For example, in a recent unit on outer space, students focused on comets for one day. The parts of their comets had to be labelled and drawn in correct proportion. At the end of the day, poems were bound in a class book, raps were shared by each group, art work was hung on a bulletin board, and progress in other centers reviewed. While the framework for my classroom is founded upon Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, I have also been influenced by many of the other theorists represented in this book. To begin with, the students are directly involved in the planning process.
Students also have frequent opportunities to develop independent projects.
Self-directed learning enhances intrinsic motivation which Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi suggests is crucial in education. The emphasis in my planning is to first stimulate my students' enjoyment of learning and then transmit information. Ironically, academic content is transmitted far more effectively with this focus. Art Costa stresses the importance of thinking skills. In an effort to incorporate their ideas, I regularly present problems to my students requiring analysis, evaluation, synthesis, and participatory decision-making.