of how to create a community that is optimal for student success, encouraging a healthy, non-judgmental atmosphere and taking partial responsibility for students’ grades, using them as an indicator of how both the student and you are preforming.

UbD/DI Chapter 3

            This chapter focused on designing a lesson plan. It highlights that lesson plans must meet standards, but that standards are often vague or, in some cases, too specific and seemingly unimportant. These standards can cause frustration in teachers and students and cause them to fall into ruts where they are simply following through the textbook and creating a monotonous schedule. The chapter explains how to break these standards down into something that makes sense and is a useful guide in planning units, rather than something that forces teachers to rush through material and rely on textbooks.

            The chapter explains the process of backwards design. This is when plans start with the goal, rather than the goal being decided at the end. The goal should be based around the standards and should be followed by essential questions and help specify what students should be learning throughout the unit. When the unit needs to be differentiated, the goal always should stay the same but other parts of unit, such as the learning plan, should be differentiated. The text’s explanation of the process of backwards design clarifies much of my confusion around our current lesson plan assignment.

            I really appreciated the examples and the sample forms that this chapter provided. Prior to this chapter, I knew very little about planning units. Now that I know some basics, I feel a lot more comfortable. The process does not seem incredibly scary, but rather relatively simple and easy to understand. This chapter got me more excited to start planning lessons.

MI Chapter 4

            Chapter 4 expands on an idea that is briefly mentioned in the previous chapter: teaching multiple intelligence theory to students. While this chapter seemed to focus on methods to teach this theory to younger children, many of the methods listed could be adjusted to suit students in middle school or high school. This chapter also explained why it would be beneficial for students to know their preferred intelligences. Knowing their preferred intelligences gives the student confidence knowing that they have strengths. Students who are familiar with the multiple intelligence theory would also feel comfortable knowing that they possess some of each intelligence.

            I enjoyed the examples the text gave of activities and lessons that would teach students more about multiple intelligences and about themselves. Some of these activities would be fun icebreakers for students to participate in early in the school year. Others could easily be incorporated into preexisting lessons; for example, many schools already have events such as career day and adding the layer about multiple intelligences would be fairly simple. Including activities and games about this theory periodically in the classroom will give students a short break from classwork. However, it will also be valuable for students to be reminded of their strengths and to boost their confidence.

I think these examples made teaching multiple intelligences seem like a more realistic endeavor. I see from this text that lessons including multiple intelligences can be incorporated into many subjects and lessons. I also see from personal experience that knowing my own intelligences is beneficial in knowing how I learn and how I may teach.

MI Chapter 3

            This chapter focuses on how to assess the intelligences of students. These can be hard to assess, as formal tests are usually not a good indicator and usually do not even include many of the intelligences. There are many ways that a teacher can infer the proclivities that students have for certain intelligences. The best tool a teacher has for this is observation. Simply by seeing which class activities students enjoy, what they do outside of class, and what they do to misbehave in class it is easy to get an idea of the student’s preferences.

            This chapter gave me examples of how I will be able to determine proclivities by observation by providing examples of what to look out for. I also thought it was interesting that the book encourages teachers to educate their students and parents about the multiple intelligence theory. Doing this would probably help the students see where their strengths lie and see that they have worth, even if the traditional classroom setting is not ideal.

            I think that the ideas expressed in this chapter will help me see the differences in my students. Once I see how different all of my students are, I will be even more likely to see the benefits of differentiated instruction. Being familiar with the different intelligences also helps me think of different methods to use in the classroom that will suit various needs. For example, knowing this theory helps me see how important it is to present information in a variety of ways. This could include reading assignments, slideshows, discussion, and hands on activities.

UbD/DI Chapter 2

            Chapter two has two focuses: how students experience affects and shapes teaching and how to use differentiated instruction practically in the classroom. This chapter explains why it is important to be student-centered in teaching and why differences in students should be acknowledged and catered to. Chapter 2 shows that incorporating differentiated instruction to meet each student’s needs is actually a very simple, easy method to use.

            Through a series of examples, the text shows that there are many situations in which a student could deviate from a plan that a teacher has set out for them. Whether this deviation is caused by an issue going on in their personal life or an undiagnosed disability, there are issues that will interrupt with a teacher’s plan and cause that teacher to try to find a solution and help that student learn.

            The text also explains that teachers must respect and seek to understand a myriad of different learning styles. Teachers should use varied means of instruction and activities that will benefit each different type of learner they have in their classroom. The chapter gives a list of ways to use differentiated instruction in the classroom that is not individualization, but rather a more practical way to reach every student.

            These examples of differentiated instruction greatly helped me see how I can use this method in my own classroom. The easy ways of incorporating it, such as incorporating small group teaching, allowing students to work alone or with others, and teaching in multiple ways, showed me that differentiated instruction should not be a special method rarely used, but should be a model to base my teaching around. 

UbD/DI Chapter 1

            Chapter one of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe introduces the reader to the concepts of differentiated instruction and understanding by design and why they work well together. As explained in the chapter, understanding by design is the “what and how” of curriculum design while differentiated instruction is the practice of using varied teaching methods to meet the unique needs of each student (2). The chapter goes on to explain why these two models are both compatible and complementary through a series of axioms and corollaries.

            These axioms and corollaries show that for understanding by design to function properly, it is often natural or even necessary to also use differentiated instruction. In order to design effective curriculum, the differences between each student needs to be recognized and factored into the design. If differentiated instruction is not included, the needs of all students will not be met. The chapter makes the argument that all professionals must have “the most current knowledge that defines the field” and must be “client centered and adapt to meet the needs of individuals” (11). As a professional, teachers have to be able to see their students as individuals. Each student has different needs, past experiences, and learning styles. Although students are taught in large classes, teachers are still working with individuals that cannot be taught as if they are one entity.

            From this chapter, I see that differentiated instruction will have a larger impact on my classroom than I had previously believed. When I learned about differentiated instruction in my special education class, I thought that it was a method that only needed to be used for certain cases; however, this chapter makes me realize that every student has individual needs that make differentiated instruction a necessity.

MI Chapter 2

            Chapter two of this text addresses the importance of being familiar with your own intelligences, especially as a teacher. It is important for teachers to recognize their own intelligences so that they can prevent their strengths from dominating the classroom. Teachers must acknowledge that the intelligences of their students differ from their own. This means that the methods that work well for the teacher may not be ideal for all students.

            Teachers may also perceive themselves to be weak in a certain intelligence and will avoid using this intelligence in the classroom. In these situations, it is important that teachers use their resources to bring a variety of instruction and classroom activities into their classes. These resources may include other teachers or students, giving students a great opportunity to show their expertise in a subject and creating a more student centered classroom.

            This chapter also discusses how intelligences develop and the factors that determine strengths and weaknesses. Intelligences are impacted by two types of experiences: crystallizing experiences and paralyzing experiences. Crystallizing experiences are experiences that trigger a certain intelligence to become a strength or a passion, while paralyzing experiences inhibit an intelligence from developing. There are also factors, such as geographical location, familial pressures, and socioeconomic factors, which come into play when determining a person’s intelligences. However, a person’s strengths and weaknesses are not set in stone. A paralyzing experience may have prevented a person from reaching their full potential in an intelligence. Because of these factors, it is important for teachers and students to try to identify the experiences that have shaped their intelligences and try to see ways that they can build on their weaker areas of intelligence.

MI Chapter 1

            The first chapter of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong introduces the basic theory of multiple intelligences. The text also goes into greater depth in explaining each of the intelligences, as well as the criteria that decides what should be considered an intelligence.

            Developed by Howard Gardner, the multiple intelligence theory is a response to the belief that intelligence can be measured by a traditional IQ test. Gardner did not think that these tests were an effective representation of intelligence because he saw intelligence as a multi-faceted concept. According to Gardner’s theory, there are eight different intelligences and these intelligences are not innate, but are something that can be learned and possessed.

            This theory ties in well with teaching, learning, and the method of differentiated instruction. This method recognizes that each student has their individual strengths and weaknesses. However, it does not confine them to staying in those strong and weak areas, but rather is optimistic about the possibility for everyone to possess intelligence in all eight categories. If a teacher knows her students well, he or she might be able to identify where her students’ strengths and weaknesses lie on these intelligences. By knowing this, the teacher will be able to shape lessons around the interests of the students or focus on areas that the students need to improve upon.

            The multiple intelligences theory also recognizes the strengths and intelligences that students with disabilities have, while a typical IQ test might show that these people are lacking intelligence because their intelligence is highly specialized into one category. This theory respects that each person has their own strengths and gives value to each student.