Children learn in their own way. I strongly support this theory.
As an integration helper, I focus on individuality. I promote perseverance among my struggling students and motivate them to do their best.
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING
Like Howard Gardner, who promotes eight types of intelligence in his Theory of Multiple Intelligence, I believe that intelligence is unique to each person. Unfortunately, our learning standards often expect a particular intelligence that some children simply do not have.
Sure, we create individual learning programs for struggling students, and of course they need to be taught the fundamentals of writing and arithmetic. I also agree to measure their progress to create new strategies for them to learn. At the same time, I believe that we should seek their gifts and remind these children as often as we can that they have them.
INTELLIGENCE TEST SCHEDULE
Since 1869, we have measured intelligence by inherited genius, mental age, intelligence scale, and intelligence quotient (IQ).
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FIGHTING
What sadness to the world if future John F. Kennedy, Richard Branson, and Albert Einstein lose their resolve before they succeed? These men collectively experienced learning difficulties such as autism and ADHD and would likely have scored low if they had been tested for intelligence; fortunately they were exceptionally determined people. This validates the concern that our obsession with measuring intelligence may have a detrimental effect on our children and their motivation.
TYPES OF LEARNING AND TESTS
The teaching of children’s types of learning is being implemented in Australian classrooms. Fortunately, we find that children can be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. However, for some purposes we still use a unique approach to measure intelligence. Unfortunately, this has the potential to kill the spirits of struggling students who have less information than our testing methods deem acceptable.
SEARCH YOUR TALENTS
To realize the talents of struggling students, we must first stop expecting an unrealistic outcome. However, it is important to recognize what they can do, which is often very impressive. I can remember several times when the children I was teaching taught me a thing or two. They are generous, funny, and have a nurturing ability that other children identify with. It is essential that we question their abilities, but it is imperative that we remember that each child is unique in what they can do.
CHILDREN TEACHING CHILDREN
Children are ideal teachers for children, as demonstrated by Mildura West Elementary School during the Children’s Teaching Days, a comprehensive school project that supports the contribution of schoolchildren to caring for the environment. We certainly recognize that children have the power to influence others, and struggling students are no exception. Perhaps I dream too big, but I believe that by encouraging the unique talents of struggling students and nurturing their determination to try, they will repay struggling students. Eventually, a new kind of intelligence will manifest.
The world of teaching is full of helpful techniques, strategies, and measures – cognitive behavioral training and MAPS, to name a few. These methods have proven successful in developing learning objectives and tactics. However, each child has their own experiences, psychological makeup, and competence; however, the “most comprehensive” intelligence test, the intelligence quotient (IQ), has become established in our society. How important is it anyway?
It takes a village to raise a child – parents, teachers, relatives, and friends all have the power to make a difference. Together, we can make the ultimate difference, measuring what is truly important, the essence of our children to discover that it is multifaceted. And yet we continue to determine intelligence based on the Wechsler scales: verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. This leaves children who do not fit this model feeling like failures.
