Clark B. Montgomery EDUC 5340  Research Paper Betsy Quintero December, 1999

JUSTINS STORY

Just some of the baggage that comes with being a parent is thinking (hoping?) that your kids might be exceptional. Although exceptional can mean a lot of things, from a parents perspective the word conveys a positive characterization of our childrens accomplishments and their future. The greater the childs accomplishments, in theory the more exceptional they become. Who sets the standards for such determinations? Is it just the parents and their values, or does society and societies institutions play a role? More importantly, what damage can ensue if theyre wrong?

NARRATION Justin is a twenty-four year white male that grew up in a middle class, traditional family home in the midwest United States. The firstborn of three siblings, Justins experiences and interests growing up were typical of his contemporaries. Early on that included residing in a suburban neighborhood and interacting with lots of youngsters his own age; an intense interest in anything involving wheels or Star Wars figures; an urgency to join groups (Cub Scouts, Little League, school band, and the Communist Party if someone had asked him to join); and a hyperactive imagination and spirit. During adolescence those same interests evolved into rampant social interaction; anything with wheels; belonging to school sports and organizations; and his undefeatable imagination and spirit. Justin, an A-B-C high school student, graduated in 1993 in the upper 50% of his class. On Friday, December 17, 1999, Justin will graduate from Bemidji State University with a B.A. in Industrial Technology Management. Early in January, 2000, Justin will assume the well paid responsibilities of a Project Engineer with an international architectural/engineering firm as he embarks on his professional career. Admirable, but not necessarily exceptional, you might say - and I would disagree. In some circles, the fact that Justin graduated from high school might be considered exceptional; completing college just short of a miracle. All this he accomplished in spite of being judged by public education, and society in general, as unlikely to succeed. In spite the disadvantages labeling (and the personal stigma) created, Justin played public education at its own game  and he won. Thats what makes him exceptional! Attending public elementary school in a very conservative western Nebraska town, Justin was diagnosed early in his kindergarten year as learning impaired. The standardized tests he was given indicated deficiencies in verbal ability. In a somewhat closed system that academically valued little beyond verbal and math skills, Justin was not as successful as some of his peers. With no hesitation or lack of conviction, school officials pronounced Justin as requiring special education. He was enrolled in that curriculum, and there he resided until removed by his parents in 4th grade. The special ed classroom he attended was set up in a trailer, segregated from, but adjacent to the school. Every day, Justin and his special ed classmates, in full view of everyone, would have to leave their classroom to go to the dumb kids trailer. The school educators implied they were dumb, the school kids taunted them as being dumb, and predictably, they became dumb. The remedial training these kids received seemed short of imagination. The basic approach was to conduct a more repetitive version of the same skills being taught in the classroom. If these kids had difficulty understanding the material in the classroom, why would intensifying more of the same suggest solution? With his confidence shattered and a demonstrated inability to respond to this method of instruction, improvement of Justins verbal skills were both predictable and dismal. Perhaps the school district could have accomplished the same result, at considerably less expense, by making those kids wear a sign around their neck that said DUMB and just leave it at that. FORTUNATELY, the story doesnt end there. In spite of the unintentional effort to cement Justins path to failure, there were several wild cards at play  the most significant being Justins mother. Blessed with overwhelming virtues of compassion, composure, commitment and insight, this woman saw ability and intelligence in her son overlooked by the traditional education system. Without formal training or schooling, the mother sensed that although Justin had difficulty with verbal instruction, there were other techniques that facilitated his learning. With total commitment, perseverance and countless hours spent, the remainder of Justins public education involved coaching, tutoring and clarification by his mother  a service no amount of money could buy. Although it would be impossible to understand all the influences that make us what we are, there seem to be obvious other factors that helped Justin persevere. The first are the family values regarding work, education and responsibility that Justin was taught. Whether good or bad, its nearly impossible to shake the values weve grown up with. As humans, we all stray (at times) from these values, but most eventually return. In Justins case, he grew up accepting certain values regarding what accomplishments and qualities were expected of himself. His values gave him the commitment to succeed at educational endeavors, regardless of his shortcomings. The second factor that contributed to Justins perseverance was competition  competition from his younger brother and his peers. In a situation that might have easily resulted in opposite results, his observance of the achievements and recognition earned in school by his brother and others only strengthened his resolve to receive that acknowledgment for himself. The third significant influence in Justins life resulted in a move to Minnesota when he was in 6th grade. In Justins new school district, an attitude prevailed that Justin had never experienced. Rather than an emphasis on devaluing individuals for their lack of specific skills, there existed real recognition for other abilities. This was a revelation for Justin, to actually feel valued in a school setting. School became enjoyable, not burgeoning, and with that learning became easier. Justin will likely never reach the verbal or mathematical prowess so revered by traditional education. However, to limit the measure of his intelligence, ability, talent and value in those terms is a terrible injustice and an utter waste of human resource. Although there is a reality that demands base competency in those abilities, superior math and verbal skills are of real value in only specific occupations or situations  of no greater value than other superior skills and intelligences. Justins ability to perform and excel as a professional, a citizen, a parent, and as a human being is in no way hampered by his deficiency in verbal intelligence. In spite of that reality, he is one of the lucky few that had the resources, and luck, to beat the system.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES Early on and continuing to this day, one of the overriding theories of traditional education stresses that intelligence is an ability to learn and do things that arise from a uniform cognitive capacity. In other words, humans are born with a single intelligence that cant be changed but which psychologists can measure. As a result of that presumption, at the turn of the century psychologist Alfred Binet designed a test that could be used to analyze an individuals intelligence in order to uncover weakness. In that creation was what we now term the Intelligence Quotient or IQ test. Although Binets test was originally designed to discover a students intellectual shortcomings, it was quickly adapted to rank a students ability to perform in school. To this day, American education is dictated by students scores on a battery of intelligence tests, from kindergarten through university. Although advocates of traditional education continue to warrant IQ testing as a means of conducting efficient, cost effective schooling, many are beginning to express concern that such testing does nothing to measure a childs intellectual potential. (Carvin, 1999) Their argument is that students should not be judged on what they cannot do, but on what they can do - that the schools responsibility is not to focus on the abilities of a few, but to discover and strengthen each individuals potential. Slowly and not yet fully realized, this type of thinking is beginning to force educators and policymakers to recognize the concept of Multiple Intelligence. The theory of multiple intelligence, introduced by Harvard educator Howard Gardner in 1983, is a psychological theory about the mind and human intelligence that continues to generate comment and controversy. The theory suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, is far too limiting in terms of defining intellectual potential and identifies only those with strong verbal or mathematical intelligence. According to Gardner (1999), there are at least eight different human intelligences. Most intelligence tests look at language or logic or both  those are just two intelligences. The other six are musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist. Gardner stresses that although our culture places high value on articulate and logical people, we should also pay equal attention to individuals gifted as artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, and entrepreneurs. The reality is that many children, highly gifted in other than IQ based intelligences, never receive the support or stimulation in school they need to excel. Many of these same kids, in fact, end up being labeled learning disabled, ADD (attention deficit disorder), or simply underachievers when their unique ways of thinking and learning arent addressed by a heavily linguistic or logical-mathematical classroom. (Armstrong, 1998) Gardners theory makes two claims, 1) that ALL human beings have ALL of these intelligences; and 2) that no two people, even identical twins have the same intelligence profile. From those premises, the theory of multiple intelligence proposes a major change in the way students are taught. It suggests that educators utilize a variety of instructional methods to facilitate effective learning for all students. Gardner states it best when he recognizes the theory of multiple intelligence as science, but its application as education, If we all have different kinds of minds, we have a choice. We can either ignore those differences and teach everybody the same stuff in the same way and assess everybody in the same way. Or we can say, Look, people learn in different kinds of ways, and they have different intellectual strengths and weaknesses. Lets take that into account in how we teach and how we assess. (Gardner, 1999) The theory of multiple intelligence is beginning to grab the attention of educators throughout the country, and numbers of schools have and/or are redesigning the way they educate children. Unfortunately, there still remain a majority of schools that continue to teach in the same old traditional way. There is no question concerning the expediency of the traditional education approach with its emphasis on lecture, worksheets and textbooks  but at what cost? If the purpose of education is to convey information into knowledge (as the usable/workable application of information) for the benefit of self and society, traditional teaching methods may well be destroying more potential than they cultivate.

INTERVIEW Justins Story is an account of a young mans struggle and success with traditional education constructed from information he provided in a formal interview conducted December 4, 1999 and from twenty-four years of personal observation by myself. Justin is my son, and although much of this story could have been accurately written without an interview, several pieces of information emerged from the interview that were quite revealing. Those were not so revealing regarding Justins inner thoughts, but about myself. Those disclosures forced me to recognize that although I have consciously accepted the concept of human diversity as it pertains to multiple intelligence, unconsciously there exists a thread that is hesitatant to accept that at full value. In question #3 of the interview, I asked if Justin had any concerns about his education  did he wish it had prepared him better for a professional career. My expectation was an affirmation that he felt insecure regarding his verbal skills. Surprisingly, his response (without hesitation) was that he felt fully prepared  that although there existed areas of weakness (verbal), he felt able to overshadow those with his strengths (multiple intelligences). In question #20, I asked if Justin had ever felt like giving up or quitting school. Contrary to my expectations, he answered Never. When pressed for his reasons, his response was that in spite of the difficulty and humiliation school imposed, he knew what was expected of himself and he never felt unworthy  he just had to work harder than others and use more tricks (other intelligences) to get by. His unexpected responses to those questions revealed more about my thought processes, than his. During the interview process, I had asked Justin to complete a Multiple Intelligences Survey constructed by Walter McKenzie for his 1999 publication, Creative Classroom Consulting. The survey is McKenzies attempt to provide a quick ranking of an individuals multiple intelligences. In compliance with Gardners theory, the survey recognizes that all individuals have intelligence in each category, but with varying strength. Within McKenzies design, results are plotted to provide visual comparison. Based on this simple survey, Justins profile (Fig. 1) revealed both expected and unexpected rankings. Not surprising to me, Justins intelligence strengths were lowest regarding his verbal and intrapersonal abilities. Also not surprising, Justins highest strengths involved his interpersonal, kinesthetic and visual abilities. What was surprising was to discover a high level of skill regarding musical intelligence. That surprise has required personal reflection on my part to begin to understand that music can indeed be an intelligence. It is not an intelligence I possess and not one I had ever considered having value. Likely

due to that, I had lived with someone for over two decades while failing to recognize that strength as a learning tool. My introduction to the significance music plays in Justins life was reinforced with a very recent incidence. The recent death of a family friend required our attendance at the funeral. During the sermon, Justins body language and expression suggested to me that he was inattentive, perhaps even bored. That seemed inconsistent in view of his attachment for the deceased. Then the music began and Justin immediately became as emotional and involved as I would have expected. That music conveyed information to him that had required a sermon to reach me  a meaningful example of the need to understand and value the differences among us.

REFLECTION ON DIVERSITY For the most part, the events in Justins Story occur chronologically prior to the introduction of Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Although based on Justins experiences, it would be easy to criticize the system and educators that controlled his early years, I believe one of the fundamental premises of understanding diversity requires an effort to comprehend events in the context of their time. It is not difficult to understand the professional motivations of administrators and educators, driven by an urgency for efficiency and the dogma of their own professional training. What might be criticized of these education systems, is the overwhelming lack of reflection upon and attempts to understand the human complexities of their students. It shouldnt have taken the theorizing of a Harvard educator, eighty-five years after the fact, to begin to open the eyes of education to what Justins mother easily recognized. With a commitment towards reflection and understanding, recognition and awareness is not difficult to attain regarding this or any other diversity issue. This simple, yet seemingly difficult to attain solution, all hinges on a motivation for acquiring understanding beyond ones mien. # # # # BIBLIOGRAPHY

Armstrong, T. (1998). Multiple Intelligences. In Multiple Intelligences: Discovering the Giftedness in All. Available: http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm.

Carvin, A. (1999). Traditional Intelligence in Education. In Exploring Technology and School Reform. Available: http://edweb.gsn.org/edref.mi.histschl.html.

DeBono (1999). Gardiners Multiple Intelligences. In Multiple Intelligences Introduction. Available: http://www.crilt.canberra.edu.au/intranets/examples/giralang/staff/wasyof learning/Mult%20Intel%20Intro.html.

Learning Styles & Multiple Intelligence. In An Explanation of Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligence. Available: http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm

McKenzie, W. (1999). Multiple Intelligences Survey. In Creative Classroom Consulting. Available: http://www.interserf.net/mcken/MIinvent.htm.

Meeker, M. (1998). The Structure of Intellect: Model of Human Intelligence. In Intellequest. Available: http://www.intellequest.com/multipleintelligence.html.

Weisse, S. (1999). Howard Gardner: All Kinds of Smarts. In NEAToday Online. Available: http://www.nea.org/neatoday/9303/meet.html. APPENDIX JUSTINS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS December 4, 1999

1. How does it feel to be graduating from college?

2. Explain what your education/degree qualifies you to do.

3. Are there areas of concern about your education  do you wish you were better prepared? In what ways?

4. What are you most pleased about regarding your education?

5. How difficult was it for you to complete degree requirements?

6. What are your best attributes that helped you through your school years?

7. What are your best attributes that will help you in the work world?

8. Was school easy for you? If so, what parts did you excel at?

9. Are you good at tests? If not, how did you manage your education?

10. What kind of approaches allowed you to learn the easiest? The most difficult?

11. What are your favorite subjects? Your least favorite?

12. Was school difficult for you? If so, what parts were difficult?

13. Have you developed any tricks to help you get through school?

14. What did most of your teachers expect from their students in order to excel?

15. Have you ever felt you couldnt give the teacher what they wanted? How did you deal with that?

16. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?

17. Is there anybody or anything that made a big difference in helping you get through school?

18. What did they/it do that helped you? Why was that helpful to you?

19. Did you ever feel dumb in school? How did that make you feel?

20. Did you ever feel like giving up/quitting school? If so, what kept you going?

21. Regarding most of your teachers/classes  if there was one thing you could change about the way things are taught, what would that be?

-- Anonymous, December 30, 1999