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Howard Gardner

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Howard Gardner was a Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for almost thirty years as a codirector of Harvard’s Project Zero program. (Jacobus 619) The program was dedicated to improving education in school. While Gardner was determined to improve education, he earned many awards and recognition along the way. Some of the awards he earned were MacArthur Foundation Award in 1981 and Grawemeyer Award in Education in 1991 but his most recognized work was the Theory of Multiple Intelligence. In this theory he objects to the idea that we can measure intelligence with a standardized test. Gardner is more interested in the mastery of thinking and less of the mastery of tests. (Jacobus 620) He believes that …show more content…

This approach summed up is learning from our errors. In a sense that educators not just correct us and give us the correct answer but goes further on and reenacts the situation. So, the student is forced to think like a mathematician, historian or scientist etc. Gardner gives an example of a child who thinks their sweater generates warmth. Once this explanation has been offered, a parent or teacher can suggest that the sweater be left outside each evening. (Jacobus 633) Then presenting the sweater to the child and showing the temperature of the sweater is the same as the outside. Challenging the child’s theory can further his understanding about what generates heat. Learning from our mistakes can have a lot of positive effects such as create problem solving and critical thinking skills. It also helps remove boundaries created by fear or failure. However, from my personal experience I disagree. As a child, I was put into a household that only spoke Spanish. I was constantly corrected and showed how to articulate the sounds and pro nouns the words clearer. I however become discouraged and I still carry that as an adult. Even though I can read and write in Spanish I am afraid to speak …show more content…

The key idea is that understanding should be constructed as a performance, public exhibition of what one knows and is able to do. (Jacobus 634) To this approach he has to methods that come with it. First is to create an understanding goal and second is one identifies essential questions. Gardner brings up the fact that when one learns a sport we do not test them on how well they learned by giving them a test. The athlete performs it, therefore showing he or she understands the objective. So why do it when it comes to education. I agree with this approach. For example, one of my most feared courses was not math or chemistry it was public speaking. Why? Is the fact that I am not graded on whether I can pass a test or know the difference in definition from a persuasive speech or an informative speech. No, it is the fact that I must demonstrate that I understand what the speech is whether it is informal or

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