Teach English in Dianfang Zhen - Xiangxi Tujiazu Miaozu Zizhizho

As a former student of psychology in university, and now as one attempting to take a path towards teaching English abroad, I am reminded of my lessons in educational psychology and how they might relate to the existence of multiple learning modes, or multiple intelligences, specifically those espoused by psychologist Howard Gardner. These include visual-spatial intelligence, linguistic-verbal intelligence, logical-mathematical Intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and naturalistic intelligence. High linguistic-verbal intelligence may be most useful to those learning English as a second language, but a good teacher should be able to shape activities and learning systems to meet distinct needs of the students. Those with a natural aptitude and high linguistic-verbal intelligence may be suitable for a wide range of activities, due to a knack for language learning. Whether through questionairres, creation of comic strip stories, or participation in games such as hangman, these learners should have little difficulty adjusting to activities, assuming the learners are engaged and enthusiastic. In theory, such learners will exceed at writing, speeches, creating their own stories, and so on; in such cases, teachers should make sure to engage the entire classroom so that such learners will not dominate the classroom during activities. Those with high visual-spatial Intelligence will have ease at completing puzzles, recognizing patterns, and interpreting spatial representations such as maps. If i were to target such learners, I might rely on activities such as word-searches and maps paired with words associated with places on the map. Before proceeding to further phases of any activities, I would, in the activate and/or study phases, emphasize association of words with real-world objects, depictions of specific characters and places, and so on. Such students might succeed at making sense of or creating their own artwork and explaining any words or concepts they associate with it. Students strong in logical-mathematical intelligence may succeed specifically at understanding patterns, problem-solving scenarios, and abstractions. As such, these learners would be likely to pick up relatively quickly on understanding of overall language rules, especially as they relate to generaling verb tenses (e.g. the present participle of cook is cooking, and so the present participle of swim is swimming) and categorizing elements of language. Some out-of-the box logic puzzles might be engaging for such learners, though advanced for many students. As an example, a simple logic puzzle might ask students how someone that locked keys in a car drove the same car home, with the fact that the car was an open-topped convertible, as a solution. Learners high in bodily-kinesthetic intelligence may be most successful at hands-on learning, object manipulation, and physical activity; this type of intelligence ties in closely with visual-spatial intelligence. To teach such students, I might keep them occupied with an activity such as asking a question and throwing a ball to the student who must then answer the question. Further, I might use activities such as pictionary in particular to emphasize an association between a verb or concept and physical movement or gestures to represent the verb or concept. Students high in musical intelligence would succeed in understanding musical patterns, rhythms, and melodies. For such students, I might have them discuss their favorite music, use activities which emphasize sung melodies rather than sentences, and rely on some authentic materials such as existing songs; for such purposes I might use fairly popular and inoffensive songs, both that I am aware of in America, and songs that may be popular in the students' native country. For any activities, however, I would have to be aware that students might feel intimidated if asked to actually sing, so I might rely on volunteers, at least at first. Learners high in interpersonal intelligence are those that succeed at both verbal and nonverbal communication, have high levels of empathy, and interact well with others. As a teacher, such learners would be helpful to me in pushing their fellow students forward, helping clear up concepts to their fellow students that might seem to be on a more equal level than the teacher, and generally succeeding in pair-work and group-work. For such students, I would use role-playing pair scenarios such as asking for directions, going on dates, and creating vacation plans. As in all cases, the students must be engaged to focus on the lesson; in this case, those with high interpersonal intelligence might be tempted to bond with their fellow students or discuss gossip in their native language, if not kept on task. Those with high intrapersonal intelligence maintain a high level of self-awareness and emotional awareness, and may succeed highly at analyzing ideas. As a teacher, I believe such students, if properly engaged, would be very aware of any shortcomings that they might have in learning English (e.g. fluency, verb tenses, or communicating ideas). However, such introspective types might be prone to daydreaming, which might inhibit effective learning. For such learners, I think that cultivating individually meaningful activities, such as asking students for a sort of diary entry in which they could describe emotions they feel towards a certain topic or emotions they felt during a weekend experience, might be helpful. Those with high naturalistic intelligence are, as described, interested in and successful in topics relating to the natural world e.g. biology, the outdoors, or gardening. For such students, activities might include the creation of a fantasy zoo, or a description of flowers in some sort of paradise-like garden. While such students might share pattern recognition with the above logical-mathematical intelligence types, keeping such students on task in an unnatural, artificial setting such as a classroom might prove difficult. From contemplation of these multiple intelligences, I believe a key concept from my lessons, that of using variety in activities and material covered is important. Such teaching skills will come with time and experience. As well, every classroom is different, so any natural form of intelligence I possess will come into play. Source: Cherry, Kendra. “Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 17 July 2019, www.verywellmind.com/gardners-theory-of-multiple-intelligences-2795161.