So Many Ways To Show You're Smart...

I always end the year with my favorite short story, Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes.  Because this fictional story deals with increasing the intelligence of an adult, Charly Gordon, who has a mental disability, I do a lot of "front-loading" with my students about their ideas and perceptions of intelligence.  We learn about IQ, standardized testing, personality testing, and what they think "normal" exactly is.  Because Charly is given several tests before, during, and after his operation, I give my students some of the tests that Charly is administered just for fun, and to get them involved in the story.

I found a fake Rorschach test ("Raw-shock"as Charly calls it), and give it to the students in one period.  There are 11 ink blots of various shapes and sizes and when I project them on the screen, the students all silently write about what they see in the blots.  After I administer the test, they love to talk with one another about what they've seen and then we talk about how a professional might interpret the test results, as well as talking about how Charly struggles with the test and only sees spilled ink.

The last test I give the students is a multiple intelligence test, based on Howard Gardner's theory that we are all smart, just in different ways!  This test is very interesting to the students, and after they have completed the inventory, they create a chart of their intelligences to find out where their intelligences lie.  Around the room, I tape up signs with the 9 intelligences the test identifies (interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, verbal linguistic, spatial, logical/mathematical, existential) and allow the students to go and stand under the sign which identifies their highest intelligence,  They love to see who has the same affinities, and they all tell each other, "You're smart!" as they check out where others are around the room.  And the unit can't end without the YouTube sensation "The Multiple Intelligence Song" to remind the students of the intelligences before the final test.  It's so cheesy, my 8th graders actually love it, and are all singing the chorus by the end.  Everyone is smart, yes you are!  Enjoy!

My First Blog Entry

My name is Megan McDermott.  I've been teaching secondary English for 14 years.  My first six years of teaching took place in rural districts in outstate Minnesota.  I began teaching high school, and quickly learned that middle school was the place I wanted to be.  It was a great place to learn about my craft and get my feet wet.  For the last eight years, I've been teaching 8th grade at a middle school in the Prior Lake-Savage School district, which is a Southern suburb of the Twin Cities Metro Area.  I absolutely love my job, and have had many opportunities to learn and grow as a teacher.  

I've actually used blogging in the past for personal use- to chronicle my daughter's life for friends and family who were far away.  When Facebook became popular and life became busier, my blog use tapered off... actually, it stopped in 2008.  But I am interested in starting to write again, as Facebook certainly doesn't afford me the same space or format in which to write about, well, life! 

I'm very interested in integrating technology into my classes.  Our Minnesota State Standards were updated last year to include many media standards, including teaching students to comment in an online format, and to create a safe and effective online community.  I think blogging is a good start.  As for using it in my class, I'd like to post pictures of things going on in my classroom, like "students of the month", perhaps a homework calendar, and maybe even eventually lessons or extensions of lessons I've taught, including links or Web quests.  I'm excited to see what blogging can offer, and it seems like Blogger has changed since I last checked in several years ago, so it will be nice to have some guidance!

Megan McDermott