Some assembly and multiple intelligences required . . .

Clip art: Clker

The season brings its challenges . . . like interpreting made-in-China instructions for assembling grand children's toys for Santa. I was struck by the parallel with HICP work, especially from one perspective: I was required to use multiple "intelligences" which are generally outside or on the edge of my preferred set. A good exercise is to rank Gardner's 7 (or 8) intelligences as they apply to you, personally. It becomes immediately clear just how fluid and context-dependent our cognitive preferences are.

What I find most striking is that the highly kinaesthetic-spatial-intrapersonal character of key HICP procedures and techniques appears to contrast markedly with what I generally identify as my own preferences, namely linguistic-interpersonal-musical. How could that be the case? Although there are, of course, clear footprints of my "intelligences"--such as they are--throughout the system, the central concepts, namely, haptic learning and anchoring, are key. It is merely a question of how I like to learn versus what is the most efficient way to get others to.

Teaching outside or at least on the "fringe" of your preferred intelligence/comfort zone is unimaginably liberating--and essential. May your time outside of your "instructional zone" over the holidays be blessed, liberating--and, of course, moving! Be back next year! Bill

The Myth of Learning Styles

Here is a "must-read" on the concept of "learning styles" from Change Magazine, 2010. It begins with an interesting claim: "There is no credible evidence that learning styles exist." 

Although Riener and Willingham focus on the validity of the idea at college-level, their basic claim, that ability, student background and content (including the media in which the instruction is packaged) are far more relevant to instruction than is the potential impact of individual learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.), is simply dead on. (This is one of those pieces of research that you discover--with which you almost agree with too much--that forces you to smile for the rest of the day!) Enjoy!