FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN ACTION
MULTIPLE INTELIGENCES IN TEACHING SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
The theory of multiple intelligences has increased interest in education and will continue to do so because it introduces new concepts that are thought to be extremely helpful for learning across all age groups, with a particular focus on the early stages of potential discovery in schools. The originator of this new conception of intelligences is the American evolutionary psychologist and researcher Howard Gardner, who coined the term "intelligences" to describe concepts that were previously thought of as talents or gifts. This culminated in the publication of the book "Frames of Mind" in 1983, the focus of whose research was those whose brains had suffered partial damage. The definitional criteria for intelligences are explained in the book "Intelligences Multiples: Theory in Practice" along with the types of intelligences. The author, for his part, argues that the designation of what was previously thought of as talents explains the significant impact of his research. In the beginning, I didn't draw the desired attention to psychologists, but rather to education professionals because they provided a wealth of opportunities in a setting where concern for the caliber of instruction was on the rise.
Multiple intelligences demonstrate human capabilities according to innate or learned virtues in various fields, and they have several applications in the teaching and learning process. The eight multiple intelligences are linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, musical intelligence, artistic and bodily intelligence, naturalist intelligence, and the two types of personal intelligence, interpersonal and intrapersonal. The potential inclusion of existential intelligence as an additional multiple intelligence that would result in a total of nine intelligences is currently being demonstrated. However, the project will focus on the eight multiple intelligences that are now accepted in a believable manner.
The project is founded on a methodological proposal. The notion of intelligences and the many types of intelligences are first thoroughly explained, along with contributions to the process of learning Spanish as a foreign language. Additionally, a questionaire on multiple intelligences was developed as a way to identify learners' profiles. It was given to students, and the results are detailed. The inclusion of didactic units that present the learning objectives, skills, content, language skills, learning reflection, sociocultural aspects, materials, and evaluation helps to maximize the learners' participation in the learning process.
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2. JUSTIFICATION PERSONAL AND ACADEMICAL OF THE TEMA
The theory of many intelligences is based on the idea that because everyone is unique, they all learn in their own unique ways. All people possess these intelligences; the difference is in the degree to which each person possesses each of them. Knowing these specifics, new learning methods that take into account linguistic (linguistic intelligence), musical (musical intelligence), bodily (cinético-physical intelligence), spatial (space-related intelligence), mathematical (logical-mathematical intelligence), environmental (naturalist) and intrapersonal intelligence can be used in teaching Spanish as an outside language.
The students' particular characteristics and preferences were not taken into consideration in the early methods of language learning, such as the grammatical-translation or the audiolingual methods, and their activities were primarily related to linguistic intelligence. Activities that relate to specific multiple intelligences are present in more recent methods for teaching languages. This is an example of the RFT method, or total physical response, in which "repetitions mandatory like sit-ups and lunges occupy the majority of the class based on this method and are used to stimulate physical actions" (Arzamendi, Barros, Gassó, Hockly, Pueyo, 2010:56). Repetition through movement is regarded as an activity that relates to several intelligences, both cinématic and bodily. In contrast, the deep interpersonal dynamics that are established in the relationships between teachers and students as well as in the teaching-learning process were Charles A. Curran's greatest concern (Arzamendi, Barros, Gassó, Hockly, Pueyo, 2010:65). This is consistent with interpersonal intelligence. The suggestion method incorporates relaxation and music therapy, which is why musical intelligence is valued. The emotional preparation is optimized in the natural approach, which links to intrapersonal intelligence. The communicative approach is related to interpersonal intelligence because, as its name suggests, it is based on learning via communication. With these additions, it is clear that the primary methods of language instruction do not depend on many intelligences, while they do incorporate contributions related to particular intelligences. This makes the development of a project on the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language based on multiple intelligences even more necessary. In this way, the numerous options that enable a more individualized and effective learning process are highlighted.
Fundamental to the process of learning a language is motivation through varied activities that are tailored to the needs and characteristics of the learners. Además
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There are several theories that specifically relate to learning in addition to categorizing students according to multiple intelligences. J. Reid distinguishes between visual, auditory, cinesthetic, and tactile learning. On his part, L. Knowles (1982) divided the division into four categories: concrete, analytical, communicative, and based on authority. However, multiple intelligences go beyond learning because they are present in people in varying degrees and they take into account their unique capacities and preferences. Therefore, it is crucial to take these factors into account when teaching and learning Spanish as a foreign language in order for learners to achieve their set goals. To make this process more individualized, diverse, motivating, and effective, intelligence-based capabilities can be enhanced. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that several intelligences report multiple educational benefits, and this vision will be realized through the activities and didactic units in this project.
3. OBJETIVOS
3.1. Goal Generally
• Development of a didactic program for Spanish language learners based on the distinctive qualities of the eight multiple intelligences, namely linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, musical intelligence, artistic and bodily intelligence, naturalist intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence.
3.2. Specific Objectives
• Definition and explanation of the key characteristics of the eight multiple intelligences with a view to understanding the program's predetermined criteria. • Development of a multiple intelligences questionnaire to recognize the levels of intelligence present in learners' meta.
• Development of a curriculum made up of eight instructional units, each of which places a specific emphasis on a multiple intelligence.
4. MARC OTERO
4.1. The idea of intelligence
The word intelligence comes from the Latin word intellegentia, which literally translates to "between reading or choosing" (inter legere), which is understood to mean "choosing from a variety of options." According to the Gran Enciclopedia Larousse, "intellectuality is the capacity of a person to adapt to a situation and to choose appropriate means of action based on the circumstances" (1993:5858). Every mental exercise we engage in involves our brains selecting ideas or options, therefore the term's origin is tied to what inspires. The definitions of intelligence according to the Real Academia dictionary
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Spanish includes, among other things, the following aces: "capacity to understand or comprehend, capacity to solve problems, knowledge, comprehension, or the act of understanding, and finally ability, destreza, and experience" (RAE, 2014). It is noteworthy that Howard Gardner frequently uses the phrase "capability of solving problems" to explain why his criteria for multiple intelligences are based on this concept.
As seen in the numerous intelligence tests, it has long been believed that intelligence is fundamentally linked to linguistic and mathematical abilities. The first contemporary intelligence test, known as the CI of Simon-Binet (CI is short for Cociente Intelectual), was developed by the Frenchmen Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon in response to a request from the French Minister of Education at the beginning of the 20th century. The logical and linguistic reasoning according to age was taken into consideration in this test, which ended up causing a stir in Europe and North America. The Stanford-Binet exam was revised and popularized in 1916 by Lewis Terman of Stanford University (who would later revise it once more in later years). According to Savant and Fleischer (1990:38–39), "The Stanford-Binet contains categories such as reader comprehension, comparison of similar elements and contrast of opposite elements, vocabulary, memory, and figure conclusion." The goal was to be able to assess each student according to their abilities and identify which students had genuine difficulties and which simply did not put enough effort into their studies. The previously mentioned cogent intellectual is one way that people frequently learn about human relative intelligence. The RAE of the cociente intelectual is defined as "a number that expresses a person's relative intelligence and that is determined by dividing their mental age by their physical age and multiplying by 100" (RAE, 2014). This method of evaluating intelligence causes controversy, maybe explaining why many intelligences were accepted in a more logical way.
Intelligence may be strengthened and improved. We frequently don't take use of our time to enhance and broaden our worldly knowledge, which ultimately translates to brain building. The Spanish for Foreigners students find themselves immersed in this process since they focus a large portion of their energy on language learning, which is a laborious task until advanced levels of proficiency are reached. The systematic development of the target language can be quite satisfying because it is a method of learning that allows for easy practice and demonstration of advancements when speaking or understanding conversations and explanations. But language learners must be aware that setting priorities is necessary to reach an appropriate level. These priorities include ongoing individual and classroom study as well as looking for opportunities to practice in real-world communication situations. In the end, it's a cumulative learning process where prior knowledge and new knowledge are connected.
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4.2. Multiple intelligences
This theory was ignited by the Foundation Bernard Van Leer de la Haya's interest, which led them to request a team of Harvard University researchers to study human potential and its realization. Howard Gardner, who has worked as a professor and researcher at this prestigious university that is a member of the "Ivy League," took notes on the subject and worked diligently on what he described as "a labor arduous but very attractive: an overview of what the human sciences had established about the nature of the human condition" (Gardner, 1995:13).
The term "intelligence" is closely related to "intellectual curiosity." This has been the case ever since Alfred Binet created his classification system for students with academic difficulties in France and its subsequent global repercussions that continue to this day. For instance, it was initially used in the United States to "evaluate more than a million American recruits in the First World War" (Gardner, 1995:25). It appeared that intelligence could be quantified, which implied and implied a barrier for people who did not achieve the desired results. According to what is inferred from Howard Gardner's contributions, this method of classifying people according to their scores on intelligence tests is a blatant way to frustrate academically underachieving students. The author rejects this only method of grading students on tests when the logical-mathematical and linguistic components are given precedence. For this reason, Howard Gardner proposed a new theory according to which there are unique individuals with unique characteristics and various personality types that equally exhibit intelligence. After completing his research, he came to the conclusion that there are seven different types of intelligence, not just one. He included this conclusion in his book "Frames of Mind," albeit an eighth type of intelligence was later added. In the beginning, I didn't get the psychologists' attention they were hoping for, but I did get their attention within the context of education. In fact, he later published a book titled "Intelligences Multiples" after the release of his first book on multiple intelligences. The theory in practice. Although many of its studies focus on students who are still in the early stages of learning, this book not only discusses the fundamental aspects of the theory of multiple intelligences but also how it can be applied in the classroom to all types of students. In this book, Howard Gardner talks about the Spectrum Project, which involves children practicing daily with interesting materials that combine their intelligences. The goal is to make the classroom as similar as possible to the teacher-student relationship where learning develops organically via practice and tangible results. In these classes, children engage meaningfully with the materials, and the teachers recognize the students' interests and talents. The Montessori schools, where this type of training is also common, are linked to
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encourages free work using specialized materials to foster the innate desire to learn. The principles of this kind of school, developed by educator Maria Montessori in the early 20th century, are freedom, activity, and individuality, allowing students to learn at their own pace. These Montessori-based schools still exist today and broadly adhere to the theories of multiple intelligences, which take into account the fact that each student has unique skills and interests.
In the aforementioned book, the revolutionary "Key School" is also explained. It was founded in Indiana by a group of teachers who were intrigued by this novel theory, who Howard Gardner refers to as "the eight from Indianapolis." Based on their theories, they established the "Key School," a school where the theories of multiple intelligences are put into practice.
attempting to ensure that daily intellectual stimulation for each student includes, among other things, musical or cinematic-corporal activities. In addition, this school offers a learner-teacher workshop that makes it easier for students to master a subject that interests them. They also do activities in museums, which is something that is extremely important to the infamous driver of multiple intelligences since it relates to learning in a natural environment without the pressure that may lead to creating the artificial environment of the classroom. Additionally, long-term projects on a variety of subjects are created at the "Key School" in Indianpolis, and these projects are presented to their peers once they are completed. These projects serve as motivators because they reflect a purpose or goal that may be made public so that others will value the end product of the work. In the same book, it is also explained what the "Arts PROPEL" is, which is a methodology for evaluating the arts focused mostly on secondary schools. It is noteworthy that Gardner did not include art as one of the multiple intelligences since this helps us understand that art may be created using a variety of intelligences, such as through writing or music, as examples. The use of processo-folios, where students keep finished works, drafts of critiques, and other materials, is suggested for the aforementioned evaluation. This is because the author believes it is necessary given the tendency toward subjectivity when evaluating artistic works.
The conclusions drawn from their comments are that there is still a long way to go in terms of multiple intelligences and their applications in the classroom. Additionally, Howard Gardner hopes that in the future his criteria will be evaluated and implemented in education in a more extensive manner and that research in this area will continue. He himself indicates that his theories are based in psychology, and he hopes that this will be the case in the future. The professionals in education are the ones who have the tools to use what they have to help students.
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4.2.1. Characteristics of the eight multiple intelligences
Prior to describing several intelligences, it is important to note that according to Howard Gardner, everyone possesses the intelligences he describes. The difference stems from the degree to which each individual possesses each one of them, despite the fact that they are all equally significant. It is noteworthy that, in addition, many intelligences can manifest simultaneously depending on the type of activity being carried out. When writing a song, a composer needs to be primarily linguistically and musically intelligent. Similarly, a presenter needs to have strong linguistic and interpersonal skills in order to effectively communicate their ideas to an audience. A tour guide needs social intelligence to connect with tourists, but they also need linguistic intelligence to communicate in languages other than their mother tongue on occasion, and sometimes even naturalist intelligence if they are visiting a natural area.
Thinking about professions and intelligences, we believe there is one that, under the conditions described below, could encompass all multiple intelligences except for naturalist intelligence. This latter intelligence was later included in the first books on multiple intelligences. An actor in a musical might use their visual and bodily intelligence to dance, their musical intelligence to sing, their linguistic intelligence to represent dialogue, their interpersonal intelligence to connect with the audience and their fellow actors, their logical-mathematical intelligence to compare their earnings to their expenses, and their spatial intelligence to work with the set. Although the example of a musical actor has been used to illustrate the beginning of a theatrical production, there are several occupations related to the beginning of a musical. For these professions, certain intelligences predominate over others, such as the producer, who is in charge of finances (logo-mathematical), the dramatist, who is the author of the work (linguistic), the artistic director, who serves as a liaison between the author, actors, and audience (interpersonal), the set designer, who is in charge of the scenery (spatial), the actor (cinématic, physical, and intrapersonal), and the composer (musical). According to the circumstances previously discussed, if it is possible to find a profession that can utilize all or the majority of multiple intelligences, there are also ways to apply multiple intelligences in the classroom by developing activities that are appropriate for the environment. On the other hand, it is possible to carry out a project for the Spanish as a Foreign Language class in which each student is assigned a specific role based on the professions described for producing a theatrical production. This project would focus on how to create a piece of theater from within rather than how to interpret a dramatic work. Later, in the classroom, students would engage in conversation and acting out scenes in a play.
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One noteworthy feature of multiple intelligences is that Howard Gardner justifies the placement of each multiple intelligence by conducting thorough research on the brain's regions and the area of the brain where each intelligence is located. Research is also being done on how people with brain injuries maintain some intellectual abilities or some of the aforementioned intelligences while losing others. The author states that "the Brocca area is responsible for the production of prayers. A person who has this area damaged can understand words and simple sentences without any issues, but they struggle to construct more complex sentences (Gardner, 1995:44). It is logical to conclude that if a specific function is carried out by a specific region of our brain, we are not merely talking about skills when we specifically refer to our linguistic capacity, but rather about intelligence, and the same standard applies to the other multiple intelligences. In an interview with the Spanish television program "Redes," Howard Gardner explains that there are two factors that set his work apart from that of other researchers. It refers to two things: first, the criteria it uses to assign each resultant multiple intelligences a category of multiple intelligence, and second, the use of the word intelligence in place of talents. Prior to applying the term intelligence to what was previously thought of as talent, talent itself had been considered to be a virtue. Additionally, he explains on the "Redes" program that there is no reason to view people with mathematical aptitude as intelligent and not those who have musical aptitude, and that no one has been able to refute this claim with a valid argument up to this point.
Additionally, according to Gardner's theories, it can be inferred that each person has a unique mind with unique intellectual strengths. This is important to keep in mind when teaching because our brains are known to contain regions that are responsible for various functions, such as the musical or physical parts. Some students think spatially, others linguistically, and yet others need to actively practice using all of their body parts. The instruction is not fair if these personal characteristics are not taken into account in the learning environment since it does not value the learners' various capacities. As a result, it is convenient that teachers provide resources that accommodate various learning styles. It is no longer necessary to learn a subject just through a text book and the instructor's explanations; instead, it is possible to demonstrate whether learning objectives have been met through assessments. Although it seems impossible to teach every new topic in a Spanish class for foreigners while incorporating all of the intelligences, the optimal approach is to combine them when teaching while setting priorities. Examples of this novel perspective that everyone may learn and teach by utilizing
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The section of the didactic units of this project contains various resources in accordance with multiple intelligences.
Another feature of this theory that the psychologist highlights is that it opposes any sort of categorization of the students according to their intelligences. Instead of categorizing people as in intelligence tests, which show which people are more intellectually gifted than others, their goal is to focus on the intrinsic qualities of people to help them develop as people in accordance with their preferences or abilities. In this way, according to Gardner, it is possible to evaluate students' interests based on their personal profiles without categorizing them as better or worse than they would be on an intelligence test. In fact, it is intended to help students who have received worse grades by using their own preferences or characteristics as a source of inspiration and motivation. Additionally, there is opposition to classifying people according to their levels of multiple intelligences, that is, conducting research on which multiple intelligences specifically predominate in a particular etnia, as was the case in Australia, where Gardner reacted violently and eventually became paralyzed. He himself came from a Jewish family that immigrated to the United States, and it appears that given his own family history, he opposes several intelligence classifications of people according to their race, religion, or gender with greater vigor. In conclusion, Gardner advocates helping students rather than categorizing them as better or worse students but rather as unique individuals with unique personal histories and characteristics. This evidence does not absolve educators from acknowledging the existence of students who have difficulties with their studies and, as a result, with achieving the school's set goals. It is suggested that many intelligences serve as a source of support, assistance, and reassurance based on each student's unique profile.
Multiple intelligences can be applied simultaneously in the classroom or alternated sequentially, particularly when linguistic intelligence is combined. As well as alternating between passive and active activities, one can also alternate between activities that incorporate one or the other. The many existing multiple intelligences are explained further on. Each of them includes a definition, examples of people who scored highly on each of the intelligence tests, related jobs, and learning activities for learning Spanish as a foreign language. The number of multiple intelligences originally stood at seven; the last to emerge and be widely accepted is naturalist intelligence. However, it will also be mentioned that there may still be existential intelligence that has yet to be discovered and generally acknowledged. Figure a table at the end of the explanations that lists the key characteristics of each of the eight intelligences.


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