Psychology Application Project

1. Psychology Application Project Kharizma R. Mason

2. Villa Rica Elementary school • Subject • Math and Reading • Grade Level • 1st • No. Students: • 20 • Student Demographics • 12 Caucasian, 7 African American, 1 Hispanic • Low-Income Families • Length of Observation • 21 hours

3. Project Findings • Instructor: • the instructor is very hands-on with the students and it is evident that he has a lot of compassion for the students that he teaches. • Very creative in the way that he approaches subjects. • Instruction: • The teacher uses instruction to the maximum capacity. He does not take up valuable time to focus on misbehaviors in the classroom. • The teacher has what Kounin calls withitnesswhich cuts down on misbehaviors from happening in the first place. • Students: • The students are very well behaved and they, for the most part, stay on task. • They know that they have certain responsibilities that they have to fulfill, which holds them accountable for their actions.

4. Project findings (cont.) • Teacher-Student Interactions: • The student and the teacher have mutual respect for each other. • The teacher is an assertive teacher which cuts down on misbehaviors and increases a relationship with the teacher. • The teacher is compassionate and caring without overdoing it. • In short, he does not baby them he treats them as “big kids.” • Student-Student Interaction: • There is still some tattling but not enough to interrupt instruction. • There is a significant amount of group work throughout the school day which creates a family atmosphere among the students.

5. Project findings (cont.) • Classroom Management: • When misbehaviors occur the teacher warns the children of the inappropriate behavior. • After misbehavior continues, the teacher instructs the student to “flip a peanut” (green=good, yellow=caution, red=bad) • The teacher has green, yellow and red stamps that he stamps according to behavior chart along with a note, if necessary. • Caught Ya! Cards • Pennies for the candy dispenser • Assessment: • Standard tests (spelling test, math test with multiple choices, etc.), AR Test, Games, • Students with special needs are not tested the same (they go to testing elsewhere) • Curriculum: • GPS, CRCT

6. Howard Gardner

7. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences • Definition: • “intelligence composed of eight distinct forms of intelligence” (Snowman 117) • Background Information: • Just because a student may show a “gift” in a particular intelligence does not mean they will excel in all aspects of that given intelligence. • Believes that culture plays into the development given intelligence ability of a student as well as biological factors. • Suggest that we all have these intelligences but we have different combinations of the intelligences.

8. Theory of multiple intelligences • Logical-mathematical: • Think logically, use numbers, and handle long chains of reasoning (scientist) • Linguistic: • Sensitive to language and words (poet) • Musical: • Ability to identify musical notes, rhythm • Appreciation for musical forms (Musician) • Spatial: • Ability to imagine ideas, space, forms (sculptor)

9. Theory of multiple intelligence (cont.) • Bodily-Kinesthetic • Can handle objects skillfully • Able to fluently control body and move freely (dancer) • Interpersonal: • Aware of others moods, perceptions, desires (therapist) • Intrapersonal: • Aware of oneself feelings • Knowledge of one’s abilities • Naturalist: • Nature bound • Ability to identify natural objects and obtain a relationship with nature (botanist)

10. Relevance in the classroom • How does my supervising teacher do this? • Allowing the students to learn given material in many different ways. • Uses creativity to create hands-on activities for those students who are bodily-kinesthetic intelligent. • Uses variety of teaching methods: visual, auditory, hand-on, musical, etc. • When material is complex, he extends the project in a way that the students who struggle are able to comprehend.

11. Relevance in the classroom (cont.) • Example: • During the reading lesson the teacher instructed the students to the carpet and went over compound words. He did an activity on the board and verbally communicated the information; following that information, he instructed the students that they were to go on an egg hunt and find two halves and go back to their seats (during exploratory we hid the eggs). Explained that each half of an egg had a word and that after finding two halves they were to go back to their group and try to come up with a compound word with the words they had. The students really enjoyed and benefited from this lesson; even the ones who were struggling during instruction time (sitting n the carpet and listening) were able to grasp the concept of compound words!

12. Practical Implications • Argument: • I feel that Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence is a very important part of education. • I support the theory; in fact, Gardner’s theory is, by far, my favorite theory because it individualizes students and plays on that and encourages their natural ability versus conforming to standard instruction.

13. Practical Implications • Not all students are the same and because of this we have differentiated instruction. I believe that in order to effectively differentiate the instruction a teacher must analyze the intelligence of each student. After analyzing the intelligence of each student the teacher can tailor his/her lesson to fit the needs of their students. • My supervising teacher does this in a way that is appropriate. He groups the students and each station caters to a specific intelligence. He makes sure that they rotate so the students are exposed to different intelligences.

14. Practical Implication • Students need to feel like individuals and by recognizing their intelligence you are able to tap into what makes them who they are and possible help them in more ways than one. • Gardner implies that everyone is born with all intelligences; the difference is that we all have a different amount of a given intelligence. By fostering the intelligences of students, teacher can create “well-rounded” individuals.

15. References • Beliavsky, N. (2006). Revisiting Vygotsky and Gardner: Realizing Human Potential. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 1-11. • Brualdi, A. (1996,). Multiple Intelligences: Gardner's Theory. Retrieved April 2, 2012, from www.springhurst.com: http://www.springhurst.org/articles/MItheory September.htm • Snowman, J., & McCrown, R. (2009). Psychology Applied to Teaching. Caifornia: Wadsworth. Print. • Sword, H. (2007). Teaching In Color: Multiple Intelligence in the Literature Classroom. Pedagogy, 223-250.