Multiple Intelligences

We always hear people saying  "X" is really intelligent. The question that strikes my mind immediately is how could you tell? The answer I get most of the times is: because he is good at math; or he is good at science. Others may say he is smart at everything. Do people really know what intelligence means? Does it really mean that you should be good at calculations, or good at "everything"?

The theory of multiple intelligence differentiates intelligence into different modalities, which means intelligence is not dominated by a single ability. You may be intelligent in one domain but not in the other. Howard Gardner has identified 9 intelligences. He explains that these differences challenge an educational system that claims that everyone can learn the same material in the same way. The implications of this theory would be that teachers should use different methods and practices. They should adhere to auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners. In the Lebanese educational system, teachers mostly rely on the auditory teaching styles and assume that all students should adapt and learn that way. On the other hand, the least used is the kinesthetic.

Taking multiple intelligences into consideration while teaching  has many positive advantages such as better classroom management, more successful education, and integrating arts into history, math and English. This is why we need a change in our educational system.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, 
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, 
When the funds are low and the debts are high, 
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, 
When care is pressing you down a bit, 
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns, 
As every one of us sometimes learns, 
And many a failure turns about, 
When he might have won had he stuck it out; 
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow– 
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than 
It seems to a faint and faltering man, 
Often the struggler has given up, 
When he might have captured the victor’s cup, 
And he learned too late when the night slipped down, 
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out– 
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, 
And you never can tell how close you are, 
It may be near when it seems so far, 
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit– 
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

- Author unknown

This poem is very inspiring as it reflects the reality that each and every one of us lives. We all encounter hardships and mishaps that put us down and make us want to quit. It is okay to take a break from all the commotion we are living, as long as we don't give up. We may think that our goals are unachievable but we may be closer than we think. It's okay to fail because we can learn valuable lessons from failure. After all, life is a test and success is not easy to achieve. So stick to the fight and persevere!

Funny and Interesting Facts :)

1. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
2. A crocodile can't stick its tongue out.
3. A shrimp's heart is in it's head.
4. People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze,your heart stops for a mili-second.
5. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
6. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.
7. Rats and horses can't vomit.
8. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib.
9. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.
10. If you keep your eyes open by force when you sneeze, you might pop an eyeball out.
11. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
12. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
13. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
14. You’re born with 300 bones, but by the time you become an adult, you only have 206.
15. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
16. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.
17. Over 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.

Imagination vs. Science

Ever since childhood, we have been given opposing ideas about how to think in life. As children, we are taught to use our imagination, and to believe in the power of love as the cure to any problem. As we grow older, we are taught to use logic and reason to solve our problems, for love is not going to put food on the table and keep us warm at night. We are taught that education strengthens nations, but are not reminded that it also destroys nations. Science creates cures for diseases that are caused by nuclear weapons, another invention of science, used during wars that are due to greed for power and money.
Comparing men of science to their childhood selves, we can see that no man was born evil: Adolf Hitler, George W. Bush, Ariel Sharon etc...All men of science and "education" were once children with imaginations. Were their childhood selves and imagination responsible for mass destruction and man slaughter? No, their "adulthood" and scientific power greed minds were. Imagine the world ruled by children. Would it be a better place? If imagination and believing in the power of love were to rule the world, would there be poverty? Would there be hunger? Would there be wars?

How to Let Him Go

We have all had that feeling: butterflies in our stomach when we see him, fast heart beats, nervousness, awkwardness and warm faces. And, as usual, he wanted you, chased you, got you until he got bored, and then walked away. We might all be in denial, not wanting to let go, thinking we can't possibly live without him, but we are all stronger than we think. All we have to do is believe, and stop waiting around for HIM to save us. 

Stop waiting for prince charming. He is too lazy to walk out of his castle, and can easily replace you with another one of his princesses. Be your own hero, and stop living in fairy tales that were written by men thinking that we need "men" to save us and be our hero to live happily ever after.

The fact is that we are women. We can endure walking in heals all day, giving birth, shopping all day... We don't need men to save us. We are perfectly capable of saving ourselves. Just keep reminding yourself that you deserve better than someone who would let go of you in a heart beat. You deserve more than empty promises that "it won't happen again." You have to make him respect you, starting by respecting yourself and realizing that he is not the person you fell in love with, and it's time to let go.

It's never too late to start over. Just keep in mind to love yourself before you allow your heart to love someone else. Always remind yourself that you deserve to be happy. 

Importance of Background Knowledge

Many language students face difficulties while attempting to comprehend a written text in the foreign language. So how can teachers prepare students so that the reading and listening materials become more comprehensible to them? Educators such as Ausubel believed that learning must be meaningful to be effective and permanent. This means that it should be related to what students already know. Ausubel also spoke about the importance of using advance organizers to activate students' prior knowledge. This will also facilitate retention of new material. Three kinds of knowledge are activated in the second language comprehension process. They are knowledge of linguistic information, knowledge of the world and knowledge of discourse structure.

Another important point is that the teacher should be aware that every person has a different schema for every situation or event. Rumelhart defines schema as: an abstract representation of a generic concept for an object, event, or situation. When trying to comprehend a message, people instantiate a particular form of a schema. If misunderstanding occurs, then the wrong schema has been activated. Being aware of this helps reduce ambiguity in classes because the teacher will be aware that misunderstandings occur not only due to linguistic aspects, but also misreadings of the schema.

"Each learner builds and adds to his understandings according to his or her own knowledge, thoughts, ideas, perceptions, experiences, values, and beliefs. If new information does not connect to existing knowledge, the brain will not accept it." (12 things a teacher must know about learning)

Induction Programs Needed!

The other day, we (TD and masters students)  attended a seminar with our instructors at AUB. The masters students there were presenting their thesis and one of the students discussed a catchy topic which is Induction Programs.  Personally, I found it very interesting so I did some extra research about the topic.
Some of you may be wondering, "What are induction programs?" They are programs designed to provide professional support to novice teachers, meaning teachers in their first and second years of teaching. They support effective learning, teaching and assessment practices. They also aim at helping new teachers gain the requisite knowledge and skills that will support success as teachers.
UNFORTUNATELY, there is no existence of such programs in Lebanon. As a novice teacher, you are expected to either swim or sink in your first two years and those years decide whether you will persevere in your teaching career or not. Research indicates that more than a third of beginning teachers leave the profession within the first few years. To prevent this from happening, beginning teachers need support! 
A novice teacher needs help concerning classroom management, effective parent communication skills, and instructional strategies and methods that address all types of students. A few sessions of lecturing by professional teachers is not enough, for they cannot condense numerous years of experience into a few hours. For this reason, extended programs are needed where professional teachers act as mentors, facilitators and supporters.