Maddie Keig – ELA

UTL-101

28 January 2018

Professor K. Martin

Student-Centered Learning

Proponents and critics of theories of learning styles or multiple intelligences both have

one thing in common: they agree on a massive upheaval of the public education system. Howard

Gardner, a supporter of the Multiple Intelligence Theory, advertises that we need to take an

intense, hands-on approach to a small number of subjects, as well as have assessments to fit the

need of every childs’ “intelligence,” which is varied ways of understanding the world as it’s

presented. Tesia Marshik tears down any notion of learning styles, discrediting them and

claiming they are actually wasting time and resources (as well as potentially labeling students

and preventing them from branching out). Ken Robinson believes in a similar “multiple

intelligence” theory, citing specific stories, calling on the public school system to “expand the

way we think about intelligence.”

All of these methods ask us to really think about what exactly we’re teaching. Marshik

calls on teachers to examine exactly what they are asking of their students, is it to identify a

piece of information by sound or visual recognition? Then teach it in a way that enhances the

sound or visual recognition- therefore teaching to the content itself. She says, like football, there

are many ways to learn how to play the sport- watching plays, actually playing, or listening to

instruction, and they can all be helpful. Gardner asks something similar, and he asks that students
be the center of their learning. He argues that students learn best when they ask questions, are

hands-on, and are active in their own learning. In this model, teachers should do the behind-the-

scenes work of facilitating their activities, while students work on projects that pertain to their

subjects while doing the learning themselves. Robinson focuses on the buzzword “creativity,”

calling on schools and teachers to re-evaluate the word “intelligence” while also discarding

failure as, well a mistake. He claims that the public school system has no place for anyone who

doesn’t fit into “academia,” and it fails to acclimate a diverse, interactive, sensory, abstract, and

distinct view of intelligence, where students are allowed to explore, find meaning, and, most

importantly, fail. This, Robinson argues, is where students will learn and develop and find their

intelligence.

Although all seemingly very different approaches to public education and learning,

Marshik, Robinson, and Garnder all believe in an approach that brings students to the center of

the classroom. These approaches will help students figure out concepts for themselves, as well as

make meaning out of the information given to them- which Marshik emphasizes is the true way

to learn.