...orphanages... (The perfectionist English teacher in me couldn't let that go! :D)

Hello Dr. Howard Gardner,

I am writing to suggest a partnership between Multiple Intelligences and School for International Training (World Learning) - on a global basis but more specifically in Muscat, Oman where they have just recently started an innovative Master program.

I am HUGE fan of your ideas! I would like to be able to orient my career in education around the MI practice and research - my dream = to design educational programs and apply them in orphaneges around the world but especially in Romania, Oman, Kenya, Nigeria and Brazil. (I am originally from Romania, but having an American education)(just feel a bit lost as the movement seems to be in its beginnings when it comes to professional development)

I've looked at Harvard for a master degree. However, it seems a bit unreachable for me in terms of finances at the moment. I've also looked at School for International Training for a master in TESOL. I can visualize an amazing partnership between MI and SIT in Oman where I plan to move and work as a college teacher. And of course I would like to be part of that in any form...as a Master degree student for now.

Just an inspiring thought.

Thank you for all your work for this humanity.

Many blessings!

Yours truly,

Roxana Fera

Thank you all for your input and Josh I am serious about it. I will contact you soon.

Thank you.

Roxy

MI approaches can create an enhanced learning environment, in harmony with Krashen's principles:
*A RICH VARIETY OF COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT
*A LOW-ANXIETY SITUATION
*REAL MESSAGES OF REAL INTEREST

A short (1 to 3 minutes) close-captioned movie segment offers the learner a synergistic schemata of opportunities for comprehensible INPUT. The visual images themselves are comprehensible and are stored in the students' memories as EXPERIENCES, rather than as a language lesson that must be "studied/learned" because the teacher will test the students for their ability to "remember" the lesson.

A schematic tapestry of English words becomes associated with the movie's images and emotions. Plot, character,music, emotion--these are the 'hooks' by which the language becomes comprehensible input and stored intake. This dynamic is quite different from the artificial approaches typically used--vocabulary lists, linear progressions in grammar complexity etc.)

To use another metaphor, the memories of the movie segment can be seen as gravitational schemata which can attract and retain words associated with the images. As the learner thinks of a scene, an ever-expanding constellation of words and sentences can become linked in the memory with a pleasant (LOW-ANXIETY) experience, rich with REAL MESSAGES OF REAL INTEREST. As the learner thinks of one character,
a tremendous variety of adjectives and actions can become part of the schemata.

This is in harmony with the episode hypothesis, which states that "text (i.e. discourse in any form) will be easier to produce, understand, and recall to the extent that it is motivated and structured episodically...these ideas lead to the supposition that perhaps second language teaching would be more successful if it incorporated principles of good story writing along with the benefits of sound linguistic analysis." (Oller)

In addition to discussion/description of movie segments, learners also should be active in role play based upon the movie segments. In Why Drama Works: A Psycholinguistic, Susan Stern at UCLA brings together a wide range of research relating to the power of role play for creating an enjoyable and effective second language environment:
Motivation
Self-esteem
Sensitivity to rejection
Empathy
Spontaneity

( from my http://tinyurl.com/ChinaMovieMagic )

We have decided to start a discussion on some of the most frequently asked questions.  These questions are generally answered by our own staff.  Please feel free to jump in and discuss whatever is on your mind.



Question:

Hello, I am curious if there is an online questionnaire to determine which 'intelligence' area a person has strengths in?



Response:

There are many surveys available online that at least purport to assess individual's intelligence strengths.  Any of these must be taken with a huge grain of salt, as they are not really assessments but self-report surveys (Your 'strengths' as identified in the survey will be based on your own assessment of yourself, within the very limited confines of a questionnaire.)  So, a better way is to do more extensive self-reflection, compiling all the things you do, are good at, in what contexts.  THEN analyze all these activities for patterns -- do you bring a "spatial" perspective or approach to your activities; are you most able at spatially oriented tasks and activities, job?



One question to ask is whether identifying strengths will be useful. How will you use the information?  Knowing interests and preferences -and analyzing that in terms of the intelligences is a lot more accurate and just as, if not more, useful unless you are assessing for entry into gifted programs or something like that.



MI 'reflections' rather than 'measurement' or 'assessment'  are the best way to get a "thick description" of yourself-- additional insights from someone else adds to the richness of the description.

As a MovieMagic EFL teacher in China since 1999, I have been using movie-based role play and project-based learning, within the spirit of MI. Also within this spirit was my recent presentation at the Jan 4--6 International Civic Education Conference at Beijing Normal U.:"Morphing China's English Corners for Wikinomics Generations." (http://citizen-09.nmsu.edu/) My 5-minute presentation will: *emphasize the great opportunity in China for linking MI with EFL (and MFL) and PBL (Project-based Learning) *suggest the tremendous potential for linking Wikinomics dynamics with MI-inspired learning materials, using Web-based peer production of materials for English learners and for Mandarin learners *give video clips from my classes at Shanghai Industry and Commerce Foreign Languages College. Those in my classes are 1st year students, 90% female, coming from Shanghai as well as the poorer provinces, without high scores on the national exam. Particularly important--and effective--for my students is the MI motto: "Nurture the learner, know the learner, trust the learner." The video will demonstrate the movie-based MI dynamics of my classes. BELOW is a general outline of the classes. Learners (Ls) view brief movie segments---usually 5 minutes or less Teacher (T) usually then summarizes what was SEEN and HEARD, in a sequential fashion. Ls then work in pairs, in 2 lines of chairs facing each other: AND (occasionally) *(when volume/subtitles are turned OFF, and T does not summarize) Ls guess the nature of the interaction/emotions AND/OR *tell the story...with one student speaking in Chinese and the other translating simultaneously into English AND/OR *both L pairs tell the story...taking turns AND/OR *L pairs do role plays from the movie sequence AND/OR *L pairs discuss the movie, based upon their homework>>reading movie reviews from www.imdb.com and/or www.metacritic.com and their translations of difficult/interesting words into Chinese Ls circulate systematically around the lines of chairs...moving one or more chairs to their right...then perform ABOVE with new partners. When appropriate, Ls also relate movie-based story/role plays/discussions to distributed class materials relating to topics such as: *Customer Service *Dealing with Difficult People *Problem-solving *Brain-storming *Creativity *Leadership *Success In each class: * Ls listen to Ls' PBL assignments from www.voxopop.com * T mentions positive elements of their assignment, and offers suggestions for improvement * Ls read aloud/discuss one or more movie reviews (with translated difficult/interesting words) done by Ls for homework * circulating L pairs quiz each other on new vocabulary words, from the movies and/or from the movie reviews For Homework: *(As described ABOVE)Ls do different Movie Reviews for the assigned movie *L then read their list of English--Mandarin words into the MovieMagic page at www.voxopop.com, and list these words in the page. (So these materials are suitable for both English as well as Mandarin learning.) (My Blog of several years, from www.eslcafe.com is available at: http://tinyurl.com/ChinaMovieMagic )

There is program in Russian/Ukraine language? :)

Hello,



A good place to start for implementing MI theory in a private or public foreign language program is taking a professional development course in MI from the MI institute or Harvard Graduate School. Then take an IDLTM from Cambridge - there's one in Barcelona every year.  Once you have a good grasp of the theory, then you are in a better position to implement MI-infused language classes.  After that, you should visit a MI school, like New City in St. Louis to get an idea of the best practices and atmosphere of an MI-infused school. 



Beyond all of the above, there are a couple of good books I can recommend:



"Becoming a MI School" by Tom Hoerr



"Multiple Intelligences in the Elementary Classroom" by Susan Baum, Julie Viens, and Barbara Slatin



and "Multiple Intelligences in the EFL Classroom" by Herbert Puchta and Mario Rinvolucri  (please use caution with this book, the exercises can be a waste if not used in conjuction with MI best practices)





If you're serious about this, you can skip much of the above by getting in touch with me either by email or through my website, as low-cost business consulting with private language schools in Europe is my specialty.  I will be in Cambridge and Oxford at the end of the month if you'd like to arrange a meeting.  



Josh Lange

Dresden, Germany 



http://mitraining.schools.officelive.com

Hi,



Have you tried using MI to enhance French-learning?

A colleague of mine in Poland is asking that same question, except with children whose mother-tongue is Polish.  I'll see if she can join us here and give us some insights!



From a broader point of you, and it's likely you've thought about it  in this way, MI has been used in second language learning to expand the entry points through which students learn the language - sometimes as simply as learning the "jargon" of a student interest, for example focusing on learning about music by studying music in French, french music. 



I believe MI also helps us think about using language authentically and meaningfully when we are teaching it. Also, thinking about how the different intelligences come into play in communication (not just 'talking') in the real world -- intra and interpersonal, even logical math... This helps teachers come up with ways of student experiencing of language in their learning settings, that emphasizes the use of their strong intelligences important to making meaningful language.  For example, all students, but with an eye toward students who are strong interpersonally, would participate in activities to learn French that emphasize interpersonal intelligence; similarly with bodily kinesthetic.  



I'll stop there and look forward to your thoughts and additions to this discussion.



Best, Julie