While checking the papers, however, eagerness soon turned into dismay. The teacher was stunned. "Am I reading this correctly, or is the handwriting just extremely illegible?" was her first reaction as she perused her student’s work. The teacher quickly scanned through the paper and realized that she was reading gibberish. Letters were strung together to make long, nonexistent words!
To shorten the story, the student tearfully confessed that, indeed, she had scrawled nonsense on her exam booklet. She faked the motions of taking the exam because she didn’t want her classmates to know that she was stumped.
Is this a myth? Unfortunately it is a true story. Is it an isolated case? Unhappily, the complaints are rife: Of college graduates who are unable to follow even the most basic instructions; of students who lack the rudimentary skills for reading comprehension; of professional automatons going through the motions of life seemingly without ambition or imagination or rationality; of people earning a college degree without getting an education.
Are Filipinos getting obtuse? Are we witnessing the dulling of Philippine society? We vehemently try to avoid these thoughts, but the Third Mathematics and Science Study revealed that the Philippines ranked third from the bottom in both the mathematics and science categories. Furthermore, Filipino students gave correct answers to less than 50 percent of the questions of the nationally administered National Elementary Achievement Test and the National Secondary Achievement Test.
Consider this statement from the 2000 Philippine Human Development Report: " The Philippines has always taken pride in its high adult literacy rate and high enrollment rate. Ironically, such high achievements in education are NOT translated into higher levels of development. The disparity stems from the unequal access and low quality and marginal relevance of basic education in the Philippines."
"But those are just study and test results in specific areas of study; not indicative of our intelligence as a people," one could argue. Indeed, there are some outstanding individuals in our society. But then again, did you notice how "common sense" is no longer so common nowadays? Have you ever pondered on the paradox of the "unschooled, thinking man versus the uneducated schooled man?"
As a people, we traditionally put a premium on school and education. But like the student who pretended to answer an exam, are we merely going through the physical motions of sending our progeny to school? Will their education make our children productive, intelligent and thinking members of society?
Intelligence or mental capacity was previously measured by a series of tests. Traditionally, children who were adept with language and numbers did better and were assigned higher intelligence quotients (IQ). Consequently, they were expected to do better in life. But what about the children who didn’t conform? How could their intelligence capacities be gauged and encouraged? What explanation could be given for the fact that some of them live better and happier lives than their "intelligent" counterparts?
I first heard of Howard Gardner and the "Multiple Intelligence Approach" from Joy Canon-Abaquin, owner and directress of the "alternative" learning centers Multiple Intelligence International School and Child’s Place; and was immediately smitten by the democracy espoused by the concept. Each child is capable of achieving different potentials, imbued with his/her own kind of intelligence, and situated to make a unique contribution to the world.
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences is fascinating. Suggesting that the traditional notion of intelligence (based on IQ testing) is far too limited, the Harvard-trained psychologist proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader potential in children and adults. These intelligences include: Linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, intra-personal, interpersonal and naturalist.
Believing that individuals possess all eight intelligences, Abaquin’s schools seek to develop the intrinsic potentials of each child. As opposed to following set "teaching modules," this approach is far more challenging for teachers. Lessons are presented through music, cooperative learning, art activities, role play, multi-media, inner reflection, and other innovative means.
"Our school aims to be a school of the future as we try to provide children with skills that will be relevant to the 21st century. We have taken on the challenge by providing smaller teacher-child ratios and a more personalized and trans-disciplinary approach. It is a more difficult and less economical approach that schools have to make and stand on," admits Abaquin who graduated summa-cum-laude from Boston University with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.
Nevertheless, she believes that providing quality education should not be compromised in favor of profitability. "If you’re in the business of education, and profitability or return on investment is your main concern, then you are in the wrong field," Abaquin asserts. "The moment you look at it as a business, you can easily fall into the rut of giving poor education. You start cutting costs to earn more, which would mean less investment in materials, books and the quality of the teaching staff. To provide quality education with reasonable tuition fees means cutting your profit margin."
Each child has the capacity to be smart, but the teacher’s role is vital, too. An educator needs to be creative, enthusiastic and attentive to successfully encourage the student to want to learn. As such, Gardner’s "Multiple Intelligence" approach to education presents an alternative solution to improving the learning climate in our country. Perhaps an individual’s "other intelligences" need to be utilized to effectively maximize his education potential.
It is 8 a.m. and the school bell has rung. There is a flurry of activity at the school gate of the Multiple Intelligence International School in Katipunan, Quezon City as latecomers rush to their classrooms and cars drive away.
I visit the playground designed by grade school children, view a collage of the Philippine archipelago fashioned from vari-colored stones of assorted shapes, and peer through a terrarium inhabited by a large, green, overfed grasshopper. In one room, a child with special needs is being helped through occupational therapy by two capable therapists, while children in the higher grades are doing their exams. Random children I stop to speak with are curious, cheerful and confident. I am told that they actually like school and are always glad to be back after one or two weeks of vacation. On the porch of the school office, several mothers are chatting before going their respective ways.
"The best part of this endeavor is that the parents of our students are very enthusiastic," relates Joy Abaquin. And then, she laughingly adds, " Perhaps through their children, they are rediscovering that they have multiple intelligence, too!"
World-renowned American cognitive psychologist Dr. Howard Gardner is coming to Manila to give a lecture on how to raise smart children to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Dr. Gardner will speak before thousands of educators and parents from the Philippines and neighboring Asian countries during the First Philippine Multiple Intelligence Convention at the Manila Hotel on Feb. 11 to 12. The Harvard University- educated Gardner is the main proponent of the Multiple Intelligence (MI) Theory which has revolutionized the intellectual education landscape in the United States and also in the Philippines.
MI veers away from the traditional way of gauging brain power by rote memorization. It is an out-of-the-box learning process where each child is considered competent in his or her own preferred way of expression. Gardner has authored more than 20 books and hundreds of articles about the topic.
The convention, entitled "Changing Minds: Teaching and Parenting for the 21st Century," is a landmark event of the Multiple Intelligence International School Foundation, Inc., the company behind such revolutionary schools as Child’s Place and MI International School. These are the first schools in the country to fully adopt the Multiple Intelligence (MI) framework advocated by Dr. Gardner.
Joy Canon-Abaquin, founder and directress of the Multiple Intelligence International School Foundation Inc., says the event will be attended by some 2,000 teachers, school administrators, parents and psychologists from the Philippines and neighboring Asian countries. Dr. Gardner will also separately address the business community in a luncheon meeting with the country’s business leaders. Abaquin said this may be the first and only time Dr. Gardner will be in Manila.
For inquiries, call 433-4948 or 433-4949, or e-mail admin@mi-childsplace.com.ph.
Word Smart: Sensitivity to the meaning and order of words and to the varied uses of language. A child loves stories, jokes, riddles, tongue twisters and trivia. A child with strong linguistic intelligence does very well in school situations, reads and writes well, spells easily, enjoys word games, spends a lot of time in the book corner, asks for experience charts and remembers new words easily.
Music Smart: Sensitivity to sounds in the environment, pitch, melody, rhythm and tone. A child with strong musical intelligence loves to sing, hum, chant, or make patterned rhythms. A child with strong musical intelligence enjoys music, remembers melodies, keeps a beat with musical instruments, shows strong preference for music, enjoys poetry.
Number Smart: The ability to handle long chains of reasoning to recognize patterns in the world. A child with strength in this type of intelligence loves to think conceptually, see patterns, "figure it out," question, wonder and compute. A child with strong Logical-Mathematical Intelligence loves collections, enjoys sorting activities, puzzles, brain-teaser challenges, numbers and computer games.
People Smart: The ability to notice, communicate with and appreciate others. This child loves people, can empathize, is "street smart" and volunteers often. This child is a natural leader, mediates arguments and makes new friends effortlessly. A child with strong Interpersonal Intelligence loves cooperative games and enjoys group problem-solving activities.
Nature Smart: The ability to recognize and classify the different flora and fauna of an environment. The child loves to commune with nature and to explore things. He or she is an adventurer. A nature-smart child loves collections, enjoys gardening, loves the outdoors, loves pets.
Picture Smart: The ability to see the physical world accurately and translate it into new forms. A child loves to imagine real things, draw real representations, knows where everything is, and is fascinated with contraptions. A child with strong Spatial Intelligence loves art and craft activities, enjoys maps and charts, loves videos and photos, likes puzzles and mazes, enjoys color and design.
Self-Smart: Sensitivity to one’s own feelings. This child daydreams, enjoys the private world of imagination, has high ideals, and may seem very independent. A child with strong Intrapersonal intelligence prefers to be alone and marches to the beat of a different drummer.
Body Smart: A fine-tuned ability to use the body and handle objects. A child loves to touch; fidgets; is very active. This child is in tune with bodily sensations, is a clever mimic of mannerisms, gets "gut" feelings. A child with strong Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence enjoys anything athletic, fixes things, loves role playing, is a born actor/actress, adores process art and working with sensory materials.