Based on Gardner’s Theory about
Multiple Intelligences, he suggested that we do not possess a single
intelligence, but range of intelligences. He listed eight different
intelligences which can predominate in different people. There are Bodily/Kinesthetic
Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence, Intrapersonal Intelligence,
Linguistic Intelligence, Logical/Mathematical Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Spatial
Intelligence,
and Naturalist Intelligence (Gardner, 1999; Davis, Christodoulou, &
Seider, 2008). In the classroom, same learning task may not be appropriate for
all students with different intelligences. For instance, a student with a
strong logical/mathematical intelligence might respond well to a complex
grammar explanation, a different student might need the comfort of diagrams and
physical demonstration because their strength is in the visual/spatial area.
Other students who have a strong interpersonal intelligence may require a more
interactive climate if their learning is to be effective (Harmer, 2011). Therefore,
teachers should present their lessons in a wide variety of learning strategies to
improve students’ language skill and facilitate the visualization of their
intelligences in the classroom.
There are several criteria to identify
individual intelligence: a). Certain individual should demonstrate particularly
high or low levels of a particular capacity in contrast to other capacities.
b). It should have a distinct neural representation—that is, its neural
structure and functioning should be distinguishable from that of other major
human faculties. c). It should have a distinct developmental trajectory. That
is, different intelligences should develop at different rates and along paths
which are distinctive. d). It should have some basis in evolutionary biology.
In other words, intelligence ought to have a previous instantiation in primate
or other species and putative survival value. e). It should be susceptible to
capture in symbol systems, of the sort used in formal or informal education.
f). It should be supported by evidence from psychometric tests of intelligence.
g). It should be distinguishable from other intelligences through experimental
psychological tasks. h). It should demonstrate a core, information-processing
system. That is, there should be identifiable mental processes that handle
information related to the intelligence. (Davis, Christodoulou, & Seider,
2008)
Gardner
described the eight intelligences which may possess by individual students: The first is Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence.
It is an ability to use one’s own body to create products or solve problems. Second, Interpersonal
Intelligence is an ability to recognize and understand other people’s
moods, desires, motivations, and intentions. It is possible to read another‟s mood and
thus influence how they behave (Ormrod, 2006, p.145; Davis, Christodoulou,
& Seider, 2008). Third,
Intrapersonal Intelligence is an ability to recognize and understand his
or her own moods, desires, motivations, and intentions. It involves knowing oneself, what one
can do, what one wants to do, and how one reacts to things (Guigon, 1998;
Davis, Christodoulou, Seider, 2008). Fourth, Linguistic Intelligence is
an ability to analyze information and create products involving oral and
written language such as speeches, books, and memos. The fifth is Logical/Mathematical
Intelligence. An ability to develop equations and proofs, make
calculations, and solve abstract problems which requires critical thinking and
reasoning, or formulate and test hypotheses using of the scientific method and
experimentation (Ormrod, 2006, p. 145; Davis, Christodoulou, & Seider, 2008).
Sixth, Musical Intelligence is an
ability to produce, remember, and make meaning of different patterns of sound.
Students may also compose works and learn about the basic theory and makeup of
music (Ormrod, 2006, p.145; Davis, Christodoulou, & Seider, 2008). The next
intelligence is Spatial Intelligence. It is an ability to recognize and manipulate
large-scale and fine-grained spatial images, to perceive the visual world
accurately, and recreate it in the mind or on paper (Guigon, 1998; Davis,
Christodoulou, & Seider, 2008). It is the ability to represent the spatial
world internally in one’s mind. The last intelligence is Naturalist Intelligence. It is an
ability to identify and distinguish among different types of plants, animals,
and weather formations that are found in the natural world. (Davis,
Christodoulou & Seider, 2008)
In
the classroom activity, teachers can give the class variety of activities based
on the eight intelligences which supports students’ language skill in listening, reading, writing,
speaking, grammar, vocabulary and literature. To support students who have
Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence, teachers can provide listening activity
that the listeners listen to three sections of a tape in three different places
then form groups to collaborate on their answers to a task. In reading activity
learners are given a cut-up jumbled reading text and re-order it. To supports students
ability in writing teachers can ask the
students to write stories in groups by writing the first sentence of a story on
a piece of paper and passing it to another learner for communication. To improve students’ speaking
skill teacher can ask the students to play a game where they obtain information
from various places in the classroom and report back. To enhance grammar skill, teachers can
ask students to play a board game with counters and dice to practice tenses. To improve students’ vocabulary
teachers can ask students to labels objects in the classroom with names. In literature skill
teachers can ask students to create a similar scene to one they have read about
and act it out. (Tanner, 2001; Harmer 2011)
Teachers can also provide some activities for
students who have Interpersonal Intelligence which support their language skill
in listening, reading, writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and literature. In listening activity, teachers can
order the students to check the answer to a listening task in pairs or groups
before listening a second time. In reading activity teachers can ask the
students to discuss answers to questions on a text in groups. To improve writing
ability teachers can order the students to write a dialogue in pairs. In
speaking activity teachers can give the students a problem-page letter and
discuss responses. The students can do a “find someone who …” activity related
to a grammar point to enhance their grammar skill. The students can test each
other vocabulary to check their vocabulary knowledge. In literature skill
teachers can divide students into groups and discuss their preferences for
characters in a book. (Tanner, 2001; Harmer 2011)
To facilitate students who
have Intrapersonal
Intelligence, teachers can give some activities to improve students’ language
skill in listening, reading, writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and
literature. In listening activity teachers can ask the students to think
individually about how they might have reacted, compared with someone on a
video they have seen. In reading activity teachers can ask students to reflect
on characters in a text how similar or different they are to them. By writing a
learning diary students can improve their writing ability. In speaking activity
teachers can ask the students to record a speech or talk of their own on a
cassette. Enhancing students’ grammar knowledge teachers can ask them to complete
sentences about themselves, practicing a grammar point for example completing
the sentence ‘I am as … as …’ for five times. Students can make their own
vocabulary booklet which contains words they think are important to learn to
improve their vocabulary knowledge. Students can write a diary for a few days
in the life of a character in a book to improve their literature skill. (Tanner, 2001; Harmer
2011)
Activities based on Linguistic
Intelligence which support students’ language skill in listening, reading,
writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and literature. Listening:
Learners write a letter after listening to a text. Reading: Learners answer
true/false questions about a text. Writing: Learners write a short story.
Speaking: in groups, learners discuss statement about a controversial topic.
Grammar: The teacher provides a written worksheet on a grammar point.
Vocabulary: Learners make mind maps of related words. Literature: Learners
rewrite part of a book as a film script, with instructions for the director and
actors. (Tanner,
2001; Harmer, 2011)
Activities based on Logical/Mathematical
Intelligence which supports students’ language skill in listening, reading,
writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and literature. Listening:
Learners listen to three pieces of text and decide what the correct sequence
is. Reading: Learners compare two characters or opinions in a text. Writing:
Learners write steps in a process such as recipe. Speaking: Learners in group
each have a picture. They discuss and re-order them, without showing them, to
create a story. Grammar: Learners learn grammar inductively, i.e., they work
out how a grammar rule works by using discovery activities. Vocabulary:
Learners discuss how many words they can thinking of related to another word
(e.g., photograph, photographer). Literature: Learners re-order a jumbled
version in a chapter of a novel they have read. (Tanner, 2001; Harmer, 2011)
Activities based on Musical Intelligence which
support students’ language skill in listening, reading, writing, speaking,
grammar, vocabulary and literature. Listening: Learners complete gaps in
the lyrics of a pop song. Reading: Learners listen to music extracts and decide
how they relate to a text on environmental issues. Writing: Learners write the
lyrics to an existing melody about a text or topic they have been dealing with
in class. Speaking: Learners listen to a musical video clip (with the TV
covered up) and discuss which images might accompany the music. Grammar:
Learners create a mnemonic or rhyme to help them remember a grammar point.
Vocabulary: Learners decide which new words they would like to learn from a pop
song. Literature: Learners find a piece of appropriate music to accompany
passage from a book. (Tanner, 2001; Harmer, 2011)
There are several activities
based on Spatial Intelligence which support students’ language skill in listening,
reading, writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and literature. In
listening skill students can complete a chart or diagram while listening. In
reading skill teachers can ask the students to predict the contents of a text
using an accompanying picture or photo. The students asked to make a collage with
illustrations and text about place in their country to enhance their writing
skill. To improve speaking skill, in pair students discover the differences
between two pictures without showing them to each other. Improving students’
grammar skill, the teacher can illustrate a grammar point with a series of
pictures of daily activities to show present simple. By cutting out a picture
from a magazine and label it, students can improve their vocabulary. In literature
skill students can draw a cartoon version of a story. (Tanner, 2001; Harmer, 2011)
Furthermore, several activities
based on Naturalist
Intelligence which supports students’ language skill in listening, reading,
writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and literature are listening to sound
inside and outside the classroom and discuss what they have heard in listening
skill. The students asked to read a text of environmental issues in reading
skill. The students asked to write a text that describes a natural scene in writing
skill. The students asked to discuss an environmental issue in speaking skill.
The students asked to do an activity associated with nature such walk by the
sea and write a story in the past tense about it to improve their grammar
skill. The students asked to make a mind map with work relates to nature to
enhance their vocabulary. In literature skill the students asked to read
descriptions of nature in a novel and then write their own. (Tanner, 2001;
Harmer, 2011)
They argue that
Gardner based his ideas more on reasoning and intuition than on empirical
studies. They note that there are no tests available to identify or measure the
specific intelligences and that the theory largely ignores decades of research
that show a tendency for different abilities to correlate—evidence of a general
intelligence factor (Teflpedia.com).
Yet this belief is not acceptable at all. Gardner’s (1983, 1999) conception of
intelligence as pluralistic grew out of his observation that individuals who
demonstrated substantial talent in domains as diverse as chess, music,
athletics, politics, and entrepreneurship possessed capacities in these domains
that should be accounted for in conceptualizing intelligence. Accordingly, in
developing MI theory and its broader characterization of intelligence, Gardner
did not focus on the creation and interpretation of psychometric instruments.
Rather, he drew upon research findings from evolutionary biology, neuroscience,
anthropology, psychometrics and psychological studies of prodigies and savants.
Through synthesis of relevant research across these fields, Gardner established
several criteria for identification of a unique intelligence. (Davis,
Christodoulou, & Seider, 2008)
Critics
argue that some of the intelligences Gardner identified, such as musical
intelligence and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, should be regarded simply as
talents because they are not usually required to adapt to life demand
(Teflpedia.com). However
it is really rejected, MI
theory conceives of intelligence as a combination of heritable potentials and
skills that can be developed in diverse ways through relevant experiences
(Gardner, 1983; Students). For example, one individual might be born with a
high intellectual potential in the bodily-kinesthetic sphere that allows him or
her to master the intricate steps of a ballet performance with relative ease.
For another individual, achieving similar expertise in the domain of ballet
requires many additional hours of study and practice. Both individuals are
capable of becoming strong performers—experts-- in a domain that draws on their
bodily-kinesthetic intelligence; however, the pathways along which they travel
in order to become strong performers may well differ quantitatively (in terms
of speed) and perhaps qualitatively (in terms of process). (Davis,
Christodoulou, & Seider, 2008)
To sum up, we should
accept that different intelligences predominates in different people, it
suggests that the same learning task may not be appropriate for all of
students. With Tanner’s Language Skills Activity Chart, teacher can see whether
they have given their class a variety of activities to help the various types
of learner. We can ensure that we give opportunities for visualization, for
students to work on their own, for sharing and comparing. By keeping our eye on
different individuals, we can direct them to learning activities which are best
suited to their own proclivities.
References
Davis, Christodoulou, & Seider.
2008. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Article. Harvard University.
Harmer, Jeremy. 2011. The Practice of
English Language Teaching 4th Edition. Pearson: Longman Group.
Bridge TEFL. 2011. The Roles of
Teachers and Learners. Hand book. Colorado, USA.
Teflpedia.com
INDRIANI DWI PUTRI
130221612295
Final Project: Academic Argumentative Essay
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