Week Two Reading Reflection - Disrupting Class

In reading the first chapter of Disrupting Class a few things really stood out to me. First is the intial description of multiple intelligences. I feel that this is a very important factor in teaching that is not focused on enough. Just because you learned something a certain way does not mean that everyone will learn it that way. Teachers need to broaden thier teachings to include all types of intelligences. The second thing that stood out was the description of interdependence. At first, reading the piece, I did not understand fully what the difference between  interdependence and modularity was. After the example, I can see how modularity in schools can provide for more flexibility, while interdependence of each of the parts will require changing everything in order to change just one piece. The last key piece of information that really stood out was the fact that those within a certain intelliegence do not necessarily realize they are in it, and thus, when they develop curriculum, texts, and lessons, often do not include factors that lead to the advancement of those from the other intelligences. This is key in understanding why some people are "just not good at math/English/science/etc.

The two main things I had follow up questions on were first, how do we begin to make these changes to focus on mulitple intelligences? I agree, as the chapter says, that student centered learning is the best way, since students will get a variety of angles to view and attack a problem, but there has to be more to it. The other lingering question is what makes it so hard to customize a student's learning experience in high school? I am sure there are plenty of reasons why, however, I can't seem to think of any and it seems like it would be a beneficial thing to the school and the students.

If there were one thing from the chapter I could learn more about it would be the funding issue. When the article talked about how special education students cost about two and a half times more money per year than traditional students, it caught my attention. In a way, I feel that this doesn't necessarily need to be the case, however, I also feel that every student should get the attention that they need, regardless of special education status.