Figuring out how children are smart and helping them use all their smarts benefits them and us in numerous ways – primarily because it can help them believe in their abilities to learn and they can choose to invest more energy in school/learning, therefore being more successful. Would it surprise you to know we can apply our understanding of how children are smart to the theme of gratitude? We can. At the beginning of this school year, I taught a group of teachers and parents in South Carolina how important gratitude is to children’s character. One of those teachers has decided to use “gratitude journals” with her children this summer. She’s doing one, too. Each day, they’ll write or illustrate something their grateful for … [Read more...]
Engaging Multiple Smarts to Reveal New Insights
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Although it’s helpful to teach and learn about our eight intelligences in isolation, in practice they don’t work alone. For instance, because word smart involves listening, speaking, reading, and/or writing, it’s very rare that we’re not using it. Those of you who are very picture smart probably always have pictures in your mind. They just naturally appear to help you. Our smarts aren’t always automatically engaged. If we choose to use them anyway, even when we don’t need to, we’ll have richer experiences. (Students will have deeper understanding and a longer memory for what … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 8 – Self Smart
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Howard Gardner’s research that determined we each have eight intelligences has certainly encouraged thousands and thousands of people. I’ve enjoyed writing about each of the eight intelligences in detail these past two months. Today, we finish this series with details about self smart, or intrapersonal intelligence. Although last in our list, it’s not last in importance. The importance of each is determined by our call, passions, and purposes. For some people, this intelligence is key to their success so they’d rate it high in importance. Others wouldn’t. As I explained in their posts, word … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 7 – People Smart
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — I sometimes joke that people-smart children go to school for their friends and teachers get in their way. People laugh. It’s not exactly true. It’s close, though. People smart, or interpersonal intelligence, is the seventh of our eight intelligences I’m presenting in this series of posts. As with the other smarts, everyone has at least some of it. It may be your strength and your child’s strength. Or, it may not be. Those of us with people-smart strengths think with other people. We talk even more when we get excited. You know you’re people smart if your ideas are clarified … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 6 – Nature Smart
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — “It sure is ugly outside today.” “What do you mean?” “You know. It’s so cloudy and foggy. It’s dark and the air just looks heavy today.” “It’s just another kind of beauty.” “What?” “It’s just another kind of beauty.” A friend and I had this conversation. I’m the one asking “What?” with disbelief in my voice and a perplexed expression on my face. My friend is so nature smart that she sees beauty in it all. Because of her, I’m more nature smart then I used to, but I’m still not as nature smart as she is. Nature-smart children would rather be outside than inside. … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 5 – Body Smart
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Each of our smarts, or intelligences, is born into us, but must be awakened by meaningful encounters with people and/or things. My body smart, or bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, was awakened when my parents enrolled me in ballet and tap dance lessons when I was about six-years-old. Prior to dance class, I was certainly moving, but I was clumsy and unsure of myself. Dancing increased my confidence and coordination. I went from taking lessons to becoming an assistant teacher. When I got older, I especially enjoyed softball and racquetball. I also spent years on drill teams and in marching bands. These … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 4 – Music Smart
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — We determine how strong people’s intelligences are by looking at both how much interest they have and how much ability they demonstrate. Both are essential for an intelligence to be strong. Interest in music is high in our culture. Just look at the number of iPods in use, the number of people who have downloaded music to their phones, and the number of iTunes accounts accessed regularly. But, not all the people listening to music have music smart as a strength. Are they interested in a variety of musical styles, are they open to discovering new styles and musicians, and do they remember music … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 3 – Picture Smart
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Surrounding ourselves with people different from us enriches our personal and professional lives. I’m not terribly picture smart so I’m very grateful for the people in my life who are. To be honest, sometimes they frustrate me. But, that’s when I choose (most of the time) to appreciate our differences. It takes character. Especially before understanding that each intelligence has value, I might have been jealous of creative, artsy people. I might have avoided them because I didn’t like feeling inferior when we did certain things together. I’m not proud of that. I’m just being … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 2 – Logic Smart
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Does anyone drive you nuts by asking questions, questions, and more questions? Do you know someone who needs things to make sense? These people are logic smart. Last Wednesday, I blogged details about what it means to be word smart. Today’s blog will be about being logic smart. Dr. Gardner, the “father” of multiple intelligences labels this intelligence “logical-mathematical intelligence.” Just like with the other smarts, everyone has at least some logic smart ability. When using our logic smartness, we think with questions. We usually ask more questions when we get excited. When we’re … [Read more...]
Have a Right Attitude Toward Personal Weakness
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Right attitudes toward our weaknesses are essential. Without them, we may struggle to meet our five needs in healthy ways. For instance, as I explained to a group of teenagers last week and as I’ve blogged about before, spelling isn’t my strength. Imagine if it was a bigger deal to me than it needs to be. Imagine if I hadn’t found ways to compensate. I might answer the core questions like this: Security: Who can I trust? I can’t trust myself. I can’t even spell well! Identity: Who am I? I’m stupid. Spelling is hard for me. Belonging: Who Wants me? I have friends, but I better not let them know spelling … [Read more...]
Follow Kathy!
You can also sign up for our helpful bi-weekly (on Tuesday) Celebrate Kids newsletter.