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.