ED637 Week 2 Tools For Identifying Learners in my Classroom

I began assignment two thinking along the lines of using results from state test scores, AIMS web scores and our RTI information for our students and planning which math strands need to be addressed for each grade level and individually.  Then I realized that I wasn’t on the right track as I researched online for tools to assist us in targeting: learning styles, student interests, personality types, multiple intelligences, or other helpful information for planning instruction for meeting learner needs in the classroom.

As I was searching for tools on multiple intelligences and learning styles, I found a lot of sites that explain what they are, and offer tests, but when I took the tests on two of the sites, I found that I would need to pay for the results.  There is a simple site I found for multiple intelligences at

Exploring The Seven Different Intelligences | GeekMom | Wired.com

Explanation in kid and parent friendly explanations of the seven different multiple intelligences found in children and ways to use those strengths.
Also find online assessments links.

The seven different intelligences include:

·       Word Smart (linguistic intelligence)

·       Math Smart (numerical/reasoning/logic intelligence)

·       Physically Smart (kinesthetic intelligence)

·       Music Smart (musical intelligence)

·       People Smart (interpersonal intelligence)

·       Self Smart (intrapersonal intelligence)

·       Visually Smart (Spatial intelligence)

The key to working with multiple intelligences is to understand that children have all of the intelligences, but are usually stronger in one of them, which can be the “gateway to making other subjects more easily understood and mastered.”  This site has a link to http://www.berghuis.co.nz/abiator/lsi/mi_test.html this website also, which is a multiple intelligence test.  I haven’t found the time to take the test yet, since I took a couple others that required payment for results.

Tools to assist us in targeting learning styles I found a website that is based on Felder and Silverman’s Index of Learning Styles that was developed by Richard Felder and Linda Silverman in the late 80’s and revised by Felder in 2002.  They explain that there are four dimensions of learning styles: sensory-intuitive, active-reflective, sequential-global, and visual-verbal.  They also explain that once you know where your preference lies, then you can balance your approach to learning, which leads to learning effectiveness.  Also found in the website is a Learning Styles Questionnaire.  The main site is found at: http://www.mindtools.com/mnemlsty.html

My site for my resources for this week can be found in my diigo account at

http://www.diigo.com/user/dmhale23 and under the list for week two identifying tools to assist student learning.

Right now, I hope I am on the right track in gathering information to help my team build a Wiki.  The trouble I have had is in figuring out who is in my team, so I haven’t yet had a chance to interact with my team.