The topic of module seven was multiple intelligences and personal relationships. How do these concepts factor into the classroom?  I found the reading on multiple intelligences to be timely, as I worked with some freshmen students on the concept of being intelligent musically, spatially, interpersonally, etc.  The challenge I posed the students is: once you figure out what ‘intelligence’ you are, you need to find a way to use this information in a positive way to help you in the classroom.  The irony of the lesson was that we ran out of time to really get into methods of incorporating multiple intelligence understanding into daily life, as well as the fact that the information was presented in a linguistically based lesson.

The other component of the module this week was the effect that positive personal relationships have on student success.  The Carl Rogers reading summarized several studies that have been conducted in regard to the presence of respect that the teacher has for the students, and how that affects student performance.

“The level of person-to-person conditions the teacher offers to under-achieving students more frequently produced significant main effects on school attendance, gain in reading and math achievement, and change in I.Q. scores and self-concept than any of the following variables: I.Q. levels, race/sex groups, and socio-economic status. In other words, for students identified as having learning difficulties, the teacher’s level of interpersonal facilitation was the single most important contributor to the amount of gain on all outcome measures.” (Rogers, 1983).

As I consider this research, I can say that I have observed dramatic changes in the attitudes of my ELL students over the course of the school year.  Initially, I was a new teacher for this group of students and they had been expecting a different teacher (one whom they knew).  The beginning of the year was difficult simply because the students did not trust me. Now, I have seen dramatic difference in the topics of conversation we are able to have, as well at their level of respect for me. Now that they know they can trust me, they are more able to access their education.  Interestingly, I have found that the more personal information I share (such as what I did on the weekend, facts about my family etc), the more they open up to me and want to work with me.  It is an interesting concept. I have never felt compelled to share facts about my weekend or whatever in my content ceramics class, but with the ELL population of students, it really seems to make a difference in how they interact with me.

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