Neuroscience and the Theory of Multiple Intelligences Essays -- Biolog

Connections Between Neuroscience and the Theory of Multiple Intelligences: Implications for Education The old paradigm of students as empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge has given way to the constructivist belief that students continuously build understandings based on their prior experiences and information. The idea of a fixed intelligence has given way to a more flexible perception of gradual intellectual development dependent on external stimulation (6) Our intelligence, therefore, is our singular, collective ability to act and react in an everchanging world (1) In my first two web papers I researched two defined disorders, ADHD and Autism, following a train of thought which began with a question: given that the apparent bottom line concerning the human nervous system is that each of us is unique in our neural patterns, where do we draw the line between defining something as a disorder versus simply a difference? This has led me to think more generally about the notion of human variability, particularly with regards to learning abilities and intellectual achievement. I believe that our society has too narrowly defined these phrases, with the negative result that people who do not learn or achieve within these proscribed boundaries are considered lacking. This is true even with regards to the earliest days of schooling, and is reflected in traditional methods used to teach children. The ultimate, destructive result is that children who fall outside our educational protocols are at risk for feeling useless, worthless and unappreciated. Recent decades have seen a dramatic rise in our understanding of the neurobiology behind the way the brain works. The common denominator in brain research is variability... ...m the 21st Century Learning Initiative http://www.newhorizons.org/ofc_21clicaine.html 13)Principles of Multiple Intelligence Theory by J. Keith Rogers http://www.harding.edu/USER/cbr/WWW/midemo/prin.html 14)The Theory of Multiple Intelligences http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/zahraar/mil.htm 15)Matters of Style by Richard M. Felder http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/LS-Pri%20sm.htm 16)An Interview with Howard Gardner by Ronnie Durie http://www.newhorizons.org/trm_duriemi.html Other Sources: Armstrong, Thomas. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1994. Delcomyn, Fred. Foundations of Neurobiology. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1998. Gardner, Howard. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1983.