After weeks of working with the students this time, and after years with reading classes, it has become obvious to me that my "seven" intelligences are also crucial to the progress of students. When Gartner mentioned that students have seven different styles, seven different intelligences, I don't believe I connected it closely with my seven senses.
My experiences with students highlight how much my ability to care - see them, be excited with them, laugh with them, emotionally commit to them and the projects/subjects, willingness to experiment, the willingness to explore the various ways of learning, etc. matters to the success of students. It contributes heavily to sustained engagement and to the gathering of knowledge. Not only is it important to the gathering of knowledge in the classroom, but this is what is really meant by the impact of the teacher-student relationship.
Here it is necessary for me to go back and review and cite the research that proved that students who do well, who find themselves committed to long term learning often have one or two adults who made an impression on them in the past.
An example of my own experience with these two phenomena - teacher enthusiasm and student memory happened this week and last week.
Last week I received communications from two male students who wanted me to know that the experiences in the classroom changed their lives. It also comes in the form of student surveys where students express their willingness to read other books after sharing that they didn't have memories of finishing books.
Today, I experienced the exhilarating emotion that comes with the rewards of student achievements. I read more book reviews and each and every one stood out in its style, but most of all they always rise to the expectations.
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