The Brain and Beyond

Mrs. Sterbinsky

Advanced Responding to Reading

UEQ: How will understanding my cognitive style increase my ability to learn?

Outline• Learning Styles

– How do I learn best?– What study strategies are preferred for my learning

style?• Multiple Intelligences

– What are multiple intelligences?– Where do my intelligences lie?

• The Brain– Decision making: What makes us moral?– How does our memory operate?– How can we keep our brains sharp?– How does the teen brain differ from the adult brain?– Who’s better at what?: boys vs. girls– What does the word genius mean?

Multiple Intelligences

EQ: What are multiple intelligences?

Do Now: What is intelligence?

Intelligence: -the ability to comprehend; to

understand and profit from experience

-the ability to learn, reason, and problem solve.

Multiple Intelligence

• Intelligence is often considered how well you score on tests or what your grades are in school

• Howard Gardner– Recognized many discrete (separate)

facets of cognition (The mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment).

– People have different cognitive strengths and styles

How many are there? 7-8-9?

• Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory states that there are at least different ways of learning anything

1- body/kinesthetic2- interpersonal3- intra-personal4- logical/mathematical5- musical/rhythmic6- verbal/linguistic 7- visual/spatial8- naturalist (newly added)9- existential? (newly added but many do not agree)

Where does your true intelligence lie?

• Please pull out a piece of lined paper. You will now take a quiz that will tell you where you stand and what to do about it.

• Read each statement. If it expresses some characteristic of yours and sounds true for the most part, jot down a "T." If it doesn't, mark an "F." If the statement is sometimes true, sometimes false, leave it blank.

MI Test (Part 1)

1. _____ I'd rather draw a map than give someone verbal directions.

2. _____ I can play (or used to play) a musical instrument. 3. _____ I can associate music with my moods. 4. _____ I can add or multiply in my head. 5. _____ I like to work with calculators and computers. 6. _____ I pick up new dance steps fast. 7. _____ It's easy for me to say what I think in an argument or

debate. 8. _____ I enjoy a good lecture, speech or sermon. 9. _____ I always know north from south no matter where I

am. 10. _____ Life seems empty without music. 11. _____ I always understand the directions that come with

new gadgets or appliances. 12. _____ I like to work puzzles and play games. 13. _____ Learning to ride a bike (or skates) was easy. 14. _____ I am irritated when I hear an argument or statement

that sounds illogical. 15. _____ My sense of balance and coordination is good.

MI Test (Part 2)16._____ I often see patterns and relationships between numbers

faster and easier than others. 17. _____ I enjoy building models (or sculpting). 18. _____ I'm good at finding the fine points of word meanings. 19. _____ I can look at an object one way and see it sideways or

backwards just as easily. 20. _____ I often connect a piece of music with some event in my

life. 21. _____ I like to work with numbers and figures. 22. _____ Just looking at shapes of buildings and structures is

pleasurable to me. 23. _____ I like to hum, whistle and sing in the shower or when

I'm alone. 24. _____ I'm good at athletics. 25. _____ I'd like to study the structure and logic of languages. 26. _____ I'm usually aware of the expression on my face. 27. _____ I'm sensitive to the expressions on other people's

faces. 28. _____ I stay "in touch" with my moods. I have no trouble

identifying them. 29. _____ I am sensitive to the moods of others. 30. _____ I have a good sense of what others think of me.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE SCORING SHEET

Place a check mark by each item you marked as "true.” Add your totals. A total of four in any of the categories A through E indicates strong ability. In categories F and G a score of one or more means you have abilities as well.

A B C D E F GLinguistic

Logical/ Mathematical

Musical Visual/Spatial

Bodily-Kinesthetic

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

7 __ 4 __ 2 __ 1 __ 6 __ 26__ 27__

8 __ 5 __ 3 __ 9 __ 13__ 28__ 29__

14__ 12__ 10__ 11__ 15__ 30__

18__ 16__ 20__ 19__ 17__

25__ 21__ 23__ 22__ 24__Totals: __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Children who are strongly:

Think Love Need

Verbal/Linguistic

in words reading, writing, telling stories, playing word games, etc.

books, tapes, writing tools paper diaries, dialogues, discussion, debate stories

Logical- Mathematical

by reasoning

experimenting, questioning, figuring out puzzles, calculating, etc.

things to explore and think about, science materials, manipulatives, trips to the planetarium and science museum

Visual/Spatial

in images and pictures

designing, drawing, visualizing, doodling, etc.

art, LEGOs, video, movies, slides, imagination games, mazes, puzzles, illustrated books, trips to art museums

Bodily- Kinesthetic

through somatic sensations

dancing, running, jumping, building, touching, gesturing, etc.

role play, drama, movement, things to build, sports and physical games, tactile experiences, hands-on learning

Musical/Rhythmic

via rhythms and melodies

singing, whistling, humming, tapping feet and hands, listening, etc.

sing-along time, trips to concerts, music playing at home and school, musical instruments

Interpersonal

by bouncing ideas off other people

leading, organizing, relating, manipulating, mediating, partying, etc.

friends, group games, social gatherings, community events, clubs, mentors/apprenticeships

Intrapersonal

deeply inside themselves

setting goals, meditating, dreaming,

being quiet, secret places, time alone, self-paced projects, choices

Is this you?

EQ: Why is it important that we understand multiple

intelligences?

Day 2

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

• ability to use words and language. These learners have highly developed auditory skills and are generally elegant speakers. They think in words rather than pictures.

• Their skills include:-listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining, teaching, using humor,

understanding the syntax and meaning of words, remembering information, convincing someone of their point of view, analyzing language usage

• Possible career interests:-Poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, translator

**http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/verbal-linguistic/

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

• ability to use reason, logic and numbers. These learners think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns making connections between pieces of information. Always curious about the world around them, these learner ask lots of questions and like to do

experiments. • Their skills include:

-problem solving, classifying and categorizing information, working with abstract concepts to figure out the relationship of each to the other, handling long chains of reason to make local progressions, doing controlled experiments, questioning and wondering about natural events, performing complex mathematical calculations, working with geometric shapes

• Possible career paths:

-Scientists, engineers, computer programmers, researchers, accountants, mathematicians

**http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/logical-mathematical/

Visual/Spatial Intelligence

• ability to perceive the visual. These learners tend to think in pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information. They enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies.

• Their skills include:

-puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, interpreting visual images.

• Possible career interests:

-navigators, sculptors, visual artists, inventors, architects, interior designers, mechanics, engineers

**http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/visual-spatial/

Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence

• ability to control body movements and handle objects skillfully. These learners express themselves through movement. They have a good sense of balance and eye-hand co-ordination. (e.g. ball play, balancing beams). Through interacting with the space around them, they are able to remember and process information.

• Their skills include:

-dancing, physical co-ordination, sports, hands on experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting, miming, using their hands to create or build, expressing emotions through the body

• Possible career paths:

-Athletes, physical education teachers, dancers, actors, firefighters, artisans

**http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/bodily-kinesthetic/

Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

• ability to produce and appreciate music. These musically inclined learners think in sounds, rhythms and patterns. They immediately respond to music either appreciating or criticizing what they hear. Many of these learners are extremely sensitive to environmental sounds (e.g. crickets, bells, dripping taps).

• Their skills include: -singing, whistling, playing musical instruments, recognizing tonal patterns,

composing music, remembering melodies, understanding the structure and rhythm of music

• Possible career paths:

- musician, disc jockey, singer, composer

**http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/musical/

Interpersonal Intelligence

• ability to relate and understand others. These learners try to see things from other people's point of view in order to understand how they think and feel. They often have an uncanny ability to sense feelings, intentions and motivations. They are great organizers, although they sometimes resort to manipulation. Generally they try to maintain peace in group settings and encourage co-operation. They use both verbal (e.g. speaking) and non-verbal language (e.g. eye contact, body language)  to open communication channels with others.

• Their skills include:-seeing things from other perspectives (dual-perspective), listening, using empathy, understanding other people's moods and feelings, counseling, co-operating with groups, noticing people's moods, motivations and intentions, communicating both verbally and non-verbally, building trust, peaceful conflict resolution, establishing positive relations with other people.

• Possible Career Paths:-Counselor, salesperson, politician, business person, coach

**http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/interpersonal/

Intrapersonal Intelligence

• ability to self-reflect and be aware of one's inner state of being. These learners try to understand their inner feelings, dreams, relationships with others, and strengths and weaknesses.

• Their Skills include:

-Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting and analyzing themselves, awareness of their inner feelings, desires and dreams, evaluating their thinking patterns, reasoning with themselves, understanding their role in relationship to others

• Possible Career Paths:

-Researchers, theorists, philosophers

**http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/intrapersonal/

Naturalist Intelligence

• How we relate to our surroundings and where we fit into it. These learners enjoy gardening, scenic places, and having pets. Conscious of changes in weather and like to camp, hike and fish.

• Their skills include:– ability to recognize and categorize plants, animals and other

objects in nature– gifted at nurturing and growing things– Interacting and caring for animals

• Possible careers

– conservationist, farmer, zookeeper, animal trainer, veterinarian