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Teach English in Meizipu Zhen - Ankang Shi

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Howard Gardner’s breakthrough Theory of Multiple Intelligences is not only an ideal technique for directing different forms of teaching toward specific students who carry the pertinent traits/qualities described in the theory, but it is also incredibly relatable on many levels. These eights forms of intelligence describe traits of certain students and suggest ways that teachers can improve the quality of their teaching in the classroom by recognizing the intellectual strengths of their students and applying the relevant methods thereof. His theory consists of eight essential forms of intelligence which are listed below with a brief description of their relevance: • Verbal-linguistic intelligence – consists of the use of words and speech to think, process information, and solve problems. These students value writing activities and word puzzles, such as crosswords. • Logical-mathematical intelligence – consists of the rational use of logic and reasoning to solve problems, especially through the analysis of numbers and complex patterns. These students value conducting empirical experiments to learn new concepts. • Visual-spatial intelligence – consists of processing information by means of images, often requiring good hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills for creative projects. These students value artistic projects and photography. • Musical intelligence – consists of processing information by means of sounds; musically intelligent individuals often note that they constantly hear music in their hands. These students value the use of music as a critical learning tool. • Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence – consists of using movement to understand the world in a variety of ways. These students may value activities such as acting and role-playing. • Interpersonal intelligence – consists of the innate capacity to communicate with others and act as an effective and insightful leader. These students value cooperation and communication with others to learn. • Intrapersonal intelligence – consists of taking advantage of alone time to develop ideas, create, reflect, and process information. These students value personal reflection and reading. • Naturalistic intelligence – consists of the natural interest in the environment and a deep desire to preserve, protect, study, and appreciate it. These students value observation and care of the world that surrounds them. After carefully analyzing these eight traits and researching them further, it is easy to understand how they are so relatable to each one of us. Every human being has certain strengths and weaknesses in terms of their intellectual capacity. These strengths and weaknesses can largely be determined by means of analysis of the aforementioned traits and possibly even a questionnaire to determine the form of intelligence that one may possess. This is essential to understand in a classroom setting because, just as every individual possesses different levels of intelligence in the preceding categories, every individual also exhibits diverse ways of learning and absorbing information efficiently. Some people need to see it, some people need to hear it, some people need to discuss it with others or reflect on it alone. Regardless of what one’s personal learning preferences may be, it is critical for the teacher to be able to recognize these intellectual differences among their students and apply the most adequate forms of teaching to accommodate everyone in the most integral and practical way possible. This may seem complex given just how different everybody is, but it really just takes experience and a capacity to understand people’s strengths and weaknesses. Applying this theory in the classroom is really just a matter of recognizing the personal strengths and weaknesses of your students (i.e. in which category their ‘intelligence’ stands out the most) and researching teaching methods that can accommodate their needs. There are myriad examples of methods and activities that apply to these different groups on the Internet and they are all quite sensible when observed in the right context. For example, students exhibiting interpersonal intelligence will likely always want to work in groups and pairs and will value communication and building relationships with other students. It may also be inferred that speaking will be that student’s strong point in relation to the four pillars of language learning (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). When working with others in this way, it shouldn’t be hard to notice an improvement in the student’s performance and perhaps even their discipline. Those students with intrapersonal intelligence, on the other hand, may not value group work as much and would be just as content writing a reflexive paper using their own thoughts as the main conduit rather than the thoughts of their fellow classmates. Musically-inclined students (a category to which I relate strongly) may benefit from studying song lyrics, learning to sing along to their favorite English-language songs, and perhaps, as was my case, even translating song lyrics for social platforms such as YouTube. The interests and personalities of your students will prove key to your success (or lack thereof) as an EFL teacher. It is essential to be able to comprehend their likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, what makes them comfortable and what makes them uncomfortable, etc. If students see that you are accommodating them to the greatest extent possible and taking their strengths and interests into consideration, they will be much more respectful, attentive, and eager to learn in a classroom setting.


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