Learner Development

As a future teacher, I will be teaching fourth grade in a Title I school in Tucson, Arizona.

For my activity, I will be using a science lesson to expand students understanding of the

scientific method: ask a question, do background research, construct a hypothesis, test your

hypothesis by conducting an experiment, analyze your data and draw conclusions, and

communicate your results. To expand the knowledge of my students, I will conduct an

experiment to show them the effect salt has on water. I will present them with the question,

What happens to ice when salt touches it? I will then have students conduct their own,

individual research during their weekly computer lab time, and construct a written hypothesis

based on their findings. Students will individually share their hypothesis with the class. To put

their hypotheses to the test, I will demonstrate to the class what happens when salt comes in

contact with ice. In order to conduct this experiment, I will need an ice cube, salt, string, and a

spoon. I will stand at the front of our classroom, while the students sit in their seats. I will place

the ice cube on a table, and place the string on top of it. Then, I will take the spoon and lightly

sprinkle salt over the string and ice cube. After about 30 seconds, I will slowly lift the string, and

the students will see that part of the ice cube is frozen to the string. The entire experiment should

take about ten minutes with set-up, delivery, and cleanup.

To complete the steps of the scientific method, I will have the students reflect upon what

happened (analyze their observations) and draw conclusions as to why they believe part of the

ice cube was frozen to the string. They will then work in small groups to communicate their

results based on who had similar hypotheses. For assessment purposes, I will have the small

groups of five to six students create a collaborative write-up of the scientific method as it relates

to the class demonstration and experimental question. I will grade the groups on the proper order

and understanding of the scientific method as demonstrated by the contents of their write-up (i.e.
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if their hypothesis is more of a theory, where it includes a general principle instead of a specific

observation and mentions anything about it being well-substantiated or already tested, then I will

be able to determine that the students do not completely understand what a hypothesis is).
When examining this activity in regards to Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences,

several intelligences can be seen: Mathematical-Logical, Verbal-Linguistic, Interpersonal, and

Visual-Spatial. In terms of the Mathematical-Logical Intelligence, students will work through

cause and effect to determine why salt causes the ice cube to freeze to the string. They are also

able to draw conclusions and solve the experiment question based on reasoning as determined by

their research paired with the class demonstration. As students conduct their research in order to

construct a written hypothesis, they are focusing on the Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence, as they

read information, and portray their learning process and ideas by writing out their hypothesis.

Students also explore this Intelligence as they listen to my directions as I teach them the steps of

the scientific method, and verbally relay the procedural steps of the experiment during the class

demonstration. The students final write-up also focuses on this Intelligence as they write out

each part of the scientific method in regards to their findings. The final part of this activity

focuses on student collaboration with each other, as they work together to develop a final

experimental write-up. This group interaction is designed to focus on their Interpersonal

Intelligence as they work together with their peers to further develop their understanding of the

experiment and how it relates to the scientific method. In this activity, students not only get to

conduct research on the relationship between salt and ice, but they also get to see a visual

demonstration. My class demonstration helps students to focus on their Visual-Spatial

Intelligence as they can visually see what occurs when salt interacts with ice, and organize this

visual representation in their mind by seeing how it relates to their prior findings in their
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conducted research. These four intelligences in Gardners Theory further students understanding

of the scientific method.

In an educational setting, classes are made up of 20 to 30 very different students. Every

student learns in a different way. Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences reflects this idea. By

proposing these various intelligences, Gardner is providing teachers with information on how to

design their lessons to accommodate students various types of intelligences. This theory assists

in developing lessons that incorporate multiple intelligences to aim towards reaching every

student in the way that they learn best, which is why Gardners Theory is considered to be

educationally friendly. In my educational courses, it seems as though one of the main goals of

teaching is to try and tend to the various learning styles of your students. I think that Gardners

Theory really focuses on doing that. Although I feel as though not every student learns in exactly

his eight (now ten, if you count spiritual and existential) intelligences, his theory provides a

general basis for developing lessons that include as many different intelligences as possible. I can

see how Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences can be a great asset to teachers as they work

towards increasing the knowledge of their diverse class of students in the most effective way

possible. I feel as though teachers can especially benefit from incorporating the Verbal-Linguistic

Intelligence into their classroom. A majority of what occurs in a classroom setting is based on

reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Teachers would most likely not get through a day

without using these four skills to teach their students and develop their level of understanding.

Therefore, I feel as though this intelligence is the easiest for teachers to use. While examining

Gardners eight original intelligences, it is difficult to determine the hardest intelligence to use in

the classroom because I feel as though all of the intelligences can be incorporated fairly easily

into a lesson or activity. However, although I plan on incorporating music into my classroom, I

have to say that Musical Intelligence is probably the hardest for the majority of teachers to
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incorporate. I am writing my Honors Thesis on music integration in the elementary classroom,

and in my research, I have discovered that most teachers are afraid to incorporate music into

their lessons because they are not confident in their musical abilities. This draws me to the

conclusion that teachers have the most difficulty incorporating Musical Intelligence into their

classroom.
When looking at Sternbergs Theory of Intelligence, the analytical component is most

applicable to my task, as students conduct research in regards to a specific question, are given a

demonstration, and then expected to analyze what they saw and think through the question

(problem) to draw a conclusion. In my aforementioned task, I feel as though Sternbergs creative

component is least applicable. Students are asked to draw a conclusion based on the specific

reason that causes ice to freeze to a string when salt is sprinkled on it. They are not given the

opportunity in this task to think about different solutions to the problem or utilize their art

smarts. When thinking about the various modern intelligence theories as a student, Gardners

Theory of Multiple Intelligences appeals to me the most because I have found that I learn

differently based on the task at hand. When in a music rehearsal, I utilize my Musical

Intelligence, whereas when I am writing a paper, I cant listen to music at all. I need a quiet

environment where I can focus on using my Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence. While the three
theories we have examined in class (Gardners, Sternbergs, and emotional) all have elements
that appeal to me, Gardners Theory is what I can connect to the most, as I am able to see how I

can apply each different intelligence to the various ways in which I effectively learn.