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Walking The Road of Peace

January 31, 2014/in Blog /by access

Students in P2 are learning about effective communication and other important life skills. From their blog: “In our peace work this week, we revisited Black Elk’s vision that everybody walks the ‘road of difficulties’ at times, as well as the ‘road of peace’ at other times. We went deeper into the stumbling blocks we all […]

You Are Truly Brilliant

January 28, 2014/in Blog /by access

FMS Parents may be familiar with Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, which made waves in the fields of education and developmental psychology after it was outlined in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner, a renowned developmental psychologist and Harvard professor, maintained that intelligence wasn’t so black and white […]

Walking The Road of Peace

January 31, 2014/in Blog /by access

You Are Truly Brilliant

January 28, 2014/in Blog /by access

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Walking The Road of Peace

January 31, 2014/in Blog /by access

Students in P2 are learning about effective communication and other important life skills. From their blog:

“In our peace work this week, we revisited Black Elk’s vision that everybody walks the ‘road of difficulties’ at times, as well as the ‘road of peace’ at other times.

We went deeper into the stumbling blocks we all encounter on the road of difficulties (which are also there to teach us) and how to recognize the opportunity to transmute them into stepping stones.

It is a big and deep concept that the children seemed to really receive. We are helping the children to verbalize their feelings and intentions in a more direct and effective way and giving them the vocabulary to express themselves.

Many of the children are learning the difference between saying ‘I am not friends with you’ and the more authentic desire of ‘I want to work with someone else right now.’

We got to witness the interaction of one child very directly say to another child (who was crying after feeling rejected), ‘I don’t want to work with you now, but we will be friends forever.’

In turn, seeing the look of understanding, acceptance and healing wash over the face of the child who just moments before had been reduced to tears due to perceived rejection. The child was simply looking for a chance to work with someone else.

These are the life skills that give our children the opportunity to learn how to communicate and be in the world in a way that is respectful to themselves and aware of the impact that their words and deeds have on the collective.

We also coupled this teaching by introducing the ‘good deeds tree.’ A small tree that the children were taught to place a flower on once they have done a good deed for another person; such as comforting a crying child on the playground, letting another child go in front of them in line, or helping another child put their work away.

The tree has been full of flowers and gives all of us a visual reminder of the positive power created when the collective is attuned to the needs of the individual.”

For more pictures and news, check out their blog (FMS Parents only).

You Are Truly Brilliant

January 28, 2014/in Blog /by access

Gardner, a renowned developmental psychologist and Harvard professor, maintained that intelligence wasn’t so black and white as traditional school assessments and public opinion would have us believe. A child who struggled through their mathematical exercises could be a brilliant poet; a child who struggled at all traditional subjects altogether may be a brilliant musician or athlete. No intelligence is innately superior to another, and every person likely has some form of all the intelligences, but may excel in one or two.

(Want to know what type of intelligence you have? Click here and here to take two unofficial tests.)

In 1999, Gardner added another intelligence (naturalistic) to his original seven, and has since proposed a ninth. The intelligences are musical–rhythmic, visual–spatial, verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, bodily–kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic. The ninth, which may or may not be an official addition at this juncture, is moral or existential intelligence. Check out this wonderful infographic by designer Diana Ziv below:

While the Montessori method is not based on Gardner’s theory (Dr. Montessori began developing her philosophy in 1897), it does complement it in that it encourages students to develop their talents, feed their curiosity and learn more about subjects that they are interested in. Gardner is also a fan of student-directed learning and alternative forms of assessment. To learn more about Gardner’s theories and how they relate to education, check out this 1997 interview with Edutopia and visit the official website for information on the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI).

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Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Walking The Road of Peace

You Are Truly Brilliant

Walking The Road of Peace

You Are Truly Brilliant

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Walking The Road of Peace

You Are Truly Brilliant

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