Inspiration

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Spring 2003 by Olson, Linda

In My View

Teaching and learning are our passions, and we, like our students, need to stay motivated. Perhaps our true calling is to inspire students. When students feel inspired to learn, they are engaged and successful, and, consequently, we also feel motivated. A look at three areas may be helpful in inspiring students.

Sense of Belonging

Before we can bring about a sense of belonging within our students and ourselves, each of us must ask, "Do I really believe that all students can learn and can learn at high levels?" When we predetermine their abilities and hold them to low expectations, we marginalize them. We sometimes believe that they have social, psychological, or mental deficiencies that we cannot overcome. We may look at our unmotivated children as being "products of disorganized and deteriorating homes and family structures" (Oakes 1985, 4). Stating that we ascribe deficiencies to our students and their families, Palmer (1998, 47) challenged us to see students as they really are: "Why do we diagnose their condition in morbid terms that lead to deadly modes of teaching? Our conventional diagnosis allows us to ignore our failings as teachers by blaming the victims." Once we accept that all children can learn at high levels, we have increased their chances of feeling a sense of belonging in our classrooms.

One way we can accomplish a sense of belonging is to build community within the classroom. Within a learning community in which the common good binds us, the knowledge that we receive "enhances our intellectual development and our capacity to live more fully in the world" (hooks 1994, 40). A powerful instrument in building community is a mission statement, which students formulate by brainstorming ideas about their classroom goals and then grouping them into general areas. With the teacher guiding students toward what is important for a community, the class as a whole writes the mission statement, including provisions such as, "We will stick together," and each child is asked whether or not he or she is willing to commit to the provisions. Throughout the year, as disruptions, low performances, and altercations occur, the teacher directs the students' attention to the mission statement posted in the classroom and reminds them of their agreement to adhere to those promises.

Another way to build a sense of belonging is to teach that everyone deserves care and respect. Differences are celebrated, and time is spent discussing the importance and value of diversity. The students' points of view are discussed throughout the year, and history is explored through the eyes of different cultures. Students learn to resolve disputes by assuming responsibility toward others and by acknowledging that no matter how much one disagrees, every person deserves to be heard.

Multiple Intelligences

Celebrating differences is essential to inspiring children because it helps them believe in themselves. Henry David Thoreau once said, "If a man does not keep pace with his companions,

perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." By helping students find their music, we motivate them to discover and enhance their potential. We reach our students when we recognize and teach these differences as strengths, not deficiencies. Using multiple intelligences is one way to celebrate differences. Two Internet sites, http://surfaquarium. com/miinvent.htm (McKenzie 1999) and http://www.ldrc.cal projects/miinventory/miinventory. php (Ivanco 1998), are sources for multiple intelligences inventories.

Gardner (1983) lists seven areas of strengths, the seven multiple intelligences:

* Verbal-linguistic students display appreciation and understanding of the use of words.

* Logical-mathematical children appear as natural mathematicians and enjoy logic activities.

* Bodily-kinesthetic children are often athletic and have strong fine motor skills.

* Students with strength in visual-spatial intelligence think in pictures and prefer learning and being assessed in ways that include imaging, such as drawing or building something.

* Musical children may hum to themselves and are sensitive to sounds.

* Interpersonal students enjoy social interaction, tend to be leaders, and are sensitive to others' feelings.

* Students with strength in intrapersonal intelligence may appear shy, but are in tune with their own feelings and are self-- motivated.

Recently, an eighth intelligence has been identified, the naturalist intelligence. These children enjoy the natural world and activities that reflect or involve life and earth sciences.

When creating and developing projects, students can use their multiple-intelligence strengths and also can set goals for themselves that include developing other intelligences. In cooperative grouping, students are clustered according to their different strengths to accomplish various tasks.

Learning Styles

Knowledge of various learning styles allows students to understand themselves and how they learn better. When students understand their own learning styles, they are more able to manage their learning and are less critical when encountering difficulties. Students' learning styles may be characterized using five strands: environmental, emotional, sociological, physical, and psychological (Dunn and Dunn 1978). Environmentally, for example, some students need music, low lighting, cool temperatures, and body comfort to make sense of something they are learning; others need strong lighting, warm temperatures, and formal posture at a desk to perform their best. Emotionally, some students need constant attention and urging from the teacher. Though we want these students to develop independence, we hurt them if we push them away too fast.