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Using learners styles and differences to help students learn more and betterBruna CaltabianoLivraria Martins Fontes July 26, 2014.So Paulo, Brazil

ChallengeMr. Brown has 6 black gloves and 10 brown gloves in his closet. He blindly picks up some gloves from the closet.

What is the minimum number of gloves Mr. Brown will have to pick to be certain to find a pair of gloves of the same color?

HINTSIf you pick 2 gloves blindly, can they be of different colors?

If you pick 3 gloves blindly, can they be of different colors?

Solution: 33

Are they intelligent?

What is intelligence?

the ability to learn, understand, and think about things: To be good at the game you need a reasonable level of intelligence.high/low intelligence John showed high intelligence from an early age.

b) a high level of this ability: a woman who had both beauty and intelligence

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"If something exists, it exists in some amount.If it exists in some amount, then it is capable of being measured. - Ren Descartes

(Principles of Philosophy, 1644)

Alfred Binet 1905Revised in 1908, 1911 and 1916Stanford-Binet

Wechsler WAIS WISC1955Timeline

Current Wechsler (WAISIV, WISCIV, WPPSIIV) IQ classificationIQ Range ("deviation IQ")IQ Classification130 and aboveVery Superior120129Superior110119High Average90109Average8089Low Average7079Borderline69 and belowExtremely Low

WAIS and WISC chronological and mental age8

Multiple Intelligence Theory (MI)

First articulated by Howard Gardner, in 1983.

"It's not how smart you are that matters, what really counts is how you are smart.

In his formulation, we all have a number of different intelligences. He firstly mentioned 7 of them, now there are 8, and probably there will be more discovered in the future.

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The different intelligences

We probably all have these 8 intelligences, but in different proportions.Linguistic intelligence This is the ability to use spoken and written language effectively to express yourself. Lawyers, writers, and speakers tend to have high linguistic intelligence.Logical-mathematical intelligence This is the ability to analyze problems logically, work effectively with mathematical operations, and investigate issues using the scientific method. Finding patterns and deductive reasoning are other capabilities associated with this intelligence. People working in the scientific and mathematical communities tend to be high in this type of intelligence.Musical intelligence This is the ability to perform, compose, and appreciate musical patterns, including changes in pitch, tone, and rhythm. Successful musicians, composers, and people involved in music production have high levels of musical intelligence.Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence This is the ability to use the body for expression. People high in this intelligence use their physical coordination to master problems. Professional dancers and athletes are good examples of this.Spatial intelligence This is the ability to recognize, use, and interpret images and patterns and to reproduce objects in three dimensions. Successful architects, sculptors and designers are likely to have high spatial intelligence.Interpersonal intelligence This is the ability to understand people's intentions, motivations, and desires. This intelligence allows individuals to work well with others. Professions like therapy, teaching, and sales attract individuals with high interpersonal intelligence.Intrapersonal intelligence This is the ability to understand yourself, and to interpret and appreciate your own feelings and motivations. Therapists, actors, caregivers, and writers are all people who can bring high levels of personal awareness to their work.Naturalist intelligence This is the ability to recognize and appreciate our relationship with the natural world. Astronomers, biologists, and zoologists are examples of professions with a high level of naturalist intelligence. (This is the eighth intelligence that Gardner added, after first publication of his model.)

Traditional Educational System may have tended to focus on some intelligence over others.

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Lack of evidence?1994 Sternberg2000 Allix2004 Sternberg and Grigerenko

2004 - Gardner asserted that he would be "delighted were such evidence to accrue

In 1994 Sternberg reported finding no empirical studies.In 2000 Allix reported finding noempiricalvalidating studies, and at that time Gardner and Connell conceded that there was "little hard evidence for MI theory" (2000, p. 292). In 2004 Sternberg and Grigerenko stated that there were no validating studies for multiple intelligences, and in 2004 Gardner asserted that he would be "delighted were such evidence to accrueHoward Gardners theory of multiple intelligences has not been readily accepted within academic psychology.

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North America: some schools have looked to structure curricula according to the intelligences.

Positive responseapplied by teachers to the problems of schooling.

Seven kinds of intelligence would allow seven ways to teach, rather than one.

Educational Use(Gardner, 1993)

it has met with a strongly positive response from many educators. It has been embraced by a range of educational theorists and, significantly, applied by teachers and policymakers to the problems of schooling. A number of schools in North America have looked to structure curricula according to the intelligences, and to design classrooms and even whole schools to reflect the understandings that Howard Gardner develops. The theory can also be found in use within pre-school, higher, vocational and adult education initiatives.

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.. the theory validates educators everyday experience: students think and learn in many different ways. It also provides educators with a conceptual framework for organizing and reflecting on curriculum assessment and pedagogical practices. In turn, this reflection has led many educators to develop new approaches that might better meet the needs of the range of learners in their classrooms.(Kornhaber, 2003)

Different Styles

Teaching the child in:

his/her best modality

the contents best modality

(Willingham, 2005)

Children do differ in their abilities with different modalities, but it does not affect his educational achievementThe idea that people may differ in their ability to learn new material depending on its modalitythat is, whether the child hears it, sees it, or touches ithas been tested for over 100 years. And the idea that these differences might prove useful in the classroom has been around for at least 40 years.TEST: students see the object, students listen to the names no difference in learning styles

What cognitive science has taught us is that children do differ in their abilities with different modalities, but teaching the child in his best modality doesn't affect his educational achievement. What does matter is whether the child is taught in the content's best modality.The way we teach something may also depend on what it is we are teaching. For example, timelines are a good way of showing tenses, but the same cant really be said for modals. The content here is more important than what we perceive our learners learning styles to be. The point is, this is what we know as teachers to be intuitively true, whether its been proven scientifically or not. (Williams)16

_So why, if it isnt based on any real evidence, does the theory feel so right?

(Williams, 2014)_Well, it feels intuitively right.

We all probably know someone who has a lot of energy and is good at sport, and so its easy to label them as a kinaesthetic learner. Indeed, people are different. People have different tastes and interests. People have had different experiences of life, which lead them to store knowledge of the world in different ways17

(The Blind Side 2009)

.

You cant really take all these individual differences into account. The important thing is to teach the class

I teach very little to the class as a whole but my class has lots of individual tasks and small group work. I think the classroom is always a set of private lessons as many as there are individuals.

You can adapt class lessons to I respond to many individual needs and differences within the group.(Scrivener, 2005)

Three teachers: As a generalization, which one is the most similar to you?

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The own character of a class The sum of individuals in it

The important thing to remember here is that although the ideas behind learning styles theories (and other pseudo-science) arent based on any real evidence, it doesnt mean that we shouldnt vary the way we teach in order to keep our students motivated. Very often students may just need one more example put in a different way in order to reach that Eureka! moment, regardless of their preferred way of learning. (Williams)20

Managing DifferencesGathering useful feedback from learners

Questionnaire for learners: Individual Learners Preferences

(Scrivener, 2005)

How can we manage to balancewhole class work with attention to individual differences?Get what students like to do: working in pairs, small groups, discussions, explanations, doing exercises, etcExample: Questionnaire for learners: Individual learning preferences taken from LearningTeaching p. 408, by Jim Scrivener

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Students (unedited) comments(Harmer, 2007)

I didnt like this kind of music. I prefer different kind fo music.It is difficult to express your feeling even in my mother language, but finally I could written down something.I think that music is an excellent way to learn. But I think it will be more interesting if we work with the lyrics of songsI liked this lesson. Because it was funny...

I liked this subject because everyone could find a connection part of them. After we listened a part of music we could descrive what we think.. I love to learn about music

Those are the comments from a multinational group of adult students in Britain, were written in response to a lesson in which they were asked to write na imaginary film scene based on a particular piece of music. Apart from demonstrating how individuals respond differently to the same activity, these comments help us decide whether to use a similar kind of activity again, whether to amend it or whether to abandon it.22

2. Using your intuition3. Vary activities within a unit

It is essential that we try to ensure that different learners styles are catered for as often as possible. (Harmer, 2007)

As a language teacher, it is not difficult to realize which activities work and which do not.

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The important thing to remember here is that although the ideas behind learning styles theories (and other pseudo-science) arent based on any real evidence, it doesnt mean that we shouldnt vary the way we teach in order to keep our students motivated. Very often students may just need one more example put in a different way in order to reach that Eureka! moment, regardless of their preferred way of learning. (Williams, 2014)

3 sections in 3 different placesChecking anwers (pairs and groups)Reacting to a videoWriting after listeningDeciding on the correct sequenceFilling in the blanksListening to sounds Completing a chart or diagram

Listening

How to teach a listening activity to different kinds of intelligence?Learners listen to three sections of a tape in three different places, then form a group to collaborate on their answers to a task.Learners check their answers to a listening task in pairs or groups before listening a second time.Learners watch a video and think how they would have reacted to the situation shown and compare with someone.Learners write a letter after listening to a text.Learners listen to three pieces of text and decide what the correct sequence is.Learners complete gaps in the lyrics of a pop song.Learners listen to sounds inside and outside the classroom and discuss what they have heard.Learners complete a chart or diagram while listening.

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Besides English, I also studied French and SpanishI have two dogs and one cat.

I was born in the countryside of So Paulo

New York City is my favorite city in the world.I love watching drama movies.Warm-up: The truth about me(Puchta & Rinvolucri, 2005)When I was at school, I used to prefer Physics to Arts.

Speaking: A logical-mathematical look at a work of art(Adapted from Puchta & Rinvolucri, 2005)Yayoi Kusama

Infinite obsession - YAYOI KUSAMAask students to discuss the colors: the ones they see the most, the least, object or shape, the first thing they have noticed, if there is a hidden emotion, why they think so, what questions they would like to ask 27

Reading Sequence in a story

(Adapted from Puchta & Rinvolucri, 2005)

Writing A correspondence with oneselfPuchta & Rinvolucri, 2005.

Ask students to write a letter to themselves, to be read in the last week of the term. It will be read by themselves, not by anyone else, not even you. They can make plans, write about their feelings, or write something they would like to read later on. Of course it must be written in English. They put the date, start the letter with Dear + their, sign the letter, seal the envelope and give it to you they can write freely, for once, without having to worry about teachers correction. It is linguistic, of course, but mainlly intrapersonal29

Writing - The story of your hopes and dreams(Adapted from Puchta & Rinvolucri, 2005)

Ask students to write my dream/my objective in the center of the page and jot down in a form of mind map all associations that come to mind. Then, they may write a fictional story, making up a character, starting with once upon a time. They might want to share with the rest of the classesLinguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal30

If teachers can be guided to recognize students unique strengths and weaknesses through attention to MI, and can follow with appropriately geared activities, they will certainly enrich their language courses andwill possibly enable students to better accomplish their purposes. (Brown, 2007)1. Provide students with different activities2. Understand and deal with students frustration.

3. Understand and deal with your own frustration.

Are they intelligent?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKSBrown, Douglas. Teaching by Principles: An interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. New York: Pearson Education, 2007.Gardner, Howard. Multiple Intelligences: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books, 1993.

BIBLIOGRAPHYHarmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2007.Puchta, Herbert; Rinvolucri, Mario. Multiple Intelligences in EFL. Padova: Helbling Languages, 2005.Richards, Jack; Renandya, Willy. Methodology in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.Scrivener, Jim. Learning Teaching. Oxford: Macmillan Education, 2005.

WEBSITEShttp://psychology.about.com/od/psychologicaltesting/a/int-history.htm

http://www.newscientist.com/data/doc/article/dn19554/instant_expert_13_-_intelligence.pdf

http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae/summer2005/willingham.cfm

http://www.richmondshare.com.br/revisiting-elt-mantras-4-visual-learners-need-to-see-things-kinaesthetic-learners-need-to-do-things/

http://infed.org/mobi/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences-and-education/

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caltabiano.idiomas

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