Chapte 12: MI and Cognitive Skills

This chapter reminds us how much research has gone into the cognitive capabilities of children and how they think. Three areas this research can improve students’ performance in schools are memory, problem solving, and christopherian encounters. Some student seem like they can not remember all the information teachers feel they should be able to. The problem lies in the children having weak memories in the logical or linguistic areas. With this knowledge we can help students tap into their good memories in their other intelligences. Problem solving at first appears to be a logical intelligence and that only. However, upon review and after taking a look at how other famous problem solvers in history thought about their solutions that is not the case. Mozart said he heard the whole composition at as a whole piece and Lyndon Johnson would problem solve using intrapersonal tactics. Teacher should promote christopherian encounters; in other words, encourage students to think beyond what exists in to what could possibly be. People thought the world was flat, but Christopher Columbus dared to sail over the edge of the earth. This higher order to of thinking is described in Bloom’s taxonomy. MI development in all of the stages of the taxonomy is perfectly possible and should be reached for. This affects me as a teacher by showing me how the MI theory can help me help my students think in the many different intelligences deeply. This affects my students by helping them develop those other levels of cognition in different areas of intelligences.