Diversity is fun : The impact of implementing the multiple intelligences theory with basic english students at “Fundación Alianza Social Educativa ASE"
This study employed the Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) proposed by Howard Gardner. The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of applying this approach when teaching English to basic-level students. Through applying lesson plans based on MIT some strengths and weaknesses of studen...
| Autor Principal: | Lozano Tovar, Diana Marcela |
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| Formato: | info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis |
| Idioma: | spa |
| Publicado: |
Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación. Licenciatura en Lengua Castellana, Inglés y Francés (Lenguas Modernas).
2017
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: |
http://hdl.handle.net/10185/18243 |
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| Sumario: |
This study employed the Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) proposed by Howard Gardner. The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of applying this approach when teaching English to basic-level students. Through applying lesson plans based on MIT some strengths and weaknesses of students when learning English as a foreign language were identified. Additionally, lesson plans and activities were designed to reveal different intelligences inherent in the students. It was highly important for the teacher researcher to recognize and apply the correct activities according to each intelligence.
This study was carried out at Fundacion Alianza Social Educativa (ASE), which is a non-profit organization providing supplementary studies, where English courses at different levels are offered to children, teenagers and adults. The target participants of this study were 10 students and their ages were between 8-10 years. They were part of the basic level course.
The action research adopted mix-method paradigm, where the data collection instruments were applied to three stages of the action research cycle: In the first diagnostic stage, a survey and a questionnaire were employed to find the dominant Multiple Intelligences that each student possessed. In the planning stage, the teacher researcher designed her classes incorporating strategies for each of the seven intelligences. In the following implementation stage, the students were observed in detail during each session where MIT based activities were applied. The teacher researcher used the field journals for recording the behavior of the students. Lastly, in the final stage the teacher researcher applied a close -ended interview related to students’ perceptions of the activities based on MIT. The pre-service teacher used content analysis in an inductive approach to analyze qualitative data collected.
Several positive findings emerged through the implementation of MIT. First of all, classes based on MIT break with traditional approaches to teaching and learning. Using differentiated instructions meant that activities could be more dynamic and appealing to learners. With each lesson tailored to different learning requirements, students were able to learn more successfully. As a result, the process was more meaningful as pupils became
more motivated to learn the language. Secondly, with the use of an alternative and more objective assessment, students felt confident when displaying the evidence of what they had learned. Furthermore, classes based on certain intelligences allowed students to gain confidence and develop their skills to a high level. This includes lessons emphasizing musical, bodily kinesthetic and visual space activities. Overall, communication objectives were achieved and students enhanced some linguistic abilities. On the other hand, the results also show that students sometimes presented adverse reactions when taking part in the activities. During observation, students occasionally demonstrated certain negative attitudes such as apathy and anxiety, and did not always behave well. Therefore, it was an opportunity for the pre-service teacher to make some reflections and adjustments in terms of methodology and teaching strategies.
Key words: Multiple Intelligences (MIT), English as a foreign language, learning preferences, differentiated instructions. |
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