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Introduction
Until recently tests of intelligence that were used to assess the academic potential of school
children were those developed early this century by Binet. However, the traditional
definition of intelligence, on which such tests were based, is now regarded as disputable
and too narrow. Far from still considering intelligence as a linguistic and logical-
mathematical concept, a change of attitude has taken place. This change is based largely on
the work of Howard Gardner (1983, 1995), educational psychologist and creator of the
theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner's work emphasises that intelligence, rather than
being an innate, fixed entity, is something that may be developed. Gardner's work has
relevance to all forms of teaching, but Michael Berman's book is the first to apply it to the
English language classroom.
Multiple Intelligences
Throughout this book activities cater for specific intelligence types. The activities in unit 1
involve movement and cater for learners with kinesthetic intelligence. They require
students to circulate around the classroom to find someone, locate missing information, or
engage in a role-play. These activities are samples and suggestions rather than prescriptive
techniques, as are the activities in unit 2, on catering for musical intelligence. Many of
these draw upon work published in the 1970s by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Lozanov
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(1978, 1988) on Suggestopaedia and the power of music to remove barriers in order to
create the possibilities of incidental learning. [-1-]
Catering for the remaining three intelligence types, spatial, intrapersonal and naturalistic,
includes tasks that involve guided visualisations (e.g., trips across lakes to talk with
monsters and other creatures), introspective activities (e.g., "Love is . . . ," "Who am I?"),
plus identifying relationships between words in mixed groups and then classifying them.
One example of the latter is as follows: learners locate, list and then classify lesson,
student, homework, classroom, and teacher as words all related to the subject of school. I
found the activities in these three units to be the most stimulating for intermediate learners.
Too often, especially in the unit on catering for interpersonal intelligence, the author
includes terms, phrases and vocabulary in what he classifies as elementary level tasks that
are more suited to intermediate users of English. One further criticism I have is that
although it is interesting to introduce cultural aspects to course books for English language
teaching (ELT), too many times sociocultural knowledge is required to complete the tasks.
From the many examples related to tourist London, the royal family, and the British
monarchy, it seems that users most suited to this book would be those studying on or
returning from a summer in the UK. It would also be useful for learners resident in the UK
and studying English as a second, rather than a foreign language. How else could learners
be expected to know the names of two royal residences or where to find Speakers' Corner?
Indeed, non-British teachers using this book would need help from teachers' notes, which
are too often sadly lacking. A future edition could rectify this omission.
I'm fairly certain that most teachers, especially those in the early stages of their careers,
would not readily adopt the SAFER approach as it stands, but feel the author has made a
great stride towards applying contemporary pedagogical thought to ELT.
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References
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York:
Basic Books, Inc.
Gardner, H. (1995). Reflections on multiple intelligences: Myths and messages. Phi Delta
Kappan 76, 200-209.
Lozanov, G. & Gateva, E. (1988). The foreign language teacher's Suggestopedic manual.
New York: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers.
Wayne Trotman
Özel Çakabey Lisesi, Izmir, Turkey
<wayne@egenet.com.tr>