Handling Diverse Learners

This is reality. Teachers are always confronted with the problem on how to make their pupils learn. By experience, teachers are teaching the lessons, but not their pupils. (And this is one of the common problems among my teachers in my school.)

If this is the case that the child is not learning in the manner the teachers are teaching. Therefore, the teacher must teach in the manner the child learns as pointed out by Rita Dunn (1929 - 2009), author of learning styles model.

It is pointed out that multiple intelligence is one of the greatest factors in making the child learns. Thus, diversity of learners comes to being. So as with different learning style model to handle different types of learners, too.

When the teacher is able to determine the different behavioral of her pupils, appropriate teaching strategy may be employed. For example, the teacher has observed that one of his pupils has a good command of words. There is a possibility that this pupil could be a good writer. Who knows he could be one of the top essay writers in the making.

Multiple Intelligence

Howard Garner (1983), an authority on multiple intelligence defines intelligence as "the ability to solve problems or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings."

"Intelligence is something you use, rather than something you have! The emphasis is on how you are smart, now how smart you are!"

It is how you use your intelligence that makes you being smart.

INSET

My teachers in their second day of in-service training tackled the different types of learners, their nature, their behaviors and on how they should be taught based on their manifest tendency to behave.

Ms. Ofelia N. Ayungon, a relief teacher reported the 8 types of people according to their major of interest or intelligence as pointed out by Garner.

These intelligences are classified as linguistic intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, logical-mathematic intelligence, musical intelligence, and naturalist intelligence.

Teachers' Traits

The school principal evaluated the teachers and he came up with the following group of intelligence after the teachers answered the survey questions on how or what they are good at.

Eighty-five percent of the teachers manifested the interpersonal intelligence. They are good in leading meetings and games. They help their friends. They are good listeners to other people's problems and they have lots of friends. In short, they are good with people. They are "people smart".

Twenty-five percen of them apparently displayed the two traits of music-mindedness and lover of nature.  They love to sing and they learn about nature.

Sociometry

As their output for this 2nd day of training, they had come up with a new socio-metric of their respective pupils according to the highest manifestation of "smart" traits theory of Gardner like word smart, logic smart, picture smart, body smart, music smart, people smart, self smart, and nature smart.

However, the teachers are challenged on how they classify the following type of workers based on the multiple intelligence theory of Garner?

1. Navigators, artists, architects, web-page designers, engineers, researchers, mechanics, builders, decorators

2. Botanists, zoologists, landscapers, farmers, hunters, chefs

3. Teachers, lawyers, psychologists, preachers, salespeople, politicians, advertisers, entertainers

4. Musicians, music critics, aerobics instructors, dancers, poets

5. Writers, journalists, editors, students

6. Scientists, engineers, mathematicians, doctors, accountants, contractors

7. Athletes, carpenters, crafters, potters, tailors, physical and occupational therapists, yoga teachers, inventors

What about you? Do you have any idea?