Who am I is a question that is asked by many well educated individuals. I could answer this question many ways. I could say: “My name’s Keri,” or I could say “I am a linguistic learner that enjoys learning by myself outdoors.” After first learning about Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences as a freshman in college I immediately found myself categorized as a linguistic learner, but who decided this? Was it me? Was it my mom or my dad? Was it the website that Dr. Dornish gave us? Or was it Howard Gardner?
Personally, I agree with Gardner’s theory that there are multiple intelligences. I teach fifty students, each of them is an individual, each learns in a distinctly different way. As a teacher there are times that I hit a proverbial wall, and cannot figure out how to get a point through to them. It is at times like those that I find myself thinking about Gardner. I start to analyze the concept that I’m teaching and attempt to look at it from varying points of view. We are told by our administrators that we must “differentiate instruction” to address this issue. We’re told that we must have a “DI” center, where the students can take worksheets that address their needs, a worksheet that focuses on their skill weaknesses. I want to stand on a desk and scream, “That’s not differentiated instruction!” Differentiated instruction is when I target my students learning needs and focus my instruction in a way that they can understand. For example teaching my sister mathematically would not be successful for any educator, they would need to target her linguistic and interpersonal skills and teach her a mathematical concept through those channels.
Unfortunately it’s 2008 and I teach in New York and that translates to “teaching to tests”. I spend countless hours planning my lessons; unfortunately a lot of the things that I’ve thought of are impossible to do because of the many standardized tests that my students must take. I spend a great deal of time preparing them for these exams. I know of many great educators that have retired from the field solely because of the excessive tests that are forced upon the students.
Sadly, I feel that Dr. Gardner’s statement is correct. Too much emphasis is placed on categorizing the students. (And I don’t mean categorizing them based on Gardner’s Theory; I mean who needs help with main idea, which students need help with sequencing, etc.) No longer is there time for teachable moments or cross-curricular learning. No longer is there time for students to have fun and actually enjoy what they’re doing. I went into teaching because I love what I do. I love the feeling that I get inside when the light bulb turns on and my student finally grasps what I’m trying to teach them. Unfortunately because of NCLB’s excessive testing I rarely have the opportunity to experience that feeling. Maybe that’s why so many first-rate educators have left this field.
