In of all places the National Geographic this month's lead article on the
brain is helpful re: some of these issues, including some nifty photographs.
Mark
At 04:16 PM 2/20/2005, you wrote:
>Hi Sue,
>Aren't skills part of the learning package, whereas intelligence is the
>gas to make that package run? But having said that. I tend to agree
>about the specializing that is going on with the notion of intelligence.
>This particular workshop was geared toward instructors who teach English
>to speakers of of other native languages and in that context, the
>different intelligences were presented as (stretching this) cars other
>than a Ford sedan. I also think the realm of MI is really about tracking
>the brain and the locales of its various jobs and then making
>applications of the knowledge. So for example, they know that a region
>of the brain controls musical aptitude and recognition of beats, etc.
>Since it is a brain function that can be identified, then maybe the same
>"theys" or maybe different "theys" then admitted to the reality of
>musical intelligence. What is making this fall apart though, is the
>newest intelligences, like the "Existential" and the "Digital" and here,
>the cart came before the horse. These were theorized prior to being
>mapped, if I recall correctly. That is why they're "questionable,"
>because they haven't been able to find a geographic location for these
>theoretical intelligences. Anyway - it is still all exciting and thought
>provoking to me.
>
>I almost said that your quick aptitude with learning Japanese after
>drawing might be because of the pictographic nature of the Japanese
>alphabet. Glad I didn't because, I'm wrong, aren't I? So sorry there's
>no nice correlation like that because those are so much more enjoyable.
>I guess it's something to do with opening up new neural pathways, and
>like any exercise, once something is done the first time and then
>repeated, it makes like activities easier. Ann
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