Winter, 2014
MIDAS WORLD NEWS
News from Canada . . . A Teacher’s Tool at Suzuki Charter School, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Through Midas and Multiple Intelligence workshops, our teachers at Suzuki Charter School, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada are equipped with another tool to differentiate instruction in the classroom.In April 2013, all staff took the MIDAS and were provided with a workshop on how to modify lesson plans according to MI to engage students in the classroom. In September, all students took different versions of MIDAS to provide profiles for teachers to work with. We also had a Parent Workshop on study strategies and activities at home to hone the intelligences. Additional workshops will take place this year on how to motivate students and how to deal with problem students using MI strategies. It has been an eye opening experience and we are happy to provide teachers with an extra tool in the classroom.
Thanks, Annie Fung, Research Assistant
News from Ireland . . . Career Path Discovery for Students in Ireland
Caritas College, Ballyfermot, Dublin have been using the Midas Questionnaire with our Transition Year students for over five years.The students are 16+ and the online questionnaire is very accessible and user friendly. The process is strengths-based approach, and is therefore suitable for all ability ranges. The reports are available for printing within a short time, and I then distribute the reports, and explain and discuss it with students as a group. I also use the workbook as tool to assist students to explore their top three strengths in relation to subject choice and career path discovery. I tend to revisit this report again in 5th year and 6th year with students individually, and I would observe that there is very good consistency, in that a majority of students would identify the same strengths. Finally, as it is also a cost effective process for our students.
Mary Carroll, Guidance Counselor
News from India . . . Salwan School Progress Adopting the Multiple Intelligences
To nurture holistic development of students, the school is weaving its curriculum around the theory of Multiple Intelligences with the intention of preparing the students to be global leaders in the 21st century who will use their intelligences to make a difference to the communities they serve.
Teachers were oriented to MI theory and have spent a year observing and identifying the intelligences of their students. Every class teacher at the end of the year came up with class presentations based on the 8 intelligences. The parents were invited class-wise to witness and be a part of the presentation put up by their wards. Every student as per his intelligence contributed and won the appreciation of the gathering. Proper Orientation programme by the School Principal for Parents of each class was arranged in the school. The focus was on recognizing and understanding the individual differences among children, & working with the learner in bringing out their potentials, preparing the child to be creative, critical, and divergent thinkers who are able to really 'think outside the box.' An attempt to understand the differences in interests, needs, and learning styles among the learners is being worked upon by the school.
An orientation programme on M.I for Students of class IX & X was also organized and MIDAS was introduced to them to enable them to choose a stream as per their intelligence - see photos below. The school plans to use MIDAS for their pre-primary students this year and to record their growth through it. Regular interactions with the parents will help build a road map for the students and with guided support help students reach their goals and be successful in LIFE!
Rajni Jauhari, Principal, Salwan Public School
Indian students during their MI programme.
News from Iran …MI and MIDAS at the University Level
Multiple intelligences theory that highlights all the capabilities of human beings, has opened a new horizon in educational settings. Consequently, emphasizing individual differences, this theory has a very constructive role in education since teachers are encouraged to see the differences among the students and; as a result, this can lead to a better understanding of the student, and the teacher can be more learner and learning-centered in his/her approach.
As a language teacher at university level in Iran, I always get excited when I see my students’ brilliant eyes while listening to my lecture on insights driven from multiple intelligences theory in language learning and teaching. The lecture always ends with students’ asking a lot of questions about the theory and asking for more resources on it! This is very encouraging and I always think this is a true confirmation for validity of letting students know about this theory more and more.
Multiple intelligences theory has not only been successful in getting acceptance in the classroom for learning and teaching purposes but it has also been very successful in getting master and PhD students’ attention for research purposes. Most of the students in Iran from different fields of study are interested in asking very enlightened research questions to add to the research literature. More than 20 students have used the MIDAS for masters or doctoral degrees. These data have been very helpful during the MIDAS validation process in Iran.
Mahnaz Saeidi
Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics, Department of English, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
News from Florida, USA - Spark Your Learning!
I have been using the M.I.D.A.S. for over 12 years. At a large Southern university I administered it to hundreds of graduate students to teach them how to use the instrument to gain insights into themselves and take positive actions to enhance personal and professional success.
As Director of Learning at Sparks of Genius (SparksofGenius.com) I administered it to hundreds of children with a variety of diagnoses (ADHD, LD, Asperger's) to identify strengths and challenges so they could begin to spark their genius and improve cognitive and self-regulation skills.
Multiple intelligences is part of the "secret sauce" that makes our program for children and teens successful. The M.I.D.A.S. makes the multiple intelligences come alive. I believe that for too long multiple intelligences has been known only for its theory. Skillful use of this instrument has convinced me it's not only a theory but a fact.
Rohn Kessler, Ph.D. Director of Learning, Sparks of Genius