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Logan Waggy
Prof. Moulds
Decision Theme 3
4/11/2012
Topic
Decide how influential the multiple intelligences view will be on your approach to thinking
about adolescent cognition in such areas as continued schooling, program, career, etc.
In the teaching line of work, especially secondary, multiple intelligences play such an integral
part of the students mind in his or her education and life in general. For me, honing in on these different
intelligences of the students will better equip me to get them to understand better. This can be
correlated to professor Uffelman’s class about Understanding by design. We, as teachers, will design the
classes and course work based off our observations and experience with the student’s many multiple
intelligences. If I as a teacher cannot observe and understand each student’s way of learning and
understanding something, how am I going to be able to teach them anything? This concept is why the
multiple intelligence view plays such a big role in my views on education in general.
Multiple intelligence view can also be related to one’s life outside the classroom. In my personal
opinion, which correlates some to the multiple intelligence theory, each person in this world has a
different way of understanding things. They also have different strengths and weaknesses in their
intelligences. So, if I as a teacher can identify the multiple intelligences in my students at an early stage
in their cognitive process, I can better equip them for understanding certain aspects of life later to
come. In summary, multiple intelligence theory will be an important item to consider when doing lesson
plans or other individual assignments with my students.
Psychology
Multiple intelligence theory is one of many proponents in education. While it is definitely not
the only theory that can be applied to education, I believe that its psychological ramifications can be
used during professional observation of a teacher’s students. Whether this be simply watching student’s
different reactions or assessing them in different ways, multiple intelligence theory can aide a teacher in
determining what is best for each student individual.
Other aspects, such as emotional intelligence, play a role as well in an adolescent’s student life.
Emotional intelligence can be correlated with multiple intelligences with the notion that some students
base their learning off of their own emotions. The perfect example would be a student hating math
class, thus struggles to learn it. This student may have straight As in the rest of his classes, but hates
math class. Thus, he struggles to a D. If the teacher in the math class could have observed that his
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student did not like the class; maybe a one on one talk with the student to ease his or her emotions
about the class would do the student more good than bad. The student might have went on with a
better attitude and started to do well. It is hard to say, but if a teacher can recognize that in education
all students have different ways of learning in their own intelligence, he or she will be better prepared to
take on the struggles of teaching to the individual.
They key with multiple intelligences and education is recognizing that they exist even in
adolescent students. If a teacher teaches a class one way and one way only; he will not teach all
students the content successfully. Going back to understanding by design, it is extremely important that
to be a successful teacher, you have to know that your students will not learn in the same fashion.
Multiple intelligence theory simply does not allow for all students to learn in the same way. This is why
education sees the teachers who differentiate in the classroom become the most successful.
Ministry
Christ is the absolute best differentiating teacher of all-time. He adhered to everyone’s needs. In
his ministry he did not hand choose a certain group to speak and teach to. He chooses anyone and
everyone to teach to. He loves all those who come to him. He knows that we think and act in multiple
ways. Thus, he continues to adhere to all our different ways of thinking! This is the perfect example as to
how a teacher should conduct his or her own class as well. The worst thing a teacher could do is pay
attention and teach only to those that he deems fit to learn his way. The best teacher, like Christ, will
change is forms of teaching to strive to reach out to everyone in his classroom.
Another example of multiple intelligences in the ministry is Christ’s own ministry journey.
Throughout his journey he spoke to many different kinds of people of different ages and backgrounds.
He did not just speak to one similar group. He spoke to all sorts of groups. This is how a successful
teacher should behave as well. He should not just reach out to those students that do well in his class,
but reach out to the students who do poorly.
Christ led by example to show us a way to apply multiple intelligences to his advantage when
teaching. He shows us that adhering to all kinds of students will go a long way in being successful in
reaching out to bring people to the faith.
Biblical Integration
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had
compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he
said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the
harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Mat. 9: 35-38
This bible verse sums up Christ’s ministry well. It talks about him moving around to different
places to teach, preach and heal different people from multiple areas and backgrounds. It speaks of
crowds coming to Jesus and I will bet that not all of those people had the same type of intelligences, but
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Jesus heard them out anyway and did whatever it took to ensure that they got the help they needed!
My favorite part of these verses comes where Jesus says that the harvest is plentiful and that we should
pray the Lord sends out laborers for the harvest. In my context, the harvest is the many different
students I will have in my classroom with different strengths and weaknesses and ways of learning. I am
the laborer in which the Lord has called to bring them to faith and teach them Christ and other areas in
History as well. It is my job to understand their many different ways of thinking and adhere to all the
students needs to help them become the most successful and faithful human being they can be to
Christ.
Faith Formation Reading Handout
Les Parrott 3rd’s work on, “Adolescent Spirituality, What can we expect?” invokes the concept of
multiple Intelligences with church work. In the first paragraph it has a youth pastor stating that he has
come up with every creative bible study imaginable and yet he still does not believe that he is getting to
his youth. This can be example where multiple intelligences play a role in the youth’s learning. Maybe it
is that the youth are simply not learning in the way in which the youth pastor is teaching them.
The article does a good job talking about how in adolescents, rational thinking triumphs in their
faith lives. It is quite possible that teens are over rationalizing in their faith. Instead of just listening to
what their parents or pastors tell them, they are in the beginnings of using their own rationale to deduct
different aspects of their faith. This is why it is so important for us as teachers to be there to be a guide
for them through the tough transitional period of adolescence. For a teacher, it is important to keep in
mind that the students are going through a period of change in their different ways of thinking. In
keeping that in mind, the teacher will be able to better guide them along the right path in the faith and
their lives as well. Christ gives us the model for being that guide for the adolescents. Now it is our jobs
as Christian teachers to carry out our call and help guide these adolescents to Christ!