MI+Chapter+8+Block+1



toc

Abstract and Synthesis
The main idea's in this chapter were [|gaining attention], transition techniques, and forming groups. Almost everyone in the class agreed that teachers should use some sort of non-verbal technique to gain the students attention. Although most of the techniques require some vocalization, they should incorporate some kinesthetic components, too. By requiring the students to respond to the call for attention, they are more likely to pay attention sooner and longer. Most attention grabbing techniques appeal to visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learners. The most common example of an attention grabber was the hands-up signal. This is used when the teacher wants the students to be silent and pay attention. Sometimes the students are required to raise their hand in response, but that is not always required. Another common theme of this chapter was transitions between activities or classes. One of the common examples was using music to signal an activity change or the end of class. This musical cue appeals to both the auditory and the musical learners. By using a non-verbal cue to signal transitions, the teachers and the students can transition without being stimulated to make much noise. This makes the transitions quieter, smoother, and faster. The final main point of this chapter was dividing students into [|groups or pairs]. There are many different creative ways to divide students into groups. If teacher use an out of the box approach to dividing students into groups, the students might enjoy and appreciate group work more. Also, a lot of the ideas for transitioning into groups require some kinesthetic components and logical reasoning skills. Overall, the ideas are endless as long as creativity exists. Once teachers get to know their students more, and know the intelligences of their students, they can better create techniques and activities to appeal to the intelligences of their students.

Synthesized by Karina Sprague

Alex Randall
MI Chapter 8

This chapter is all about MI Theory and Classroom Management. "A classroom is a microsociety complete with student citizens, many of whom have competing needs and interests" (page 112). I think that is a pretty good opening sentence for this chapter. It helps us jump right into the fact that, even if you teach in rural Maine where everyone is white, a classroom can still be very diverse. When reading the title of this chapter and the first sentence (that I have included above) I immediately think about how teachers are going to get student's attention. Coincidentally, that is the first section in this chapter. This chapter helps the reader brainstorm ways to help keep student attention, have easier, smooth transitions, and communication in the class. It even gives ideas of ways to address each intelligence. What is cool about the Multiple Intelligence Theory is that, if someone were to master the basics of it, they could much more easily teach their students and control their classroom, which helps students to learn more anyway. It is interesting to think about what little things teachers can do to help kids along.

Sam Leal
Chapter 8: MI Theory and Classroom Management

One of the very important things when it comes to classroom management is gaining the students attention. Chapter 8 in MI points this out and describes how we can attach this to the multiple intelligences. This is so true from my experience in classrooms. A teacher can shout “quiet,” but that only captures the attention of a few students. The chapter gives many great examples on how to get the attention of the class. For example, a bodily-kinesthetic way would be to put your finger in front of your lips and hold the other hand high in the air. Students will notice this and know it mean to be quiet. The book offers many very cool little tricks from their experiences and they are definitely things I will want to try in the classroom.

The chapter also discusses ways to prepare for transitions within the day, like attributing a selection of music that will cue dismissal. There are many unique strategies to try. On other big one for me is forming groups. This happens sometimes on a few occasions each class and can often get rowdy. One I’ve seen from experience and also mentioned in this chapter is making a group based on the color of each student’s shirt. This is a quick fun way to make groups and then you have to use a trick to get them quiet and gain their attention once they are in groups. Managing behaviors and communicating class rules are also mentioned within the chapter and it makes you think about many different ways to address those for each MI.

Cidney
In this chapter “MI Theory and Classroom Management” Armstrong notes that, although MI Theory is not a substitute for a classroom management plan, it can provide a strong basis for one. Chapter 8 gives suggestions for gaining student attention, moving into groups, and signifying transitions using examples for each of the eight intelligences.

I don’t see some of the examples provided working effectively in a classroom environment, such as bringing an animal to school, but some of the suggestions in this chapter I have seen and used effectively. Raising your hand for silence works quite well, and writing down wasted time on the whiteboard really gets a rowdy class to quite down once they realize what’s going on, though it does take away class time. Some of the examples given for monitoring individual behaviors seem like they would wok for younger students, but not high schoolers. For instance, acting out appropriate and inappropriate behaviors seems like a bit of a stretch. Personally, I don’t think that MI Theory can be applied as effectively to classroom management as it can to other aspects of the classroom, but knowing your students and recognizing the strength, weaknesses, and needs of students with different intelligences is beneficial to classroom management.

Karina Sprague
This chapter discussed the uses of multiple intelligences in classroom management techniques. The biggest idea in this chapter was gaining the students attention. While reading this section, I could not help but think of all the different attention grabbing techniques I have seen, or have used myself. I have learned through experience that verbal cues are not always effective. Some examples that I have seen used in the classroom are a hands-up signal and rhymes.

I have seen the hands-up signal used in almost every age level. The elementary school teachers use it to gain the attention of an entire group, like during an assembly. I have seen middle school and high school teachers use it in a small classroom to get the class back on task. I have also seen it used this way in the college level. I think students obey this technique because it requires them to participate by raising their hand. Also, hand raising is common etiquette at any age level, so it is not demeaning to any group of students.

I have only seen rhyming used in elementary schools as a way to gain attention. I think the rhyming technique seems offensive and immature for older students. It is also more fun for younger kids because it is a call and response, so they can participate in the signal. The most common rhyme I have heard is the one that the teacher and I use in the first grade classroom. Teacher: “1,2,3 eyes on me” Students: “1,2, eyes on you!”. This call and response gets the students to participate, but it also clearly states what the teacher wants the students to do.

Colby Hill
MI Chapter 8 I definitely believe that students take advantage of teachers. I believe this because it happened in my classes when in high school, even in middle school. A substitute teacher actually threw a chair at a student once. The only bad thing about all of the suggestions that this chapter makes is that I cannot use them! My mentor teacher has me teach her way, which is respectable, so I can’t do the things I wish to do. Writing silence on the board or flicking the lights may work in my class, but my mentor teacher would much rather have me yell over everyone. However I can see myself using these techniques and I can see them working. In order for these kids to follow the rules they must be readily available. Everyone knows students leave handouts behind constantly, so including a copy on the wall or referring to them by numbers or pictures is excellent. I really like the forming group ideas also. Using anything but the numbering off strategy can instantly intrigue a student, even if it is kind of silly. Whatever it takes, right? Even in the field now, individual students act out. What I do is ask the student to stop, but soon he will continue with it again. The strategies in here involve taking the student for some one on one learning experience. Although I do think one on one can help a student, it needs to be done outside of class. Otherwise it takes up too much time.

Elizabeth Sargent
Chapter eight of //Multiple Intelligence in the Classroom// talks about how to use Multiple Intelligence cues in the classroom. Multiple Intelligence techniques can help you prepare transitions in class, communicate class rules, form groups, and manage behavior. MI theory used with classroom management techniques lift the focus off from the teacher management approach, and let students be managed by their interests and intelligences.

It is important to know as a student and as a teacher that “no one discipline approach is best for all kids”(118). It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round, just as it does all kinds of students to make a school run. This means that teachers need to be focused on the varying needs of students, and the different ways in which they learn. It can be hard to teach in a way you are not comfortable with, but with practice, teaching content in underdeveloped intelligences can become an easy task, because teachers are developing their intelligences right along with the students. We must make sure that we cover all intelligences, and make sure to use them every day. In the classroom, this will make it easier for students to learn, behave, transition, and communicate. Knowing our students intelligences will make this process a whole lot easier than just using every intelligence all the time. You might have a vast quantity of verbal learners, and then a smaller quantity of interpersonal learners. But teachers should not just focus on using those intelligences, because we must also develop the intelligences of students that they might need in the future. =

=

Emily Haskell
Chapter 8: MI Theory and Classroom Management

I thought it was really interesting that the book provided the reader with examples of ways to command attention in a different way. It allowed the teacher to utilize many of the multiple intelligences while also gaining the attention of your class in an interesting and engaging way. For example, for kids who are more verbally or intrapersonally inclined, it may be helpful to simply be quite and wait for the rest of the class to follow. Of course you would have to use this technique on a class that is relatively well behaved, but this allows those who are intrapersonal to rely on social cues, they must use their logic to realize that the silence means class is beginning and they must use their understanding of verbal cues to realize that it is time to be quiet.

Another thing that I thought was genius was assigning groups by using and acknowledging the eight multiple intelligences. An example of this would be thinking of the first vowel sound in your name and grouping kids with similar vowel sounds. I also thought the sections on class rules, communication, and transitions were also important. However, I am not sure I entirely agree with what these sections had to say. I think that multiple intelligences are important, but this may be a little time consuming and unnecessary.

Jordan Hale
Classroom management was broken down into a few categories; getting students attention, preparing for transitions, communicating class rules, forming groups and managing individual behaviors. We all know that a teacher just yelling “Class!” is not the most effective way of gaining the students attention. More realistic approaches are presented, for instance teachers could clap a short rhythmic pattern that the class then repeats for musical learners. My personal favorite form of attention grabbing was the idea of playing an animal noise for the naturalistic learners. This idea got me thinking that it would be fun to have a speaker set up and one day use animal noises, the next day use songs, the next day it could accompany a rhythmic pattern that the students need to repeat back. The wheels are spinning right now in terms of thinking of attention getters.

Classroom rules are, to me, a major part of how your classroom runs. If the students don’t know, understand //and// agree with the rules than the learning wont be effective. One idea I liked was to have students come up with signs for each rule. The class could be divided into multiple groups, and each group is assigned to think of a clever way to remember the rule and display the rule in the classroom. This is a good way to get kinesthetic involved because they have to get up and show the class about the rule, they get to work with a group, they get to use their own creative ideas, and they understand the rules. It is a great way to ensure everybody is on the same page with the classroom rules.

In terms of forming groups, I am definitely going to steal the naturalist example. The example was to have students visualize a sheep, a pig and a cow in a pasture. All of a sudden there is a loud noise and there is only one animal left in the pasture. Students than either make the noise of the animal and find their matches in the class, or they have to write down the name of the animal they have left in the field and students get in groups to complete the original three animals. It is a great way to get students up and moving around and to have a good laugh when everybody is mooing, oinking and bahing. =

=

Spencer Hodge
Chapter 8 of Multiple Intelligences talked about different classroom management techniques using the MI theory. The areas that it talked about were: Gaining students’ attention, preparing for transitions, communicating class rules, forming groups, and managing individual behaviors. For the most part, all of these suggestions seemed that they wouldn’t be effective in a high school environment, perhaps intended for elementary kids. With the older kids (middle school), none of these strategies seem to work with them. The only thing that I liked in this chapter was using different methods on how to choose groups, especially if I can make it content related.