MI and Promoting Higher-Order Thinking - Research Paper Example

The specific intelligences function in the context of the environment. Hence, it is important to have a proper understanding of the capacities that are central to the various types of intelligence. Continuing research by several scholars in the field has been unraveling the implications of the theory for education generally, and higher-order thinking in particular. Higher-order thinking (HOT) essentially is a manipulation of knowledge and ideas involving synthesis, generalisation, explanation, hypothesis, conclusion or interpretation that will result in solving problems or achieving new discovery and understanding.

As opposed to lower-order thinking which is promoted when pre-specified knowledge is imparted, and procedural routines are adhered to and followed. Even complex activities are performed by reproducing knowledge in a rote fashion. The key to higher-order thinking is thinking beyond memorizing and restating facts. According to Armstrong   (2000), “………..for whatever you wish to teach, link your instructional objective to words, numbers or logic, pictures, music, the body, social interaction, and/or personal experience.

” The students should be introduced to the notion of concepts to be able to distinguish the different types including concrete, abstract, verbal, nonverbal or process concept. For example, students with a poorly developed logical and mathematical intelligence need to be provided with verbal explanations of the math problems and procedures rather than merely working the problems repeatedly. Connecting the concepts leads to HOT. For example, the concept of “presents” could be linked to. MI and Promoting Higher-Order Thinking Culturally, too, it is the highly eloquent and coherent people that command much respect.

The theory of multiple intelligences emphasizes the need to transform the classrooms that currently tend towards being heavily linguistic or logical-mathematical into those that are more inclusive, catering to all the types of intelligence. Teachers need to be trained to incorporate a wide variety of techniques including using music, cooperative learning, art activities, role play, multimedia, field trips, inner reflection, and so on, while presenting their lessons (Armstrong, 2000). The various intelligences are clearly delineated from emotions, personality, or sensory accruity (Gardner, 2006).

Instead, Gardner sees them as a “computational capacity, that is, the ability to process certain kinds of information in the process of solving problems or fashioning products.” (2006). Under the multiple intelligences (MI) theory, a core set of operations has been identified for each type of intelligence. Connecting the concepts leads to HOT. For example, the concept of “presents” could be linked to “Christmas”, and further on to ‘winter”, “snow”, “seasons”, “spring”, “summer”, “holidays” and so on.

The various types of intelligences under MI can be indulged in the above.For instance, while the verbal intelligence is used to describe the various topics forming the concept, visual and spatial intelligence could be involved in drawing and painting different pictures to depict each of the topics.