MI (Chapters 5 and 6) and Ubd and DI (Chapter 6 and 7): The Learner and Essential Questions

     Chapters five and six of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, by Thomas Armstrong, focused on differentiating lessons and activities to allow every student an opportunity to succeed. Riddled throughout these chapters were many examples on how to achieve this variation. Meanwhile, in chapters six and seven of Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design, by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe, the text explored the idea of the “essential question” and developing classroom readiness and mastery. All chapters discussed strongly stress the learner as something to be aware of in order to be an effective educator. 

     Due to increased standards for both students and teachers and the pressures to do well on standardized testing, teaching has become rather mundane with heavily linguistic and logical themes. In an MI based classroom it is crucial to include the different intelligences in the curriculum to provide equal learning opportunities to every student, “teachers need to expand their repertoire of techniques, tools, and strategies...” (MI, pg. 54). Furthermore, lectures and worksheets do not make connections with life events easily attainable. Teachers that take MI theory into consideration allow themselves to check their own teaching abilities for ease of understanding in regards to every learning style, “Mi theory essentially encompasses what good teachers have always done in their teaching: reaching beyond the text and the blackboard to awaken students' minds” (pg. 56). Knowing that there are eight intelligences it can be difficult to incorporate them all into your lesson, however, if “the teacher continually shifts her method of presentation from linguistic to spatial to musical and so on, often combining intelligences in creative ways” (pg. 56) it will allow ample opportunity for everybody to learn. MI theory is an extremely useful tool that every teacher should be knowledgable about to create an equal opportunity environment.

     However, before the teacher can even begin to think about how they want the students to learn, they must know what they want them to learn. To develop a clear idea of this one must ask what is the essential question? What is the main thought or idea that I want the students to ponder? Chapter seven of Understanding by Design helps explore ways to develop such an open-ended question. 

     Additionally, creating application to every students’ life is beneficial to both the classroom interest and to an intriguing essential question. Thematic education allows the teacher to break the wall down between their lesson and the lives of the students, “themes cut through traditional curricular boundaries, weave together subjects and skills that are found naturally in life, and provide students with opportunities to use their multiple intelligences practical ways” (MI, pg. 67). 

     Overall, these chapters really helped establish connections between the learner, the educator, and the curriculum. Regardless of learning styles, level of achievement, or personalities, it is critical that the students understand what the essential question is asking; thus, a well-focused and concise objective is vital. Teachers that are able to create this ideal essential question should be able to implement MI theory rather easily, because it should be accessible to all eight intelligences and applicable to projects and goals for all.