mental health

MULTIPLE Intelligences – Spiritual (Part 6)

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Spiritual growthTHE DEEPER MY INSIGHT,
the more I connect with the universal

PREVIOUS: M.I. (Part 5)

SITE: Gardner’s M.I. apps for iPads

See ACRONYM page for abbrev.

 

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (cont)
8. SPACIAL/VISUAL (picture-smart)

9. SPIRITUAL / EXISTENTIAL (spirit-smart) – seeing the big picture. Likely a whole-brain function, which is increased by prayer & meditation, because they lessen the blood flow to the parietal lobes, which normally gives us a sense of time & space.

This group is concerned with the morals, ethics & values of life, looking for real-world understanding, & the application of new learning. They have the sensitivity & capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, how did we get here, what’s our purpose, & why do we die. They’re not afraid to look into the depths of truth to find hidden answers, & to think of other possibilities.

Being particularly introspective, aware of their own existence, they’re drawn to exploring existential & philosophical questions, including what may lie beyond death. Even as ‘every-day’ people, they have deep thoughts. They understand their role in others’ lives, and how they play a small but important part of the whole game. They are in constant search for their purpose of living.
SPIRITUALThey:
— are sensitive to different cultural environments
— are “universalistic”, value truth & justice
— enjoy discussing questions @ life & death
— learn new things better when it’s value is known
— more tolerant  & respectful of diversity
— relaxation or meditation exercises are rewarding
— religion or spirituality is important to them
— see their role in the ‘big picture’ of things
— seem “wise beyond their years”, peaceful
— want to make a difference in the world

For centuries philosophers have been debating the nature of human intelligence. We are different from the other animals, but why? Do we have a soul? Is there some sort of duality between the corporeal flesh and the mind or spirit? Did we acquire our unique capacity for rational thought and all that goes with it as a result of some special act of creation or did it just happen as a result of evolution through natural selection?

Dr. Gardner divided this category into:
Existential Intelligence
— an ability to intuitively sense & gather clues from the environment (PPT = people, places, things), contributing to the whole picture
— the ability to pick up energies & have access to information without actually being able explain exactly why or how we know these things
— concerned with ultimate issues, the larger spiritual concerns of life

Moral-Ethical Intelligence
— an innate sense of morality, not necessarily associated with religion, but as a statement about the kind of personality, individuality, will, and/or character that a person has developed
— focused on the highest realization of human nature.

VIRTUES8 virtues
Conscience – know the right, decent way to act, & act that way
Empathy – identify with & feel other people’s concerns
Fairness – choose to be open-minded, & act in a just way
Kindness – show concern for the welfare & feelings of others
Respect – value others by treating them in a courteous, considerate way
Self-control – regulate thoughts & actions , to stop internal pressure & external reactions & act in the right way
Tolerance – respect everyone’s dignity & rights, even if they have beliefs & behaviors we disagree with

CAREERS : life coach, cosmologist, prophet, philosopher, religious teacher, poet
INCREASE ability : make connections between book-learning & the world outside, see the big picture, look at every issue from different points of view, relate specific topics with national & global concerns

TECH ideas: Google earth, Discovery Education, Podcasts, GarageBand, Powerpoint, Keynote
FAMOUS Peopl e: Jesus, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Martin Heidegger, Buddha, St. Augustine, Wayne Dyer.

BOOK: “Ethical Intelligence” by Bruce Weinstein, PhD   // REVIEW  //  QUIZ

* * * * * * * * * * *
WORK: There’s a natural correlation between the M.I. categories of human learning
& the knowledge & skills needed for 21st century workplace productivity.  This CHART shows the way each mental style contributes it’s specialty to modern-day tasks.
«wok & M.I.s

«
NEXT : Comment on ACRONYMS

MULTIPLE Intelligences – Nature (Part 5)

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nature loversI LOVE OPEN SPACES
inside & outside!

PREVIOUS: Multiple intelligences (Part 4)

SITE: “The Heart’s Code – tapping the wisdom & power of our hear energy”
~ Paul P. Pearsall


MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (cont)
6. MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC (musical-smart)

7. NATURALIST (nature-smart) – respond to the natural environment.
This group is sensitive to all living things (plants, animals) & other features of the natural world (clouds, rock formations, minerals) – due to a highly developed sensory perception. This ability was clearly of value in our historical past as hunters-gatherers & farmers, and continues into today for chefs, horticulturists, scientists….. Also used by consumers to make choices from the overwhelming variety of brands in the marketplace.

As young people they enjoy shows & stories about animals or natural phenomena. May show a strong interest in astronomy, biology, botany, geology, meteorology, paleontology or zoology. They feel most alive when in contact with nature, & so are interested in exploring, nurturing & preserving the environment.

The repetition & boredom of office, factory & other workplaces can stifle creative thinking. This is because the brain-area that stores routines / patterns based on daily activities (basal ganglia) does not encourage new thinking. To give imagination a boost, we can tap into our latent Naturalistic I. whenever /wherever possible – like sometimes going barefoot . Nature helps stir insights & connections, to nurture our mind & encourage sensory awareness!
They:
NATURALIST— are bothered by pollution, sensitive to weather
— automatically categorize or collect things
— collect natural things (rocks, feathers, shells….)
— enjoy studying plant parts & reading about nature
— have a green thumb, garden, photograph landscapes
— highly aware of surrounding, even subtle changes
— keep notebooks, dry flowers, create specimens
— like to learn names of all kinds of living things
— like to play in/live by water, be in the wilderness
— love walks in the woods, follow animal footprints
— passionate about animals, pets, zoos
— prefer being in nature preserves, parks, forests

ENJOY: being outdoors & with animals
LEARN: By using the senses, watching animal behavior, experiencing, identifying & recording ecological principles
TOOLS: binoculars, magnifying glass, microscopes, telescopes

CAREERS: Scientist, ecologist, animal trainer, farmer, traditional medicine man using herbal remedies (MORE….)
INCREASE ability : be in the great outdoors: plant a seed, volunteer at an animal shelter, take a walk with a naturalist, read about animal classifications . Study relationships in the natural world, compare/contrast groups or make connections to real life issues

TECH ideas: Discovery Education, online encyclopedias, Google earth, virtual explorations, iMovie, digital cameras, iPods, video cameras
FAMOUS People: Charles Darwin, John Muir, George Washington Carver, Rachel Carson, J.J. Audubon, Jacques Cousteau

* * * * * * * * * * * *
8. SPACIAL/VISUAL (picture-smart) – think in images & pictures.
This group has the ability to think in 3 dimensions – imagine, understand & represent the visual-spatial world. They can orient themselves in their environment with either vision or touch, navigate the world as well as determine the perspective of others.

As young adults they may be fascinated with mazes, jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing or daydreaming. Compared to Auditory-Sequential learners, they tend to be late-bloomers.
Core capacities include mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic skills & an active imagination.  EXP: know exactly how furniture will fit into a room without measuring, or buy a scarf that beautifully matches/complements the blue in a blouse you have at home (perfect “chromatic pitch”).
Includes street smarts & common sense, by making decisions based on matching a variety of situations & contexts. This requires learning & remembering almost simultaneously (fluid & crystalline), possible because of a switchboard in the brain.
SPACIAL : VISUALThey:
— build interesting 3-dimensional objects
— can rotate, transform & otherwise manipulate objects
— daydream, imagine & pretend more than others
— enjoy art & other visual activities
— good at formulating hypotheses
— have good hand-eye coordination
— like machines, drawing figures
— need to doodle or draw
— notice details, good with maps & directions
— prefer geometry over algebra

ENJOY: art, designing, drawing, imagination games, illustrated books, movies, puzzles, trips to art galleries / museums, visualizing
LEARN: visually & by organizing ideas spatially, verbal & physical imagery. Need to see concepts in action to understand them.
TOOLS: charts, 3-D modeling, drawings, graphics, photographs, TV/ video, multimedia

CAREERS: architect, film director, chess player, painter, pilot, sailor, sculptor (MORE…)
INCREASE ability: change main color of work or home environment, be a backseat driver & provide directions for a trip, fit groceries in back of car, do jigsaw puzzles & mazes, sculpt clay, play chess. Capture ideas on video. Take an architecture course. Use PechaKucha to stimulate & challenge (embraced by all types of designers)

TECH ideas: Kid Pix, Draw and paint programs, Excel, Create A Graph, United Streaming, Visual brainstorming, organizational tools, charting, diagramming, bubbl.us, gliffy, YouTube, Discovery Education, Comic Life, Quicktime, add music to presentations and movies, Podcasts, iPhoto, Photo Booth, Read Write Think: timeline

FAMOUS People: Winston Churchill, Einstein, Picasso, Stanley Kubrick, Anatoly Karpov (chess master), Georgia O’Keefe

NEXT: Multiple intelligences (Part 6)

MULTIPLE Intelligences – Logic (Part 4)

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music / mathI’M GOOD AT CALCULATING
the odds & ‘hearing’ patterns!

PREVIOUS:

 Multiple Is (Part 3)

SITE: “World needs all kinds of music”
~ TED talk by Temple Grandin

See ACRONYM page for abbrev.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (cont)
4. LINGUISTIC (word-smart)

5. LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL (number/ reasoning-smart) – learn by reasoning things through.
This group has the ability to look for patterns, making connections between many & diverse pieces of information. They can then calculate & quantify that info to carry out complex mathematical operations, & create hypotheses or propositions. To foster creative problem solving they analyze, predict & manipulate real-world models.

They ask lots of questions, are always curious about natural events & the world around them, like to carry out studies & can handle long chains of reasoning to predict ‘local progressions’ (an increase in something). As young adults they’re drawn to arithmetic problems, strategy games & experiments. This is a less commonly seen Intelligence – since not everyone is automatically good at math, or they don’t give themselves the chance to develop their math-reasoning potential.
They:
math / logic — are better at budgeting, balancing the checkbook
— can reason their way into winning every argument
— comfortable w/ numbers, logic, reasoning, abstractions
— enjoy putting things in order, creating schedules
— generate and use abstract thoughts
— get frustrated by disorganization
— have a sense of cause & effect
— like reading about scientific discoveries
— like to solve mysteries & ask cosmic questions
— try to find logical solutions to problems
— use inductive & deductive logic
— use sequential reasoning skills
— usually good with computers & lots of gadgets
— will try to figure out how broken things work or untangle messes

ENJOY: calculating, experimenting, logic puzzles, questioning, science museums, things to explore and think about
LEARN: through logic games, investigations, mysteries. Need to learn & form broad concepts before dealing with details
TOOLS: pencil/paper, computers

CAREERS: accountant, programmer, detective, engineer, mathematician, researcher /scientist (MORE….)
INCREASE ability: books of logic games, knit a sweater, watch a video movie & stop it to predict what will happen. Learn computer programming languages, try critical-thinking activities, linear outlining, Piaget’s cognitive stretching exercises, science-fiction scenarios, logic puzzles. Article: “Your brain on numbers”

TECH ideas: Excel, Numbers, Logo, create a survey with Survey Monkey
FAMOUS People: Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, John Dewey, Stephen Hawking,
Leonhard Euler, Alan Turing (WWII computer genius)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
6. MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC (musical-smart) – think in rhythms & melodies.
This group can recognize, reflect on, create & reproduce music. It’s the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre & tone. As young adults they’re usually singing or drumming to themselves, very aware of sounds others may miss.
There’s a connection between music and emotions, & between music and math – which share thinking processes. Playing, singing, dancing or even listening to music can help the brain form or combine ideas in new ways.
Moving to music is beneficial, since music moves brain waves. At Karaoke, our brain anticipates songs on CD we’ve chosen, so “excitatory signals pass from the prefrontal cortex to the premotor cortex, preparing the body to act”.

Playing an instrument improves associative thinking, helping to choose our actions from a variety of options – which requires accessing stored info about a great many ‘sequences’ of activities (crystalline – Part 1a), allowing us to predict possible outcomes.
Music can be used to improve work productivity or change our mood – any time. Interestingly, some rhythms trigger brain enzymes to give an amazing feeling of well-being. Other tunes leave us punchy, unable to focus. (Different types of music produce.….)
They:MUSIC:Rhythm
— can read music, play a variety of instruments
— can tell if music is off-key or ‘off’ in other ways
— can naturally figure out how to play a tune on an instrument
— easily remember scores & melodies
— enjoy & respond to many types of music
— know the structure of songs to symphonies
— like to hum or sing when on their own
— may study better with music in the background
— more effected by noise & sound than others
— remembers info better if in rhyme or rhythm
— use all the sense to identify musical patterns

ENJOY: humming, listening, singing, tapping hands & feet, whistling
LEARN: by turning lessons into lyrics, speaking rhythmicall.
TOOLS: musical instruments, musical scores, multimedia

CAREERS: audio recording, disc jockey, composer, conductor, musical performer, (MORE….)
INCREASE ability: attend concerts, play an instrument, hum melodies, sing to iPod or with others. Listen to a wide variety of music, be quiet & listen to all sounds everywhere

TECH ideas: iMovie, GarageBand, Audacity, iTunes, iPod, Media Player
FAMOUS People: Beethoven, Mozart, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Louis Armstrong, Senegalese musician Youssou N’dour, Yo-Yo Ma

NEXT: Multiple intelligences (Part 5)

MULTIPLE Intelligences – Self (Part 3)

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liguistic / aloneTHE BETTER I KNOW MYSELF
the happier I am & so get along

PREVIOUS: Multiple intelligences (#2)


SITEs: M.I. TESTS
Which I. is your dominant one?

NOTE: See ACRONYM page for abbrev.


MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (cont)
2. INTER-PERSONAL (people-smart)

3. INTRA-PERSONAL (self-smart) – learn by thinking alone
This group has the capacity to understand themselves – their thoughts & feelings – & use that knowledge plan & guide their life. It’s an internal version of the external Inter-personal style – the ability to be self-aware, explore emotions, goals & motivations, but which also requires a wider understanding of the human condition. Sometimes called ‘learned common sense’, because these people intuitively cultivate their values & learn from ‘teachable’ moments. Even as young adults they are self-motivated, tend to be shy & very aware of their emotions.

NOTE: To fully express this style all the intelligences have to be tapped into & woven together. Self-growth activities build more dendrite brain cells for this Intelligence – the brain being rewired at night as we sleep on what we’ve done during the day
They:
INTRA-P— are highly aware of their strengths & weaknesses
— can ‘show the way’ to deeper awareness by EXP
— do well when left alone, don’t like crowds
— have a strong will, opinions & confidence
— have intuition, drive, self-reliance, wisdom
–‘march to the beat of a different drummer’
— often keep a journal, being in tune with Inner Self
— see the world realistically, not idealistically
— think a lot & deeply, are good at analyzing things
— try to understand their own interests & goals
— work on unraveling dreams, relationships with others

ENJOY: being quiet/ time alone, dreaming, having choices, meditating, planning, self-paced projects, setting goals
LEARN: through study & introspection – the most independent type
TOOLS: books, creative materials, diaries, privacy, time

CAREERS: writer, psychologist, spiritual leader, philosopher (MORE….)
INCREASE ability: to “know thyself” – take personality tests, ask an expert re. things you wonder about. Give a talk to an new audience about self-improvement, or strategies for accomplishing a task. Work on conquering a problem & a keeping a record of growth. Reward yourself when you’ve reached a goal.

TECH ideas: Tutorials, Bubbl.us, slide shows with Powerpoint or Keynote, collaborative Wiki or Blog, Wikispaces, Blogger, Inspiration
FAMOUS People: Jean Paul Sartre, Frederick Douglas, Helen Keller, Malcolm X, Emily Dickinson, Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa

Emotional (EQ), (heart-smart) – learn thru emotions.
Fits into Walter McKenzie’s ‘Introspective learning’ profile, considered part of both the Intra- and Inter-personal styles. RULE: Any event that generates strong emotion is more likely to be remembered.
If pleasurable, we want to repeat it physically, or by mentally reliving the atmosphere, context, people involved, what was said….
If unpleasant or painful, emotional memory will prefer to skip all information related to it. BUT if the harmful events are repeated too often – especially in childhood – we become unconsciously addicted to repeating it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
4. LINGUISTIC (word-smart) – learn by thinking in words.
This group has the ability to use language to form & express complex ideas. It is the most widely shared human competence – allowing us to make ourselves understood. Traditionally, Linguistic & Logical Is have been highly valued in educational environments. Young adults with this I. enjoy writing, reading, telling stories or doing crossword puzzles.
They:LANGUAGE
— appreciate puns, tongue twisters, nonsense rhymes
— are aware of others’ moods & motivations
— are generally elegant speakers
— are great at storytelling, explaining
— are natural leaders, good at organizing people
— can convince others of their point of view
— can learn languages, grammar & syntax
— enjoy listening to the spoken word
— good memory for names, events, situations
— good with body language, speaking and acting
— have highly developed auditory skills
— think in words rather than pictures

ENJOY: dialogue, debate, reading, telling stories, writing, word games
LEARN: by saying & seeing words, reading & discussing books
TOOLS: books, computers, games, classes, multimedia, tape recorders

CAREERS: author, comedian, journalist, lawyer, poet, politician, speaker, teacher, translator (MORE….)
INCREASE ability: learn a new language, expand vocabulary, create metaphors (making the strange familiar & the familiar strange), do interviews, talk to strangers. Read “On Writing Well”, & to help with word flow – avoid editing as you write. (MORE…..)

TECH ideas : PowerPoint, Pages, Podcasts, GarageBand, Audacity, Skype, ThinkQuest, Wikispaces, photo editing software, Text to Speech, VoiceThread, Blogger, Digital books, Storytelling, Zoom
FAMOUS People: Shakespeare, T.S. Elliot, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King Jr., Agatha Christie, Hemingway, Robin Williams

NEXT: M.I. (Part 4)

MULTIPLE Intelligences – Body (Part 2)

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body / interpersonalI ALWAYS WONDERED
why I need to keep moving!

PREVIOUS: Multiple intelligences (Part 1b)

QUOTE: “It’s not how smart you are, it’s how you are smart” – Howard Gardner, 1993

REMINDER: See Acronym page for abbrev.

BEAR images from “MargD Teaching Posters”

 

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (Howard Gardner)
1. BODILY-KINESTHETIC (body-smart) – learn by moving.
These people process information through physical sensations. Most have the ability to stay graceful & coordinated when using a range of action skills or manipulating objects – unless they have ADD, a physical injury &/or childhood trauma still locked in the body
All emotional responses are rooted in finely tuned body-awareness. EXP – After seeing something intense, they may say: “It was gut wrenching, stomachs turning, heart pounding, took my breath away, I was shaken….
They:
kenesthetic— can mimic easily & well, good sense of ‘timing’
— can train responses to become like reflexes
— communicate emotion through body language
— don’t like to sit still for too long
— have nearly faultless mind-body coordination
— excellent use of space, have great balance
— good with sports and movement
— need to manipulate & handle objects, build things
— often talk with their hands, clown around in class
— prefer hands-on experimentation
— use their hands & whole body when talking

ENJOY: building, dancing, drama, gesturing, running, touching
LEARN: thru physical activity (doing, tasting, making ‘messes’), acting out situations, role-playing
TOOLS: equipment and real objects

CAREERS: athlete, builder, craftsperson, dancer, fire-fighter, gym teacher, surgeon (More..)
INCREASE ability: do yoga, make crafts or build, ride a bike, dance, learn tai chi or any sport, the wave dance, walking tours / hikes, swimming

TECH ideas: Notetaker, navigating through software, WII, iPod Touch, Keyboarding, making video documentaries with iMovie, video or still cameras, record voice & sounds
VALUE of movement: Studies confirms that exercise can reverse age-related decline in the production of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the mouse brain. Exercise restores a brain chemical which promotes the production & maturation of new stem cells.

FAMOUS People: Gene Kelly, James Brown, Michael Jordan, Martina Navratilova, Jim Carrey, Marcel Marceau
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2. INTER-PERSONAL (people-smart) – learn by talking with others.
These people are able to get along superbly with others, even as young adults, & are often leaders among their peers. They can see things from another’s point of view, so can understand how they think & feel. Knowing what makes people ‘tick’ can be used to their advantage, such as manipulating to get their own way. But most are considerate & genuinely care about others. They can range from party animals, to fighting for the the underdog, to being indecisive for fear of offending
They:INTRApersonal
— understand & interact well with others
— are effective both verbally & non-verbally
— aware of moods & motivations in others
— can see through dishonesty
— enjoy deep conversations, can build trust
— generally try to keep peace in groups & encourage co-operation
— good at organizing & conflict-resolution
— good listeners, can read body language
— hate injustice, have empathy for others
— hurt when others hurt, will reach out to comfort
— make good leaders, have many friends

ENJOY: community events, clubs, group games, having friends, leading, maneuvering, organizing, relating, talking. Need mentors
LEARN: through dialogues, group activities, seminars.
TOOLS: audio or video conferencing, eMail, phone, time & attention from instructors, writing

CAREERS: celebrity, counselor, diplomat, educator, religious or political leader, salesperson (MORE….)
INCREASE ability : practice active listening by repeating back what you think someone said. Learn about personalities types from Myers-Briggs, Enneagram…. create “dopamine-rich salons,” collaborate by working with someone who has complementary skills, invite someone from another culture to your home

TECH ideas: Simulation games with chat, Skype, online collaboration, Wikispaces, Google Doc, Blogger, chat rooms, ThinkQuest, VoiceThread, Group Powerpoint or Keynote, slide share, Zoom
FAMOUS People: Gandhi, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Oprah, Clara Luper (cilvil rights leader), Haley Westenra (UNICF supporter), William Booth (Salvation Army founder)

NEXT: M.I. Part 3

MULTIPLE Intelligences – Intro (Part 1b)

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9 styles of IntellI DIDN’T KNOW 
there was so many options

PREVIOUS:
 Multiple Intelligences (#1)

SITEs : Five New Minds for the New Year (Dec. 2012)
• Your 12 types of Intelligence

 

Multiple Intelligences (M.I.) are mainly about our style of learning.
We may have a dominant one, a mixture, or use a different style for different situations. The most well-know ones are based on our senses (eyes, ears, gut, & less used are tongue & nose). Nor are they fixed – less dominant ones can be developed, & preferred ones enhanced.

• In the 1960‘s, Dr. Howard Gardner, a Harvard Professor of Cognition & Education, revolutionized our understanding of Intelligence (I.).
The inspiration for his theory of Multiple Intelligences (M.I.) came from his work with two distinct groups: stroke victims & children. “Both were clueing me into the same message : that the human mind is better thought of as a series of relatively separate faculties, with only loose & non-predictable relations with one another – rather than as a single, all-purpose machine that performs steadily at a certain horsepower, independent of content & context” (Theory development)

Dr. Gardner’s framework for M.I. offers a practical model for identifying the many paths to learning – regardless of content, skills or desired outcome. He believes that the current list is not exhaustive, & he’s added 7 to them since he first started.  I. is much more than IQ, because it requires useful action to be valid. “Intelligence is a bio-psychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems, or create products that are of value in a culture”.

These 9 Is are expanded in future posts:
• Body /Kinesthetic: interacting with one’s environment
• Inter-personal I.: connecting with others
• Intra-personal I.: self-awareness, values & attitudes
• Linguistic / Verbal: expression thru the spoken & written word
• Logical / Mathematical : problem solving through reasoning
• Naturalistic I.: classifying and categorizing data
• Rhythmic I.: identifying and extending patterns
• Spiritual / Existential: understanding beyond the senses
• Visual / Spacial : the ability to see, envision & imagine
NOTE: Only Linguistic & Logical are measured by old-fashioned IQ tests.

• This list is a way to categorize how humans naturally become aware of, understand & process our environment. This helps us figure out where our weaknesses come from, but mainly they pinpoint natural strengths – seen in our preferred learning, behavior & work styles – so we can make the best use of inborn preferences. Sadly, from ignorance or necessity, many people are in jobs that go counter to those natural preferences.

EXP: A highly Body-Kinesthetic person may be stuck in a Logic desk-job, instead of being able to move around, such as a forest ranger, sports coach, physical therapist, gym teacher…..
— or a Visual / Artistic person in a Linguistic position, instead of being able to dance, paint, act….

• Although each of us can access all 9 styles, no two people have the same amount of each.
— Some people are Mono-endowed, like being able to speak 4 languages – but takes them awhile to calculate a tip, OR someone who’s a whiz with numbers – but are awkward in conversations. If their single talent is honed & monetized, such people can become celebrated for incredible accomplishments
— A few are at the other end of the spectrum, ‘Renaissance’ men or women who can cross-access several Intelligences, superior at almost everything they do
— The rest of us have one or two dominant talents, which serve us well if we have the opportunity to freely express them

• Dr. Gardner tells us that I. involves problem solving – creating ‘products ’ (outcomes) when in a context-rich & natural setting. What many scientists used to think were just soft-skills, such as the Inter-/ Intra-personal ones, Gardener realized were actually types of Intelligences.
EXP: Being a math whiz gives the ability to quantify the world, but so does being people-smart, just from a different perspective. So someone with Intra-Personal talent may not be able to calculate the rate at which the universe is expanding, but will easily find someone who can!
The 9 types also provide a way to recognize & own potentials which many of us left behind in childhood (love for art, computers…), & can now take the opportunity to develop.

BOOSTING Intelligence
Since different areas of Is are related to each other, it’s possible to increase it in one area by developing another, because many problems can be dealt with in more than one way. learning options
— One third-grade teacher found her students’ scores on a math test (logic) nearly doubled after giving them training in visual (spatial) skills with a micro-computer program
— “Early music training (for 3-year olds) prepares young brains for spatial & abstract reasoning skills crucial to engineers, scientists & mathematicians.” ~ study from U of Cal. Irvine
— “An enriched environment that helps very young children develop each area of talent or intelligence is one of the best possible investments in their future” ~ Ron Fitzgerald, D.Ed.

NEXT: Multiple Intelligences (Part 3)

MULTIPLE Intelligences – Intro (Part 1a)

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AM I REALLY SMART IF I can’t do  math, remember names…..?

PREVIOUS: Comfort & Dis-comfort, 3e

DEF: Intelligence is a combination of the ability to:  (from several authors)
1. Learn – which includes all kinds of informal & formal learning, via any combination of experience, education & training
2. Pose problems – which includes recognizing problem situations, & transforming them into more clearly defined issues
3. Solve problems – which includes outlining solutions, accomplishing tasks, creating products, & doing complex projects

 

Human Intelligence is the singular, collective ability to act & react in an ever-changing world. Our brain is an ‘equal-opportunity’ organ. The more opportunities it has to develop & apply its many but distinct functions, the better we learn, which can make us complete individuals & better citizens. The brain can go from the practical to the most remarkably creative, from the concrete to the abstract, from detached reason and logic to emotion and attachment – all of which we can draw on as we negotiate our way through life.

BRAIN HEMISPHERES
When talking about Intelligence it makes sense to start by looking at the 2 halves of the brain – the Right giving us our Creativity & the Left our Analytical abilities. This chart suggests the 2 sides contribute to the various types of Intelligences (I.) listed in the next few posts.

However, scientific consensus is that intelligence depends not only on the efficiency or power of various brain regions, but also on the strength of the connections that link them.
Researchers Haler & Jung (New Mexico) attribute our I. to a circuit that links the Frontal Lobes, involved in organization, planning & other highly developed abilities, with the Parietal region farther back in the brain, which integrates information from the eyes, ears & other senses.

They believe this Parieto-frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT) best accounts for the evidence that I. depends on several brain regions tightly linked by axon tracks that form super-highways of info. (Brain basis for Multiple.I.? – gives YES/NO points)

Learning Styles: “Characteristic cognitive, effective & psycho-social behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, & respond to the learning environment.”
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Applying this info to eLearning – some dimensions are :
– being cooperative vs competitive
– learning independently vs from an instructor
– more or less introverted vs extroverted
– learn verbally vs visually vs aurally
– perceive or processes concretely vs abstractly, actively or reflectively
– make decisions or judgements by deliberation vs intuition
– learn sequentially or bottom-up vs global or top-down

2 TYPES – from Psychologist Raymond Cattell (1963)
FLUID (Gf) Intelligence
The ability to recognize & identify unfamiliar complex relationships / patterns, make inferences about them & use logic to solve new problems

CRYSTALLIZED (Gc) Intelligence
The ability to use learned knowledge & experience. Consists of: Comprehension, Cultural influence, Experience, Judgement, Learning  (MORE….scroll to 1/18/14)

3 TYPES
IQ – HEAD smarts
Ian Lawton showed that people with high IQs aren’t automatically good at everything, by using a ‘simple’ math problem = Bat & Ball problem :
“A bat & a ball cost $1 and 10 cents. The bat costs a dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?”
— Did you say the ball cost 10 cents? That is incorrect, but that’s OK, since more than 50% of Harvard, Princeton and MIT students also got it wrong.
SOLUTION — Consider that the bat is a dollar more than the ball, which costs .05 cents. Since the difference between the two has to be $1 ($1 -.10 = $.90) then the bat is $1.05. ($1.05-$.05=$1)

3 intelligencesEQ – EMOTIONAL / HEART smarts
Understand feelings & instincts behind the facts. It’s used by 90% of top performers for success in business, & 58% of job performance is based on it.
People with a hi EQ make almost $29K more a year.  We BUY ‘stuff’ using EQ, but most will deny it, insisting their choices were totally logical

SQ – SPIRITUAL / INTUITIVE smarts
Combines IQ and EQ. It’s where moral intelligence comes from, giving us a sense of purpose & wisdom. It has its own way of ‘knowing’, gathered from all our years of experience, combining the best of our emotions, skills & knowledge needed for each occasion   (True Leadership)

ADULTS learn differently from younger students (MORE…)
Malcolm Knowles, Adult Educator identified 6 assumptions about adult requirements. LEARNERS :
Need to know Why – what’s the value of  this info, how will it be a direct benefit
Self-Concept – believing they’re responsible for their own lives, adults need to be seen & treated as capable & self-directed, be independent, but not isolated
adult EdExperience – individuals come with many differences in background, goals, interests, learning style, motivation, needs

Readiness – they’re ready to learn because they need or want to know how to effectively cope with real-life situations
Orientation – being mainly task-oriented & problem-centered, adults look for practical info which can be applied to everyday issues. They learn best through problem-based approaches & actual experience
Motivation – they respond to some external motivators (better job, higher salaries….), but the strongest motivators are internal (desire for increased job satisfaction, self-esteem….)

NEXT: Multiple Intelligences (Part 2)

ACoAs: DIS-comfort & Comfort (Part 3d)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , ,

happy w/ myselfI‘VE WORKED A LONG TIME
to have peace of mind

PREVIOUS: Dis-comfort & Comfort #3b

SITEs: ☀︎ Cultivating Self-compassion
☀︎  Start being comfortable in your own skin
☀︎ Exercises & Meditations for Self-compassion

QUOTE: “A man (or woman) cannot be comfortable without his own approval” ~ Mark Twain
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside can do you no harm.” – old African proverb

2. NEGATIVE DIS-comfort (cont.) ➖➖

3. POSITIVE DIS-COMFORT (cont.) ➕➖

ACoA PROMISES

Being willing & able to tolerate the dis-comfort of the Recovery process will lead to achieving at least a fair measure of the Promises. These goals & outcomes are the result of sticking to the hard work of growth through all the frustration & disappointments.  They may seem beyond our reach at the moment, but the 12 Steps offer : “If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through: (from the ACoA site, based on the AA Promises)

☆ We will discover our real identities by loving & accepting ourself
☆ Our ability to share intimacy will grow inside us
☆ As we face our abandonment issues, we will be attracted by strengths, & become more tolerant of weaknesses
☆ We will enjoy feeling stable, peaceful & financially secure.
☆ We will learn how to play & have fun in our lives
☆ Our self-esteem will increase as we give ourself approval on a daily basis
☆ We will choose to love people who can love & be responsible for themselves
☆ Healthy boundaries & limits will become easier for us to set.
☆ Fears of failure & success will leave us, as we intuitively make healthier choices
☆ With help from our ACA support group, we will slowly release our dysfunctional behaviors.
☆ Gradually, with our Higher Power’s help, we will learn to expect the best, & get it

ACA World Service Org . FREE Literature

4. POSITIVE Comfort ➕➕
Dictionary DEF:  • Producing or sustaining physical comfort, support, or ease
  • In a state of physical or mental ease; contented, undisturbed
BE-ing bear

a. ACTIONS: “Do what’s comfortable” does not mean being complacent, being stuck, lazy, backsliding into old ways, giving up hope, settling, or not continuing to grow & expand your horizons.

b. BE-ING : Ultimately, true Comfort is an inside job. It comes from developing a deep sense of self-worth (not arrogance) & faith in a Higher Power. It allows us to enjoy the good things about ourselves & the world. And when difficulties, stressors or pain come our way, we can allow ourself to have a variety of intense emotions (Es), but our thinking (T) stays realistic & sound.

INNER COMFORT is the result of self-compassion, expressed very day, in large & small ways.
< It is not self-pity, self-indulgence or superiority – the latter often based on being special, standing out from the crowd, social position, visible accomplishments & income
> It IS being kind to yourself whether you you’re doing well or not, by accepting your humanness, no matter how messy or complicated.pos-pos

Expressions of Inner Comfort develop from knowing & owning who you are, by identifying your specific needs, likes & dislikes & then providing them for yourself.
** Functioning mainly from our Authentic Self, using the UNIT (healthy adult/loving parent) for self-care, we can say”:
• “I know what I know” & I don’t have to know everything to be safe!
• most of the time I have no S-H (self-hate)
• like where I live, inside & out
• have the job/career that suits me
• can stand up for my rights without being pushy of starting fights
• mainly have relationships w/ people who at the very least respect me, & who are kind – most of the time. And at the most those people who love me, enjoy my company & suit my personality
• find ways to have fun & enjoy myself
• have a sense of humor about almost everything
• have little or no desire to fix, rescue or take care of other people, without guilt, since my anxiety level has gone down to a whisper
**Knowing what I have & don’t have control over.
• Say YES to any good thing that comes my way!
See the Serenity Prayer  //// “50 Things You Can Control Right Now”
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NEXT: Comfort /Discomfort #5b

ACoAs: DIS-comfort & Comfort (Part 3b)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help

shel shockedI WANT TO BELIEVE
my efforts will pay off

PREVIOUS: Dis-comfort & Comfort #3a

SITE : 10 Uncomfortable feelings that indicate you are taking the right path

 

1. Negative Comfort ➖➕
2. Negative Dis-comfort ➖➖

3. POSITIVE DIS-COMFORT (cont.) ➕➖
It’s understandable that trying out new thoughts & actions will create some anxiety. That represents breaking internal family rules, breaking away from old familiar PPT, & moving into unknown territory.

PROCESS  (cont. )
☛ Be around like-minded people. This is crucial for ACoAs. We’re used to choosing & staying with people who are so wounded themselves they can’t actually be present for us & may even be overtly harmful (mean, selfish, using….). Of course, in order to be with our ‘peeps’ & ‘stick with the winners’ – we have to know who we are, & believe we have the right to connect with other people we’re compatible with. This is not looking for symbiotic clones, but for those who have a good sense of their own identity & also can ‘see & hear’ us without judgement.

☛ Push past your comfort zone. ACoAs can only do this to any degree if & when we feel safe enough to risk making a change. This safety comes from having a measure of self-esteem, better boundaries, knowing our rights, a proper support system…. You don’t have to know everything about it ahead of time and there’s no such thing as perfect – so you might as well give it a go!
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improvement☛ Recognize your improvements – no matter how small! As we learn to trust our intuition, emotions & intelligence AND with the right kind of validation & feedback from a support system – we can enjoy our hard-won achievements.

ACoAs have a hard time acknowledging our growth because we:
— don’t have permission to succeed  (Toxic Rule: “You always have to struggle but never get there”)
— assume that if it’s not the whole package it doesn’t count
— are waiting for it to be taken away from us
— don’t trust that it will last, that ‘it’s an accident or illusion
— are so torn between the old messages & new changes that we can’t be sure it’s real
— are convinced it’s selfish, arrogant, presumptuous….

☛ Embrace the ‘sucks’ (“this sucks, suck it up”). Things don’t always work out. Sometimes we make mistakes, we’re disappointed in the outcome, other people let us down….. That’s realty. That doesn’t mean the”universe is against me”, or that we’ve done something wrong.

Just like we have to embrace our Inner Sadist – without acting on it, we can embrace the parts of growth & change we hate – without falling apart & without giving up. Sharing our frustrations & aggravations with others can ease the loneliness & pain. Others have had similar experiences, gotten thru them & sometimes even benefited. NOTE: Acceptance has nothing to do with liking something – it is simply acknowledging what is real.

✪ “Rinse. Repeat”🙂  The old Russian saying ‘povtorenie mat ucheniya’ means ‘repetition is the mother of learning”. The more we perform the same healthy activity, the more confident we become. Confidence is a tangible thing — from practice & repetition. Outline from an article by Chris Dessi

🔹BENEFITS of Healthy Dis-comfort (➕➖)
— Healthy things that can make us UN-Comfortable:
pos-discINTERNAL Changes
• all forms of intimacy (PMES)
• feel all your emotions as they come up
• following through on a project or task
• get what you asked for
• go for your passion

• leave bad relations (family / mate/ ….
• receive help, encouragement
• take a compliment / being praised
• tell the truth // say what you mean
• things working in your favor

• stand up for yourself – via the Adult
• set limits, say”no”when called for
• stop taking care of others
• Stop mind-reading. ASK QS!  // Stop having to always  ‘be right’

EXTERNAL Changes
• appropriate risking / public speaking / writing for work
• changing jobs / career / get a promotion, commendation
• learning / doing something difficult – that you always wanted to try
• going back to school / graduation / B/day party
• new job/ new home / marriage / baby
• trying out new things / learning a new skill
• winning or inheriting money / receiving gifts ….

More Info:
“5 ways Discomfort can explode your growth” (Explanations), &  a similar version:
“5 Reasons to make Discomfort your friend” (Explanations)

NEXT : DIS-comfort &amp; Comfort (Part 3c)

ACoAs: DIS-comfort & Comfort (Part 3a)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , , , ,

uncomfortable brainI HATE HAVING TO
wait for results!

PREVIOUS:
Dis-comfort & Comfort #2b

<—- CHART 

SITEs: How to Practice Being Comfortable in Uncomfortable Situations
— 3 Rules for uncomfortable conversations  (excellent) 

QUOTE: “Growth & comfort do not exist” ˜Ginny Rometty, CEO of IBM (Article)

1. Negative Comfort ➖➕
2. Negative Dis-comfort ➖➖pos-disc

3. POSITIVE DIS-COMFORT ➕➖
Trying out new healthy thinking & actions make us feel anywhere from uncomfortable to highly anxious. It means disobeying each toxic rule, going against our training, dropping off of the family mobile, & bottom line : forcing the brain to find new pathways of functioning.

Too much prolonged stress causes physical ailments & psychological paralysis. That’s why we need to go slowly. Work on whatever issues you can tackle at the moment – ones that are the least scary. As you grow you’ll gain the emotional strength & mental clarity to tackle deeper one – like really ‘getting’ how much damage you have – without S-H or overwhelm, letting go of unsafe family, friends. jobs, locations……

For ACoAs, Growth means leaving behind our unhappy childhood to take our rightful place in the world – living in our True Self.
This is very uncomfortable because our family discouraged & punish any effort to exert ourselves – for ourself. And since personal growth is a slow process. we often live in uncertainty & confusion – between what we’ve always thought & felt, & what we aspire to become. In-between states are always uncomfortable & sometimes scary, but as we keep going we do see positive changes that encourage us. “Easy does it, but do it” (MORE...)

PROCESS  (See post)
☛ Get started. This is often our biggest difficulty – putting things off that we actually want to do! as well as those we dread or find too tedious to bear, for all the reasons listed in previous posts (procrastination).  What’s ironic & sad (for ourself) is that most of the time when we finally take the action it’s not such a big deal, doesn’t take as long as we thought, & we usually like the result – or at least are relieved. (see posts re. Action)leaving-home

☛ Don’t Quit. Some of us are over-responsible, over-doers…. & others of us just obsess about doing, but rarely pull the trigger. Then there are the in-betweeners – those of us who start things but never seem to get around to continuing (keep going to the gym, stick to a food regimen, attend meetings….) or finishing  projects. (See posts “Manipulating – 2b & 2c”). The WIC & the PP get in the way of going for the gold, so we let ourselves get distracted.
The 3 As are useful here:
1. Become Aware of what’s really stopping you from pursuing a positive goal. It will always be something from our earliest training & experiences.

2. Be in Acceptance – allow yourself any emotions the awareness brings up. Don’t try to fix or change deep-seated patterns by brute force (control, S-H, “forcing solutions“). Continue using all the tools of Recovery programs & remember that re-forming your brain takes time & persistence.

3. Take Actions. Give yourself credit for the actions you are already taking. Don’t fret about what you can’t DO yet.  If you’re confused about what to do, make a list of the things you used to be interested in &/or still are. Look up what’s available in classes, groups… that can get you started. Some (useful) action is better than none.
If you’re stuck for ideas, talk it over with safe people who know you & can give you suggestion.
Then follow thru. You don’t have to know what the end goal is & you don’t have to like the choice you’ve made – it’s won’t be a life changing mistake – only more info about who you are.

There’s no doubt that all forms of growth (personal, professional…) take courage – which means taking actions in the face of our fear. Courage is not needed if we’re not afraid, but we can’t wait until we’re not afraid to try new things. (⬅️ CHART)

 NEXT: Dis-comfort & Comfort #3b