CHENNAI: Prof Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence (MI) Theory, which unfolded to the world that each of the human being has a number of relatively independent mental faculties, was dealt in detail by Margret Warner, an international education expert from United Kingdom to the benefit of the senitised faculty members of St John’s Public School, Chennai.
A two-day workshop helped the teachers to be trainers in skills to apply the MI Theory to understand the pattern of learning of different children and develop an attitude of openness towards new ways of teaching. The focus was on finding ways in which teachers can recognise their own and pupils’ multiple intelligences and how to plan the lesson mapping and teaching in MI methodology. The whole content of the programme was designed to promote knowledge around multiple intelligence skills and attitudes that teachers need to posses. It fascinated the teachers in the co-curricular activities.
According to Dr R Kishore Kumar, the Convener of the workshop, the impact of this knowledge on Multiple Intelligence is far reaching. “The implication and the knowledge of usage of MI Theory if ideally applied in classroom teaching would convert the raw student mass of a classroom into valuable human resources for the country,” he said.
Preetha Abraham, head teacher of KG, felt that this workshop had given the teachers the confidence that “I can gain the attention of all the children in my class,” is a great start for the teachers to unfold and explore wider and deeper into the realms of knowledge in the classrooms with her participating children.
Shanthi Samuel, Principal, exhorted that her teachers were fortunate to attend the workshop that has opened the mind of teachers to revive even the most inattentive/distracted child in the classroom. The practical side of the workshop had left the impact on them that was a feeling of wonder, anxiety and relief; wonder at the expanse of knowledge lying ahead, anxiety on the right usage of it and relief in being able to handle the knowledge effectively in the lesson plan, classroom management and delivery of the lesson.