Chapter 2 Synthesis and Abstract

Abstract-
Chapter two of Thomas Armstrong’s Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom emphasizes how important it is as an educator to be aware of your own intelligences to be able to use the theory of multiple intelligences in your classroom. Armstrong descriptively explains how we identify our own intelligences, and how we identify our intelligences through experiences in our lives. For the intelligences that you are not particularly strong in, Armstrong provided advice as to how to go about being able to work with other intelligences even though you have not developed them yourself. For example, not being hesitant to ask other teachers that you work with that are stronger in areas that you may not be, like music. Along with this Armstrong advised that we should use our own students as resources because often they have expertise in other areas that we may not. To conclude, he discussed the “Activators and Deactivators of Intelligences.” In this section Armstrong explained how we may have developed our individual intelligences. Overall, Armstrong stresses understanding our own individual intelligences to be successful with our students’ intelligences.

Synthesis-
Everyone has certain intelligences in which they are proficient, and then other intelligences that would be considered a weakness. To understand what intelligences we carry, we must reflect on real life experiences. Some of us though that multiple intelligence surveys were very useful in going about understanding what intelligences we carried. What most of us thought were important in this chapter was that we need to be able to understand and have knowledge of what our own intelligences are to be successful educators. Along with this many of us agree that we can all improve in those certain intelligences that we consider our weaker points. In addition, when going about improving our intelligences, we uncover students talents or interests through letting them help us with improving our weaker intelligences.