Teacher Leadership Pt.1: M2_FA 6

As per post, 

"Focus Area 6: Multiple Intelligences

 

Read:

 

Concept to Classroom - Workshop: Tapping into Multiple Intelligences (Read all links)
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/

Reach Every Student Through Differentiated Instruction

http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesDI/Brochures/DIBrochureOct08.pdf

 

Watch:

Howard Gardner of The Multiple Intelligence Theory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QtSbP4FRg

 

Multiple Intelligences play a key role that helps teachers to plan instruction and assessment. It provides information on how students can best learn and understand. When teachers are conveying information to their students or another teacher, they can use their knowledge about multiple intelligences to find the best method of conveying the information in order for the receiving party to understand it. This can also be used in classes so that students can begin taking a leadership role in their learning by understanding which intelligences play to their strengths and which ones they could work on. By utilizing multiple intelligences into the classroom, teachers can allow students to collaborate with each other by mixing the multiple intelligences amongst the group. Students could then show their strengths while also learning from one another.

 

By maintaining a constant understanding of multiple intelligences teacher can tailor the curriculum to support the needs and interests of every student.

 

What is the impact of understanding your Multiple Intelligences when it comes to leading and supporting students and teachers? Why do we need to know about our Multiple Intelligences? How does differentiated instruction support the Multiple Intelligences?

 

Review and comment on two other postings by your colleagues."

As per discussion,

"In a former AQ (TELL), we discussed UDL (Universal Design Learning) as coined by Bloom (same that also is renowned in regards to multiple intelligence field discussions), I know the discussion is about multiple intelligence-but going back to "why reading is important for teachers and/or teachers as leaders?", UDL might be an example of how this learned knowledge from reading gives example to the post as well as insight to this particular discussion/topic. I digress, as per the reasoning behind the mass movement known as "Growing Success", students need to have a chance, a voice, an equitable opportunity to be successful. Thus the achievement chart rather than "answer key". 

How does UDL assist in the support of teacher and students alike, well, as a leader we develop templates, training videos, and even classroom observations. As a teacher we are trying to make content and assessment "rich-task" or in the format of choice (choice boarding projects), which gives students opportunities to demonstrate the knowledge in ways that is appropriate. Yes, UDL particularly was first applied to the special education field as a philosophy for integration, but it can certainly be applied in the same manner as say choice boarding for multiple intelligence focus.

In regards to UDL, its application is specific to these four components though,

• Goals are typically described as learning expectations. They represent the knowledge, concepts, and skills students need to master and are usually aligned to state standards. Recent national discussions about Common Core Standards have heightened the critical importance of linking goals in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) with state standards and classroom expectations.
• Methods are generally defined as the instructional strategies used by educators to support student learning. Methods should be evidence-based and supported by an analysis of learner variability. UDL methods are flexible and adjusted through consistent monitoring of student progress.
• Materials are the media used to present content and demonstrate learning. UDL materials offer multiple media options and include embedded supports.
• Assessment within the UDL framework refers to the process of gathering information about a learner's progress using a variety of methods and materials. UDL assessments are particularly concerned with accurately measuring learner knowledge, skills, and engagement by maintaining construct relevance and reducing or eliminating irrelevant or distracting elements that interfere with the assessment's validity. (Ralabate, 2022)

The multiple intelligence discussion, is the tip of the iceberg, as leaders and teachers (especially given the COVID-19 situation), we need to especially consider how we can make the curriculum very much universal for students and department members. Think about it for a moment, the PE teachers, we have an online PE teacher-that poor soul is scrambling to figure out how to turn my designed unit plans into online classes. I provided ideas, but its up to them ti implement it-but the administration is very understanding that yes, there needs to be some understanding to their situation, however a particular "fix" has recently been a lot of reflection activities (that have taken the form of written assessment). As a leader, I am sure the discussion of "can the students maybe present an oral or recorded reflection at some point to mix things up?" might come up and that's one application (a small one of implementing a UDL (on a micro level). In the English department though we have been catching up with the twenty first century, first by including videos of Shakespeare films in class, then comic book adaptations, and further by incorporating the creation of audio books or group theatre performances to demonstrate different learning goals/objectives in the classroom. Further the removal of standardised test writing, specific tasks are built through the unit to assert demonstration of different goals that eventually lead to the development of a culminating task (much like a portfolio), using this to act as a transition from "as learning"  activities to "of learning" in which students are reflecting on their developments with specific reference to their "as learning". Its a messy development but certainly works in more cases than less. Its also more work on the student's part, but its manageable and less mentally straining at one time. Quite similar to how we complete our AQ's. I feel.

Source:

Patti Ralabate, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the Needs of All Students. WETA Public Broadcasting. 2022.  January 13, 2022

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/universal-design-learning-meeting-needs-all-students "