MI:5,6 / UBD/DI:6,7

Chapter five of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom focuses on utilizing your knowledge to bring as many multiple intelligences as possible into your lesson plans, as effectively as possible. Something that it definitely stressed was helping students develop all of their multiple intelligence abilities, not just there strengths. This will help them grow as learners, and switching back and forth to accommodate this will help you grow as an educator. A really good lesson that has the ability to reach any student is able to access any of the eight intelligences necessary, and allow the teacher to interchange them as needed. It also begins to talk about different ways that a teacher can create lessons and entire curriculums that will truly access and develop all of these skills. Chapter six of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom dives more deeply into planning these lessons and curriculums, giving more specific ways to incorporate all of the learning styles.
Chapter 6 of Understanding By Design and Differentiated Instruction also draws upon the theme of teaching a classroom of diversified learners. It focuses a lot on teachers being aware of and responsive to the learning needs of their students, watching their progress closely throughout the unit. Also how important it is for educators to be flexible and do whatever they can to accommodate the learning needs of the entire class. Chapter 7 talked much more in depth about the actual learning of the students. It discusses how, regardless of the diversified learning styles, each student should be focused on one connecting essential question, or "big idea." Having this really guides a student's learning regardless of how they learn. It also talks about really getting students to understand the content, this has to happen as opposed to just skimming information if you want students to actually internalize the information, rather than just testing then immediately forgetting it.
All of this information is really interesting because it gives me some really valid answers to questions that I was not aware that I had, but it also raises some anxieties. I worry about not being able to see when a student is in need academically (or otherwise, honestly), and missing my chance to really get them to understand material that may be giving them trouble, and could continue to do so in the future. The suggestions for avoiding that, particularly in Understanding By Design and Differentiated Instruction chapter seven, did help to stave off some of that worry, however. The Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom chapters were also really interesting, as it gave some great ways to incorporate all of the learning styles into the curriculum. I also loved that it talked about helping students develop their skills, instead of just helping them play to their strengths, because this is something that I would love to be able to successfully do in my classroom. All in all, I learned a lot in these chapters that I feel excited to try in my own classroom at some point to help students with any learning need to feel comfortable and confident in my classroom and with my content.