Naturally Curious: Bringing New "Intelligence" to TEYL

By Gregory Quinlivan, ESL/TEYL teacher working in Taiwan

Urban-dwelling children today spend much of their holidays in air-conditioned malls or playing organized sports or computer games, and have little chance to become acquainted with nature (Hoerr, 1997). Therefore it is important to develop their "naturalist intelligence" (NI) and help them to make sense of the world of plants and animals. Those who teach English to children should be acutely aware of this and consider modifying their current pedagogical practices to incorporate this "eighth intelligence".

Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences" (MI) has been influential in changing the way teaching and learning is delivered in schools. In the classroom MI helps students recognize their strengths and preferences, it gives teachers a better understanding of learners, it provides a guide to more ways of learning and demonstrating that learning, and it addresses all learners' needs in lesson planning (Christison & Kennedy, 2003). Because Gardner has stated that most people can develop all eight intelligences to a reasonable level, there is value in nurturing them through learning activities.

Much has been written about the first seven intelligences which were announced in 1983, but not the eighth, or "naturalist intelligence", which Gardner (1999) added in 1996. Despite little empirical work since, NI is a useful educational resource so clearly demonstrated in the curiosity of very young children exploring their environment through playing with "bugs" and getting their hands dirty in the back yard.

While Gardner's MI theory affirms that we all have these intelligences in differing proportions, as others have noted, the intelligences work "in consort with one another" (Ramos-Ford & Gardner, 1991). This means designing lessons which draw on a number of the intelligences to encourage their balanced growth. By helping children to develop NI, teachers will also help in developing the other intelligences, including their linguistic intelligence.

It is important to distinguish "multiple intelligences" from "learning styles". In fact, each learning style may be used as a way of advancing the intelligences. So development of the "naturalist intelligence" should be achieved through each learner's preferred visual, auditory or kinesthetic style.

Howard Gardner has consistently stated that intelligence is concerned with solving problems and fashioning products. Campbell (1996) adds that NI is the ability to recognize and classify elements (animals, plants and minerals) in an individual's environment, as well as sensitivity to other natural phenomena, such as clouds and geographic formations, and differences among non-living forms, such as cultural artifacts. This ability also permits pattern recognition in urban environments, like sorting and organizing sports playing cards and athletic shoes. Naturalists listen, watch birds, observe patterns, classify, hike, climb, fish, dig, plant and photograph living things, the sky, mountains, lakes and rivers (Fogarty, 1997). In the EFL/ESL classroom such skills may be used to solve language problems, such as gap fills and jigsaws, to recognize and classify grammatical structures, to write poems or songs using adjectives from the outdoors, and to listen with greater sensitivity to the sounds of the language.

In validating each intelligence, Gardner has considered eight essential factors which confirm their general applicability. In the case of the NI, the results are listed below.

Figure 1. Theoretical Basis for the "Naturalist Intelligence" (Armstrong, 1994).
Core Components	Expertise in distinguishing among members of a species; recognizing the existence of other neighboring species; and charting out the relations, formally or informally, among several species.
Symbol Systems	Species classification systems (e.g. Linnaeus); habitat maps.
High-End States	Naturalist, biologist, animal activist (e.g. Charles Darwin, E. O. Wilson, Jane Goodall).
Neurological Systems (Primary)	Areas of the left parietal lobe important for discriminating "living" from "non-living" things.
Ways that Cultures Value	Folk taxonomies, herbal lore, hunting rituals, animal spirit mythologies.
Evolutionary Origins	Early hunting tools reveal understanding of other species.
Presence in Other Species	Hunting instinct in innumerable species to discriminate between prey and non-prey.
Historical Factors	Was more important during agrarian period; then fell out of favour during industrial expansion; now "earth-smarts" are more important than ever to preserve endangered ecosystems.

There are many reasons why using NI activities with young learners will assist them to build their "linguistic intelligence". It permits a theme- or task-based emphasis within an integrated linguistic approach. A NI approach teaches topics, situations and functions from a new perspective. Hands-on learning maximally stimulates the five senses through lived, real-world experiences, and encourages students to engage in authentic, meaningful communication as they discover nature. Since the suggested tasks (in Appendix D) are motivational, students are more likely to participate in a "free voluntary reading" (FVR) program, which is part of Stephen Krashen's theory of ESL reading, and teachers may also explore texts about the outdoors. Some of the recommended Internet-based activities (in Appendix E) can build confidence and motivation in reading and writing, while involvement with the local community may build listening and speaking skills.

When considering the inclusion of NI in classroom activities, teachers need to explore many aspects, including what kinds of category charts and diagrams would be most useful, how to encourage students to describe or observe the environment, and how to relate NI to the learning of English (Yücel, 2005). An additional aspect for review is appropriate assessment instruments. In general, alternative assessment, such as portfolios, displays and oral presentations, rather than summative assessment, would be most suitable.

Topics which will nurture the "naturalist intelligence" in primary grade students and provide a learning focus are shown in Appendix A. Teachers of young learners may support this development by using a number of strategies to explore these topics (see Appendix B). Although excursions to natural settings are the most desirable option, this may not be practical, particularly in urban classrooms, due to cost, distance and potential risk of injury. Nevertheless many strategies listed can be safely undertaken indoors with or without modification. Teachers may also consider using a variety of technologies (see Appendix C) to stimulate this intelligence.

The number of activities available to develop NI is considerable. This paper briefly outlines selected items and two lesson ideas. Interested readers should explore these and others further through the resource sites listed below. Teachers of young learners should also consider the language level and physical requirements of activities when developing lessons and units of work using the activities suggested in Appendix D.

The reader may consult the organizations and links shown in Appendix E to access more details about some of the strategies mentioned and other resources suited to teaching young learners. Examples here include fact sheets, instructions on starting a butterfly house, virtual field trips and dissection, games, and computer-based projects, all of which may be used in the classroom.

Two recent books with a focus on ELT and MI in the classroom by Berman (1998, 2001) are also valuable to teachers of young learners.

One simple classroom activity requires the use of atlases and computers to determine the biodiversity level of all countries around the world. Students access the site at http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/worldmap/, and analyze the colors, from blue (with the least biodiversity) to red (with the most). The atlases provide the country names, which can also be learned as a vocabulary exercise. Students simply complete a table with columns for each color. Discussion could include the reasons for these results, any surprises, and what can be done to increase biodiversity.

Another activity involves growing alfalfa sprouts. It only requires some seeds, a glass jar and a stocking. After soaking the seeds overnight, the water is drained, and the seeds are rinsed daily with clean water. After about five days they start sprouting. The next step is to spread them in the light briefly and then they may be eaten. Students can run the experiment in groups, note each day's changes and growth, eat each group's products and vote on the tastiest. More advanced students can suggest how to get the best results. Full details and photos may be found at http://www.backyardnature.net/simple/alf-spr.htm.

Teachers currently incorporating a "multiple intelligences" approach and those looking for fresh ideas should carefully examine the NI since most schools do not currently include it in their language curricula. Activities that promote the NI provide a great motivational force for young language learners, and many of the skills developed support their growing linguistic intelligence. NI also stimulates a different part of students' brains while learning a new language.

Report

Urban-dwelling children today spend much of their holidays in air-conditioned malls or playing organized sports or computer games, and have little chance to become acquainted with nature (Hoerr, 1997). Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences" (MI) has been influential in changing the way teaching and learning is delivered in schools. In the classroom MI helps students recognize their strengths and preferences, it gives teachers a better understanding of learners, it provides a guide to more ways of learning and demonstrating that learning, and it addresses all learners' needs in lesson planning (Christison & Kennedy, 2003). Because Gardner has stated that most people can develop all eight intelligences to a reasonable level, there is value in nurturing them through learning activities.

Development of the "naturalist intelligence" should be achieved through each learner's preferred visual, auditory or kinesthetic style. In the EFL/ESL classroom such skills may be used to solve language problems, such as gap fills and jigsaws, to recognize and classify grammatical structures, to write poems or songs using adjectives from the outdoors, and to listen with greater sensitivity to the sounds of the language.

"Multiple intelligences" approach and those looking for fresh ideas should carefully examine the NI since most schools do not currently include it in their language curricula. Activities that promote the NI provide a great motivational force for young language learners, and many of the skills developed support their growing linguistic intelligence. NI also stimulates a different part of students' brains while learning a new language.