What's New at MI Research and Consulting, Inc.?
March, 2006
Hello ~
It has been another fast paced year for both MI theory and The MIDAS. So fast, indeed, that it has taken me two months to get around to preparing this annual Newsletter. One important delay was the writing of several research reports that explore the validity and efficacy of The MIDAS in preparation for submission for review to Buros Mental Measurements Yearbook. It has been 10 years since their initial positive review that was based on early small-scale studies.
Another exciting delay has been the creation of my 5th workshop for Kent State University: ExtraOrdinary Leadership: An MI-Inspired Approach. This course builds on my work with the Learning to Lead Through Life classes at Kent State for the past several years. It is intended for a wide range of participants: university students, educators and people in business.
I have also been busy exploring how the multiple intelligences relate to high school students’ math and reading skills. It has bothered me for a long time that MI theory is too often marginalized by both schools and educational theorists because it is misunderstood as being "anti-academic." These research results show how MI theory is related to reading and math skills as well as g, general intelligence. This research report will be posted on my website soon. Several other new research studies are posted on the research page.
What's in store for 2006 and beyond? Well...I am looking forward to working with teachers and counselors to develop practical materials for integrating MIDAS effectively into the counseling and teaching processes. I will also be venturing again to Puerto Rico where the fine team at Quality for Business Success Inc. is using the MIDAS for business consulting purposes. My recent research projects have demonstrated the importance of building Intrapersonal intelligence to enhance leadership development, career planning as well as academic skills. We'll also be exploring how to promote creative thinking, self-confidence and leadership development for all!
MIDAS authorized translations to look forward to in the coming year:
> MIDAS-K Korean by Sook-hee Ryue at the Multiple Intelligences Institute Co. of Seoul
> C-MIDAS Chinese by Wu-Tien Wu of the Psychological Publishing Co. in Taipei, Taiwan
> MIDAS.GR German by Michaela Schulte-Mathmann of the IFAM Institut, Koln, Germany
The annual AERA conference takes place April 7 - 11 in San Francisco and the MI-SIG has organized another set of interesting sessions. I will moderate a session entitled: Multiple Intelligences in Global Perspective where Howard Gardner is the invited speaker and there will a panel of presenters from Turkey, UK, Brazil and China. For more information; MI-SIG.
Cheers for 2006!
Branton Shearer
sbranton@kent.edu
MIDAS in Action !
The MIDAS continues to be implemented the United States as well as internationally. Here are a few new sites:
-- Springfield College, Springfield, Mass. freshmen advising program.
-- Wind River Middle School, Stevenson, WA
-- A Talented Mind, "This is a great opportunity to work with many talented performers. We have helped them develop their talents and mental skills to perform successfully in high schools and universities, on sports playing fields, at work, and in life." Michael Cerreto, Midlothian, Virginia
- - Thinking Pays. "We are dedicated to cognitive enhancement and learning achievement. We help people improve attention, memory, reasoning, information processing and brain power." Rohn Kessler, Boca Raton, FL
-- Kid's Community College, 10544-48 Lake St Charles, Riverview, FL 33569
-- East Baton Rouge High Schools: Pre-College Academy for Boys and Girls
-- Community Assessment Program: Juvenile justice education programs pilot project in Massachusetts.
-- Quality for Business Success, Inc. QBS is a business consulting company in San Juan, Puerto Rico, "committed to an inter-disciplinary and professional approach for dealing with Quality, Human Resources, Organizational Culture and Change Management Problems.
MIDAS™ in Translation and International Projects
In addition to the numerous translation and adaptation projects that got underway in recent years German, Farsi, Bahasa, Singaporean, Turkish, Romanian other international projects have been initiated.
MIDAS Chinese Translation
Profession Wu-Tien Wu of National Taiwan Normal University continues to work with the Psychological Publishing Company in Taipei, Taiwan on the translation of the MIDAS into both traditional and simplified Chinese language. It will be debuted in August at The 9th Asian-Pacific Conference on Giftedness.
Return to Learning
Over 10,000 people have completed the Thinking Styles Survey on the BBC Return to Learning website. This very brief survey investigates the thinking interests and preferences in contrast to the skills and abilities assessed by the MIDAS
Irish Norming Project
I am collecting data from various sites in Ireland to establish a valid database.
MI Education and Training
Web-based Online MI Learning
My WebCT Multiple Intelligences online workshops at Kent State University continue to grow in both number of participants and quality. I am slowly figuring out how to use more and better MI-inspired teaching ideas in the online environment. It has been a great challenge (as well as a great black hole of time!) . Hey, no one ever said that high quality MI teaching was going to be quick or easy, but I have definitely found it to be much more rewarding and worthwhile to both myself and the learners. It is an investment in time and energy and imagination that keeps paying dividends even when the stock market is in the tank. It does get easier once the basic MI framework is in place, so take heart all you newbie MI teachers out there.
> M.I. WebCT Preview page www.personal.kent.edu/~sbranton/
> Kent State Univ. KSU College of Continuing Studies http://ccsweb.ccs.kent.edu/
MIDAS™ Researchers Around the World in 2005
Many people have been using The MIDAS for a wide variety of research projects over the course of the past year. I hope that my revised website and resurrected MIDAS Newsletter will serve as a means for researchers to share their results in the coming year. For MI theory to evolve in its effective application and acceptance, I believe that it is essential for people to share their successes as well as their challenges. Science moves along as we work through problems, correct mistakes and step-by-step reveal what is true. Here is a list of new MIDAS™ researchers in the past year. More listings in 2005 Newsletter in archives.
2005 MIDAS™ Researchers
Edward Overchuk, Ohio, Assessing the MI Profiles of Fixed Wing and Helicopter Pilots. overchuk@kent.edu
Lori Simmons, Penn. An evaluation of an MI summer camp program. lorgold@aol.com
Leonard Morrissey, Australia, An investigation into children's preferred mode of enquiry and MI. Leonard.Morrissey@jcu.edu.au
Newton D'souza, Milwaukee, Use of MIDAS in architectural design assessment. nsdsouza@uwm.edu
Yong S. Kim, Calif. A study of the relationship between the MI profiles and success of foreign language learning measured by defense language proficiency test. yeskim94@yahoo.com
Roos Sookraj, Australia, Effectiveness of MI tasks on changing students' conceptual understanding in physics. rosssookraj77@hotmail.com
Marge Winkler, Georgia, The relationship between adolescent depression and MI. rwinkler46@yahoo.com
Derek Linklater, Texas, Investigation of the MI Characteristics of EM Residents. drlinklater@hot.rr.com
Celia Huffman, Ohio, Student interactions with CD-ROM storybooks and MI Profiles. bookingham@att.net
Claudia Pendexter, Calif., MI Differences Between Continuation and Comprehensive High School Students. cpendexter@earthlink.net
Liesl Ramsay, Calif., Using the MIDAS to Enhance Career Planning for High School Students. Yardley@sonic.net
Mary Ann Toledo-Pitre, Puerto Rico, Relationship between oral proficiency and linguistic intelligence in non-native student speakers of English. matp2005@yahoo.com
Carmel Delany, Ireland, A Pilot Project with the Online MIDAS System with High School Students in Ireland.
Vicky Morgan, Illinois, Comparing the MI Profiles to Bloom's Cognitive Levels for Univsity Education Majors. vlmorgan@ilsu.edu
Marcia Buenaventura-Parker, Florida, The Impact of MI on Student Achievement in High School Chemistry. parkerm11@hotmail.com
Erla Kristjansdottir, Iceland, Translating Teen-MIDAS into Icelandic and Assessing Students' Perceptions of the Multiple Intelligences. erlakr@khi.is
Rebecca Renner, Michigan, Assessing the MI Profiles of Third Grade Students. rlrenner2117@yahoo.com
Michael Wilson, Tennessee, The Interaction of MI in the Classroom and its Relationship to Course Performance. kanshu28@hotmail.com
Janice-Lynn Shuhan, New Jersey, An Interdisciplinary Approach to Secondary Math Activities. janicelyn1@aol.com
Melanie Mitchell, N. Carolina, The Relationship between MI theory and selected instructional methods on Learning. mitchellms@appstate.edu
Francois Coude, France, Using the MIDAS in Pediatric Medical Practice, fxcoude@tiscali.fr
Kristina Natali, Calif., Multiple Intelligences in the Special Day Class. kln11@csufresno.edu
Bahareh Yeganehfar, Iran. Investigating the validity and reliability of a Farsi translation of the Teen-MIDAS. byeganehfar@unicef.org
Griselda Sandoval Avalos, Mexico, The relation between MI personal itnelligences and the emotional and behavioral symptoms in school children. grissandoval@ucol.mx
Sherrelle Hessell, Florida, Teacher and Parent Perceptions of the Child's Multiple Intelligences. sh03e@garnet.acns.fsu.edu
