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...]
Creating and Keeping Traditions Alive for Generations
May 1, 2013 by · 1 Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — In the last years of my mom’s life, she enjoyed living at a senior apartment complex. She formed fabulous friendships there. My sister-in-law and I are still in touch with a few of the special women even though my mom has been gone almost four years already. The Red Hat group went out for lunch or dinner once a month. The wine-and-cheese monthly gathering was always a highlight. Residents competed to bring the most popular appetizer. My mom was a great cook, so she enjoyed creating special treats and tasting others. She faithfully attended the monthly birthday parties to honor new and old … [Read more...]
Live long. Die old.
April 29, 2013 by · 1 Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — I’m not sure when it started, but it’s continued. At some point in almost every program with middle school and high school students, I have them repeat it after me. “Live long. Die old.” “Live long. Die old.” “Live long. Die old.” “Live long. Die old.” “Live long. Die old.” “Live long. Die old.” Suicide is way too common – it’s the third leading cause of death for 11-19 year-olds. There are no words strong enough to express my grief every time I think about this. Today’s young people are overwhelmed by the amount of information available to them. Be a solid source of truth for … [Read more...]
Smart Interactions: An Orlando Example
February 13, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — We walked past many unique stores and restaurants. We noticed one restaurant up ahead with a patio area looking over the water. We headed there. We settled into our table. Blue water was off to my left. The large Fulton’s Crab House, designed as a river boat, was also there. Straight ahead sat my good friend, Christine. Past her, I noticed many red geraniums planted on the walk way. I hadn’t noticed them when walking to the patio. After attending a leadership retreat in Orlando with 70 colleagues, most of us were spending several hours at Downtown Disney. Christine Sneeringer and I began by … [Read more...]
Strategic Use of Thinking Verbs
January 30, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Last Wednesday, I wrote about the power of multiple intelligences. Truly – listening, reading, talking, learning, studying, and writing are all enhanced when we remember to use many smarts. In addition to the suggestions from last week and other things you’ve gleaned from my blog, we can strategically use a variety of thinking verbs to make sure we’re using all 8 smarts. To help you, here are some suggestions. Please consider printing this out and using it. Multiple intelligences are very practical! Studying with them can really help. Don’t assume your children will automatically know how to … [Read more...]
Employing the Power of all 8 Intelligences
January 23, 2013 by · 1 Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — One of the best ways to discover the power of our eight intelligences is to think about one topic with all of them. You’ll see how much more complete your understandings become. Using all eight smarts usually increases motivation, too. Back in June, I demonstrated that in this post using a pine cone as the thing to think about. Because more than one example is helpful, here’s a brief look at using all our smarts when learning about volcanoes: Word - write a story or make a speech Logic - list 10 questions and find answers to at least 3 Picture - watch a video Music - write a poem or song … [Read more...]
Studying With All 8 Smarts
November 14, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — As the semester continues, are you hearing more complaints from your students or children? Are they less motivated to complete their homework well than they were when the school year began? Is it harder to get them to focus and persevere? Remember that studying and practicing with all eight smarts helps motivation and comprehension. It can also enhance memory and, therefore, the application of truth. Depending on what’s being learned and studied, all 8 could be used for quick repetition in one study session. It’s also wise to use them over time. Children can use one-two each night when reviewing … [Read more...]
Prepare Lessons for Multiple Smarts – A Halloween Post Example
October 31, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Today’s Halloween. It’s tempting to post about it. Logic-smart people would expect me to. It’s the logical thing to do. Maybe they’d enjoy hearing the different perspectives on why some Christians don’t have their children participate in the holiday. Word-smart people might like me to research the history of the word “Halloween.” People-smart people would enjoy learning how people choose their costumes while getting friends’ reactions while shopping. Nature-smart people might enjoy stories about how weather affects costume choices and how long children are allowed to be outside … [Read more...]
You’re Special
July 16, 2012 by · 1 Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — What we believe about ourselves and others is important. Beliefs influence identity and identity controls behavior. Who we think we are is who we will be. I want children to know they are special. To believe it. To not doubt it. When they believe positive things about themselves, it’s more likely they’ll behave positively. They’ll take care of themselves, take life seriously, and invest themselves in life. For years, we’ve sold a poster that contains 20 statements all of us at Celebrate Kids wish every child believed. Many parents and teachers buy these to encourage children and students. A few days ago, at a … [Read more...]
The Universal Relevance of Multiple Intelligences
July 11, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Yesterday, it was my joy to share about multiple intelligences with students in a graduate education program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. Friday and Saturday, I’ll be teaching 1000 men and women who work with young children in church settings about multiple intelligences . Next Wednesday, I’ll talk with soldiers transitioning from the Army to civilian life. And, guess what? I’ll be teaching them about multiple intelligences. What is it about multiple intelligences that makes it so universally relevant? “Smart” is a power word and it always will be. … [Read more...]
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