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Chapter 7, MI and the Classroom Environment, begins by discussing MI theory's influence on the structure of your classroom. By altering the classroom setup to accommodate the needs of different kinds of learners, teachers will find that their students are more motivated and understand more. Armstrong offers some questions to ask yourself for each multiple intelligence: logical/mathematical-how is time structured in the classroom?, spatial-how is the classroom furniture arranged?, bodily/ kinesthetic -do students spend most of their time sitting at their desk, or do they have opportunities to get up?, interpersonal-does an atmosphere of belonging and trust permeate the classroom or do students feel alienated ? If your answers to most of these questions are negative then chances are the students are getting all they can out of your classroom. The next part of the chapter discusses MI activity centers which are small stations throughout the classroom that specifically target one or more of the multiple intelligences. The five types of centers Armstrong talks about are permanent open-ended, temporary topic-specific, temporary open ended, permanent topic-specific, and student choice. There are many different kinds of [|activity centers] that stimulate learning in the classroom and will result in students that are overall more successful.

[|Reflection-Rachel F.]
In two or three of the reflections, I noticed a common concern with the amount of space that teachers have in their classrooms. Armstrong emphasizes the benefits of having a variety of activity centers but teachers can easily alter his advice to fit around what you have available. Maybe have one activity center a day and switch up the intelligence it focuses on. They also do not have take up a lot of room or be extremely intricate to be effective. The most common theme that I recognized throughout the reflections was the agreement with the [|importance of the classroom environment]. We've all experienced over a decade of classrooms and teachers so we definitely know the difference between a crappy and a great classroom environment. The standard desks in rows structure is usually the worst because it does not inspire or intrigue students in any way. When thinking about how to structure your physical class environment, consider the multiple intelligences and the different ways you could incorporate them.

Filbert
This chapter made me think about how to include MI into the physical classroom environment. At fist, I thought that it was a silly idea for us to read this, and that it would really only be appropriate for elementary classroom, maybe some middle school, but probably not any high school classrooms. There is a misconception in my head that high school students don’t really interact with the classroom environment, which to a certain point I still believe to be true, but there are no rules saying they can’t. I like the idea of making a traditional classroom look anything but traditional. Reading corners are awesome. Honestly, I think some students could even benefit more from class discussions by simply having ‘circle time’ on the floor.

Rachel B.
There was a lot about this chapter that I've thought about before, as a student, but now thinking about it in a teacher’s mind-set it takes on a whole new meaning. The environment in which a teacher and his/her students are within to learn is very important, in so many aspects. I agree with the text that it is typical for someone to imagine a teacher with rows of desks and piles of papers on his/her desk, in a very traditional manner. I don't want my classroom to be like that, and I know that it can't be. It just doesn't work for students, or the teacher. In regards to Armstrong's ideas within this chapter, one that caught my eye the most was the idea of going outdoors more often for lesson. Whether you have more field trips, class on the lawn or even educational gardening, which would be quite fitting to integrate into my classroom, the naturalistic intelligence students need it. I'll remember that as a teacher and I will do my best to work around policy or prove my point when it comes to the logistics of going out doors for learning rather than the usual indoor classroom environment.

Rachel F.
Chapter 7, //MI and the Classroom Environment//, discusses the importance of the classroom environment to learning. The environment where students learn, I believe, is very important because you can’t conduct a successful lesson to a bunch of students in the middle of the streets. Example questions are given to ask yourself if your classroom environment is fulfilling all the multiple intelligences. For the most part I liked the questions because the answers would result in a classroom environment appropriate for ultimate learning. Some questions, however, were a little extreme like the spatial one about lighting. Most teachers can’t help the lighting or color of the room so inevitably there are going to be a few distractions. There is no such thing as the ideal classroom environment. The last part of the chapter talked about MI activity centers which I found very cool. To have little areas where students could go and explore but also focus on specific intelligences is a great idea. But, how realistic are we being? Do real-life teachers honestly have the time or space to pull of such activities? I think that teachers should strive for good ideas such as these but I don’t believe it is a priority. To me, it’s a priority to apply MI Theory into your unit in order to reach out to every single student that every takes your class.

Geoff
I was particularly interested in the four quadrants of activity centers in chapter 7 of //Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom//. I like the temporary topic-specific idea the most, as I would like to change up the activities by unit, and I think I would be able to find plenty of intelligence-based activities in order to do this. But when I read about having an activity center for each intelligence, or even having multiple activity centers in the classroom, I get a little worried, because more activity centers requires more space. With the exception of a few rooms in the school, like the Spanish classroom, the classrooms at my high school are not very big, and likely not as conducive to activity centers. The classroom of my mentor teacher at Mt. Blue is even smaller than the classrooms I’m used to; I can’t imagine trying to find a place for an activity center in one of the condos out there. Therefore, I must say that I’m definitely in favor of activity centers in the classrooms, and I would like to try to implement these centers as both voluntary (for instance, during downtime in class or after school) and for credit, but my question to Mr. Armstrong would be: //How much space is needed or recommended for these activity centers, and how do we implement them in smaller classrooms?//

Courtney
This chapter begins by getting the reader to question if each intelligence is incorporated into the classroom. This is not in the normal sense that the book has been discussing, it's more questions about the classrooms atmosphere. I never thought of the classrooms atmosphere being based around the multiple intelligences, but the chapter provides interesting questions that I would probably never think to ask myself, especially not in the context of MI. The chapter goes on to explain a solution as to incorporating MI into the classroom atmosphere by providing designated centers for each intelligence. The organization of the room and where the students can get their resources and tools are important to the classroom atmosphere as a whole. There could be a reading nook with bookshelves, an area used as a stage to present and act on certain occasions. There are ideas for different activities relating to these different areas in the room. This chapter really helped me to understand that the classroom itself can be used as a tool to incorporate MI and activities that follow it.

Megan
Chapter 7 was about setting up the classroom to appeal to each of the intelligences. It gave examples of questions to ask yourself to make sure your learning environment appeals to each intelligence. However, I thought a lot of the questions were common sense questions. Questions you would ask yourself or things you would work on so you could make the room comfortable regardless of whether or not you were think of MI. The chapter also talked about having activity centers. While these centers sound like a good idea I’m not entirely how realistic we’re being here. Do we have the space for these centers? And more importantly do we have the time? I may try to incorporate some of this into my classroom but its definitely not something I’m going to try to do everyday or on a weekly basis. What is more important to me is creating a comfortable physical environment. Being able to control things like temp, light, location, noise, and even what the room looks like on the inside make all the difference in creating a comfortable environment.

Sara
Each factor of the MI theory can be applied to the classroom environment and allows for introspection on the teacher’s part. Each aspect plays a key role in the classroom environment. Linguistic intelligence is touched on when one asks is there too much linguistic ‘pollution’, or busy work. Time can be seen as mathematical/logical; even the teacher’s tone and tempo of voice can be seen as musical. I never thought of the ways the intelligences influence the learning environment and it is in my opinion thought provoking and interesting. Even in the “real” world one can see environments that appeal to each intelligence. There are so many opportunities to include the intelligences in learning I plan on utilizing them!

Karin
I think the quote that begins this chapter is very appropriate, yet something I had never given thought to before: “Nowhere else [but in schools] are large groups of individuals packed so closely together for so many hours, yet expected to perform at peak efficiency on difficult learning tasks and to interact harmoniously,” (Weinstein 1979). It is truly a difficult task to get such unique individuals to “interact harmoniously”, never mind getting them to “perform at peak efficiency on difficult learning tasks.” There are so many issues that come to light when considering multiple intelligences; the classroom environment itself should reflect MI theory. I like the idea that certain parts of the classroom should be dedicated to each specific intelligence; in this way, there is a “center” for that specific intelligence. This idea will impact my classroom, because I really like the idea of incorporating specific intelligences in designated “centers.”

Jen P.
This chapter is about Ecological Factors. This chapter addresses each MI in the form of questions. I find these questions particularly helpful in making sure I am addressing the needs of each intelligence in my classroom. For example, for Naturalistic, an intelligence that I will have trouble with, it asks, “Are students given an opportunity to do some of their learning outside of the school building in natural settings” (page 69). I thought this was very interesting, because I will be teaching high school. We never really took field trips in my high school, so this made me think about how I could take my students on a field trip. I learned that I must get my students outside the classroom sometimes, but how is the problem. I am mostly concerned about funds. Chaperones are not usually a problem, because there are probably parents or other teachers who might be interested. The students should not be too much trouble, because getting out of the classroom usually seems like a good thing for them. I will have to research this a little more. Fundraising is always an option. School funds may be available. I wonder if there are governmental funds for field trips available at the high school level?

Jordan
This chapter explained how the MI Theory can be used to make the classroom environment more accommodating to each of the eight intelligences. Armstrong provides a list of questions pertaining to the classroom environment, or ecology, for each intelligence. These questions are meant to make a teacher look at his or her classroom and be able to tell if changes need to be made in order to improve the quality of the learning environment. Stark white walls and seats situated in rows do not create a MI-friendly environment. Creating a comfortable classroom that is conducive to each of the eight intelligences in some way is something that i would like to try to accomplish in my future classroom.

Stephanie L.
I really like how this chapter breaks down each intelligence and asks questions to make sure that teachers are on task when it comes to the MIs in their classroom. There are so many different things happening in the classroom that could be used to the teacher's advantage. One major one for me is how the teacher decides to arrange the desks. This could influence a number of different things: participation, side conversations, group work, nap time, etc. It is important for the teacher to be able to see every student at all times and it is also a good idea to make sure that the arrangement is appropriate for the lesson at hand. This was under the spatial category but I feel like it could also be under a few of the others: bodily-kinesthetic (does the arrangement allow for movement?); interpersonal (can the students communicate to each other effectively?); and intrapersonal (do any students feel crowded by the surrounding students?). These are all very important questions to keep in mind! I also really liked the idea of having "open-ended activity center s" (69) spread around the room. However, I feel it isn't very realistic in the average classroom. It seems like space and money would be a couple of the big issues that would surface. It could also prove to be a distraction in the classroom. But when done correctly and with the right resources, I feel like this could be very successful in a classroom. If, for example, students are given a period of free time during the day, they would have a variety of ways to take advantage of their time.

 Chapter 7 - MI and the Classroom Environment

"Nowhere else [but in schools] are large groups of individuals packed so closely together for so many hours, yet expected to perform at peak efficiency on difficult learning tasks and to interact harmoniously" (67). A major impact on efficiency among students in the classroom is the environment in which the classroom is conducted. MI theory allows for making the classroom environment more accommodating to the eight different intelligences and in this chapter of //Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom//, Armstrong provides a comprehensive list of questions concerning the ecological factors for each intelligence. These questions provide a clear message to teachers that creating a comfortable classroom atmosphere will be beneficial for all intelligences. An environment conducive to each of the eight intelligences may alleviate the difficult task of getting individuals to "interact harmoniously" and "perform at peak efficiency".

John
This chapter humanizes the classroom, raising ecological questions about each intelligence that force one to think about the students' interaction with other intelligences. I noted the concern for linguistic learners, which was "Is there too much "linguistic pollution" in class (endless exposure to dittos and busy work), or are students being empowered to develop their own linguistic materials?" (67). I notice in most Language arts classrooms that the walls are plastered with the same brightly colored tripe repeating the same 10 commandments of grammar. Wouldn't it be more efficient and geared towards learning if the students were assigned their own way to learn this information? This chapter made me think of potential issues in my future classroom based on intelligence, and I am grateful for the insight. I am also grateful that Armstrong seemed to keep his one lesson that is different from the others this far in the book, so that it almost seems worth continuing.. 