MI+Chapter+14+Block+2

[|Synthesis MI C14 B2]


 * **Names** || **Abstract** || **Reflection** ||
 * Barnes Mckell || In the final chapter, chapter 14, of the Multiple Intelligence book, the book wraps up by posing a ninth intelligence called the Existential Intelligence. The existential intelligence is based on more of the human intelligence such as “who are we?” “Is there meaning of life?” and so forth. It touches more on emotion. The book then goes into how it fits in with the criteria of the other intelligences. The last part of the book then goes on to talk about examples of fitting this ninth intelligence into each subject. For example, mathematics: teachers can incorporate past mathematicians that have formulated some of the big concepts revolving mathematics. They can touch on these existential themes. || I really like the idea of including a ninth intelligence called the existential intelligence into the spectrum of Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory. I think it hits home and students can create different connections that target their emotions. I really like how the chapter provides descriptions of how it connects with the other multiple intelligences and why it should be included. I also really like how the book provides examples of how to incorporate this intelligence into every classroom. ||
 * Brennick Christopher || The final chapter in this book goes into the possibility for a ninth intelligence called the existential intelligence. The book starts our by saying that Howard Gardner define this as basically a concern with the ultimate issues of life. The book goes into how this intelligence fits the main criteria for qualifying as an intelligence. The books says that this intelligence meets about half the criteria for being an intelligence. The final section goes into the ways in which this intelligence can be brought into the classroom. One such example from a history that can transcend any religious issues is asking during a holocaust unit what causes evil in the world. || I think this is a very important chapter because I do believe in this ninth intelligence. I think there are a lot of people that do a lot of thinking about the big questions in life. This does have a lot of implications in the class because you can bring in the big life questions that will define students lives and begin to explore them. ||

I am glad to see a chapter on existential intelligence. To be honest, I had almost forgotten about it. We talk so often about the eight intelligences it is easy to forget that there is a possibility of nine. I was glad to read Armstrong’s personal opinion about existential intelligence, because I feel that he makes a few good points. I appreciate, however, that his did not preach his beliefs and then disregard the intelligence all together. Instead he provided examples of how existential intelligence can be used in the classroom to address each content area. I am not quite sure how I feel about this intelligence as of yet, but I do have my doubts. If it were up to me, I don’t think existential intelligence would be considered an intelligence.
 * Columbia Laura || Chapter fourteen of //Multiple Intelligences// discusses the idea of a ninth intelligence, the existential. This would be someone who thinks deeply about life, religion and spirituality. Examples of careers would be pastors, shamans, priests and lamas, to name just a few. This new intelligence fits almost all of the criteria. It is valued culturally, its played a role in history, it has a symbol system, and there has been brain research about it. Those are just a few of the criteria that it fits. Though this might officially become one of the intelligences, it will probably hold a special status because it is harder to incorporate into all of the studies. Yet, it is not impossible. For example, many scientists in the past such as Newton and Einstein had spiritual or cosmic concerns. || I really found this chapter to be interesting. I feel like I am a very spiritual being. My faith is a large part of my life and I feel like many students feel the same way. Yet, it many schools it is not the place to be spiritual. I loved the few ethics and religion classes I took because it allowed me to think deeper about why I believe certain things and how that effects my life. I really want to encourage a spiritual environment in my classroom at certain points. I really feel that this is an intelligence, and many students should have the opportunity to develop theirs. ||
 * Coombs Kayla || Chapter fourteen was the chapter on the existential intelligence. This intelligence concerns itself over life issues, looking at the meaning of life and death, the infinite and infinitesimal, the fate of the physical and psychological worlds, and overall profound experiences like love for another or immersion in a work of art. This intelligence has been considered for inclusion into MI theory because it fits pretty well with most of Gardner’s criteria for an intelligence. For instance, looking at cultural value, most all cultures have belief systems, myths, rituals, and other structures that attempt to understand ultimate life issues; looking at symbol systems, most societies historically have developed different kinds of symbols with which to communicate to their members about existential themes. The idea of the existential intelligence in education worries some people because of the religion aspect of it, and how it might go against some of the belief systems of educators and learners. It would also be difficult to apply existential intelligence in every educative objective. The chapter ends by looking at the ways that existential intelligence can be integrated in the classroom. Many existential questions can be looked at in several curricular areas. Science can be addressed existentially in the classroom by looking at those areas that Gardner calls “infinite and infinitesimal” which would be theories about the origin of the universe. In math, teachers can address math concepts with existential themes, like zero or infinity, irrational numbers, imaginary numbers, and concepts like probability and topology. Literature can be discussed with an existential lens by looking at the impact of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles on writers of history. One cannot fully comprehend or appreciate great books by Shakespeare, for instance, without looking at how Biblical sources have affected them. The chapter allows the reader to see all the opportunities that exists to use existential intelligence in the classroom, and how using this intelligence will take the learners further into their understandings of the fields of study and the ultimate concern of life to understand human culture. || This chapter helped me see why existential intelligence could be considered as a ninth intelligence, because I was never really able to see how it could work alongside the other intelligences. I still see the problems with it, like the religious aspects of it that would not be acceptable to incorporate in the classroom each day, but I realize now that by using existential intelligence in the classroom one can have their students look at different aspects of the material and how it has been influenced by existentialism. Looking at all the opportunities that exist to incorporate existential intelligence makes me want to use it in my classroom, because it does allow the material to be looked at in a completely new light, and it would further the learners’ understanding of the material and human culture. ||
 * Cummons Michael || Chapter 14 looks at a possible ninth intelligence in the MI theory. This intelligence is called the existential intelligence. For example. Religious people like priests, pastors, rabbis, as well as philosophers, artists, and scientists fall under this particular intelligence. This chapter says that nine really does fit as an intelligence. This chapter can be integrated into the classroom. There are examples that are given to show how each one can be integrated into the classroom. For example, in math it could work in infinity, imaginary numbers and zero. Nine is still up for debate, however there is support to have it in the classroom. || Chapter 14 was very interesting. It made me wonder if there are more than nine intelligences. I think that multiple intelligences is more complex than people think it is. Existential intelligence is very interesting. It is a whole different kind of thinking. I wonder what kid of other intelligences could be discovered. I think asking students how they learn and what they think their intelligences are at the beginning of a year. I think this would be a great way of discovering how students learn. ||
 * Damboise Kelley || Chapter fourteen explores the idea of there being a ninth intelligence that Howard Gardner says should not be taken lightly. The ninth intelligence is called existential intelligence because people who display this kind of intelligence tend to learn and focus on the greater understands of how something relates to life and the cosmos. People who fall under this intelligence often ask what we are doing here, why do bad things happen, and what’s going to happen to humans in the future? They tend to look at the overall picture and see how it plays into or affects this universe. The reason it may be considered the ninth intelligence is because it meets Gardner’s qualifications of multiple intelligence which include: cultural values, developmental history, symbol system, exceptional individuals, psychometric studies, evolutionary plausibility, and brain research. Although, it doesn’t fit all the qualification categories it is close enough to be taken seriously as one of the intelligences. Gardner explains that teachers may not be able to implement this intelligence into every lesson. This may be one of the intelligences that only come up when dealing with certain topics. Also, this intelligence may be hard to bring forth in the classroom because it present ideas and critical thinking that may offend some students. Ways it could be incorporated in the class include: science, allowing students to discover what the difference is between non-living and living life forms; mathematics, exploring infinity and imaginary numbers; history, looking at different religions; literature, discovering Shakespeare from a existential intelligence; and the arts, by exploring the meaning behind the artwork. || What an interesting chapter describing existential intelligence and how people who have this multiple intelligence think and view the world. I have to admit though I would be extremely nervous to try and incorporate this intelligence into my lesson because it does create and advanced way of thinking about different topics and how everything can affect this world. It may cause bias opinions that teachers may not be able to talk about because of the division between religion and school. I think that if I became more comfortable with being able to lead a lesson where I could avoid religious context and my own personal feelings then I would have no problem incorporating this intelligence into my lesson planes as much as possible. ||
 * Kelley Kathleen || Chapter fourteen of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom described the possible ninth intelligence, existentialism. This newer intelligence explored by Howard Gardner, is based around the idea that people who have the ability to think about the ultimate questions such as of the meaning of life, where do we come from, and where is humanity heading. The books states that this intelligence isn’t fully developed so it cannot be considered an actual intelligence, but there is enough research and validity behind it that it cannot be dismissed. Armstrong proceeds to discuss how this intelligence fits the criteria that all others do. Similar to the other eight intelligences, existential incorporates symbols, history, has a cultural value, and there is brain research showing that people with temporal lobe epilepsy exhibit excessive religiosity. Armstrong debates that incorporating existential intelligence into the lesson would be fairly silly, and there may be an issue with the separation of church and state. He does, however, include different ways that this kind of intelligence can be tied into different content areas. || Overall, I thought that this chapter was interesting because it touched upon an intelligence that very few people know about. Existential intelligence still seems obscure to me. The other eight intelligences seem very general and apply to multiple people. It makes me wonder how many people in the world have this existential intelligence. It seems as though for every five people with it, there are 4 times as many who are bodily-kinesthetic. However, I do see how it could tie into all of the subjects. Everything we know and learn is based on theory and philosophy, alchemy, and in some form religion, so really shows how it could apply to history, science, and philosophy. Maybe using this as a part of my teaching would allow the students to dive in and explore the origins a little deeper. ||
 * Knowles Christina || Chapter fourteen of MI is different from every other chapter because it introduces us to the possibility of a ninth intelligence, existential intelligence. A person with this intelligence is in tune with life, the cosmos and thinks about both the physical and psychological worlds. Even though the existential intelligence is not officially a ninth intelligence, we should still be aware of it and use it in the classroom. The chapter shows us how easy it is to incorporate it in every subject. || I thought it was very interesting to read about the possible ninth intelligence. I had never really considered that as an intelligence, but as I am thinking about it, I can see how it can be considered one. I was also wondering how I could incorporate it into my classroom, but the chapter made it sound very easy to do. ||
 * Mourkas Margaret || Chapter 14 presents the relatively new idea that there is a ninth intelligence. Gardner himself admits that this new intelligence does not meet all the “requirements” of an intelligence. The new intelligence is the existential intelligence. This intelligence is “a concern with ultimate life issues” page 127. Some of the questions that Gardner suggests that these people think about are; “Who are we? What’s it all about? Why is there evil? Where is humanity heading? Is there meaning in life?” page 127. This chapter states that this intelligence might make some teachers uncomfortable because they might think that they are crossing the separation of church and state line. The chapter then shows the reader how the intelligence can be used in each concentration. || This chapter kind of hit home for me. It isn’t because I’m a religious person but I do like learning about the ever-changing aspects of the world. I liked that this chapter because it put a toe in the grey area of what teachers should or should not teach. It stepped in the area where if mentioned in class there might be an angry parent if not taught correctly. In this intelligence the students can explore their spirituality and get excited to learn. ||
 * O'Neil Christopher || Chapter fourteen is dedicated to the potential ninth intelligence, the existential intelligence. Howard Gardner defines the existential intelligence as “a concern with ultimate life issues.” Gardner describes the existential intelligence as “the capacity to locate oneself with respect to the furthest reaches of the cosmos – the infinite and the infinitesimal – and the related capacity to locate oneself with respect to such existential features of the human condition as the significance of life, the meaning of death, the ultimate fate of the physical and the psychological worlds, and such profound experiences as love of another person or total immersion in a work of art.” Some people may think that the existential intelligence deals with spirituality and religion, when in fact it does not. The existential intelligence is not fully considered to be a part of the multiple intelligence theory because it does not fully fit the Gardner’s criteria. At the end of the chapter, readers can learn how teachers can teach to the existential intelligence in each of the major subjects in school. || I feel that this was a very appropriate topic to end the book with. The idea of having a ninth intelligence is very interesting. I personally feel that the existential intelligence would be a good addition to the multiple intelligence theory. There are a lot of people out there that often think about life’s issues and learn best with philosophy. Even psychologists could fit under the existential intelligence. As long as people do not associate the existential intelligence with religion and spirituality, there would be no issues with teaching towards it in schools. If people do associate it with those things, then it could cause a lot of issues within the schools. ||
 * Richardson Cassandra || Chapter fourteen discusses Howard Gardiner’s theory and development of the ninth intelligence, existential intelligence. The book describes it as ‘a concern with ultimate life issues’ (p.127). It goes on to describe the traits that a student with existential intelligence would have; deep connections with the earth and cosmos, has a deep understanding of the different worlds (mental, psychological, physical, etc). Elements of existentialist views are apparent in all aspects of life, including values determined by culture, and developmental histories. Though this intelligence is technically not a true intelligence, the chapter outlines several applications to the core subjects in the likely event that there are students who identify moreso with this intelligence than the others. || This section was a bit interesting for me, mainly because the emphasis on the essential questions existentialists put. All of these questions, such as ‘is there such thing as good and evil?’ go hand-in-hand with all sections of history. As the outline for social studies applications stated, existentialist views are deeply ingrained in the philosophical ponderings that eventually shape history. ||
 * Trundy Monique || In chapter fourteen Armstrong covered existential intelligence. Gardner believes that this intelligence may be a ninth intelligence and offers reasoning why based on its cultural value, developmental history, symbol systems, exceptional individuals, psychometric studies, evolutionary plausibility and brain research. Some educators are reluctant to accept the possible ninth intelligence because it is far more specific to certain individuals then the other intelligences, and addressing this intelligence in the classroom does not create productive lesson plans. These beliefs aside, Armstrong still offered ways to use the intelligence in the classroom. ||  ||

I really enjoyed this chapter and do believe that the existential is an important intelligence. I have always felt that this type of understanding or intelligence has been real, it has just been until now that I’ve been able to put a name to this awareness, or drive to think deeply and attempt to discover the great questions of our world. Although this intelligence may be a difficult and dangerous intelligence to focus on in the classroom, I hope to be able to implement it in my classroom as an English teacher so that my students can benefit and more greatly appreciate works of literature that have imbedded ideas and symbolism when there is a general understanding of religion or spiritual enrichment. I also want my students to not fear discussing or recognizing issues in literature such as death, life, good, and evil. Not only do I hope they can read and interpret these existential ideas, but I hope they will be able to develop the confidence to write with these ideas as well. If all intelligences can be developed in all people, I feel that the existential intelligence is probably the most level of the intelligences. I feel that this intelligence is where all people can develop the same strength and understanding. This chapter talks about Gardner’s introduction of a ninth intelligence, the existential intelligence. We read that this intelligence is based on being able to ask and ponder on ultimate life questions. The claim is that this is not a spiritual intelligence but there is a lot of spirituality within it. We are given a brief list of how this intelligence fits the intelligence criteria, but its relevance in many cultures. We read that many cultures have belief systems, most of the scientists, artists, and philosophers through out history are seen pondering life issues, many religions use symbols to portray meaning, and finally the evolution of humans and burial ceremonies shows a concern for the existential and an understanding of what is beyond daily life. We read that it may be difficult to integrate this intelligence into the classroom as it is possible to offend students and an educator is likely to be accused of breaking the separation of church and state clause, but the true intention of this intelligence is not to promote any religion or spiritual belief system, it is simply meant to get humans thinking more broadly and pondering existential questions. The chapter goes on to explain how different subjects can easily integrate this intelligence. Two good examples are how the birth of science came from asking deep and philosophical questions about religion. These questions and observations of life, humanity, and God created experiments and new ways of thinking that brought about science. Also literature is a good way to bring in the existential because all great works of literature ponder the ideas of good, evil, life, death, or some sort of spiritual connotation.
 * Webb Christopher || The final chapter of MI discusses the possibility of a ninth intelligence, the existential intelligence. Howard Gardner defines it as “a concern with ultimate life issues”. He clearly states that this is not simply a religious or philosophical matter, but rather that it incorporates both of them. It appears to fit all of his criteria; cultural value, developmental history, symbol systems, savants, psychometric studies, evolutionary plausibility, and brain research. The existential intelligence as defined by Gardner is dedicated to examining the broader efforts of humanity to address existential concerns in a diversity of ways. The chapter ends by confessing that it cannot be used to teach in all subjects but it does give a few examples or where it can be effectively applied. || I liked this chapter because I think that the existential intelligence should be used in class, whether or not it is officially defined as intelligence. This is something that can easily bring subjects into students’ lives. It is something which is universal we all think about and contemplate on the greater meaning of things so why shouldn’t this be done in the classroom as well? I particularly liked the example they gave for my concentration, social science, because it is such an easy subject to incorporate this into. I think using it will stimulate a lot of good discussion in class and as long as the teacher can keep the discussion on topic and avoid showing his bias then it can be a great tool. ||
 * West Simon ||  ||