Special education is near to my heart. During my career, I’ve seen many different levels of ability, and I have to say that some of the wisest minds aren’t necessarily the sharpest. Today’s educational system is trying to embrace the special needs of children in learning environments, including those who are advanced.  

 

 Credit: Sophie (scol22)

Brawn and Brains
One student stands out in memory. He excelled in class and in the gym and he was driven to protect fellow brainy students--kind of like Clark Kent with an attitude. This kid had it all, and he wasn’t uncomfortable giving swirlies to jocks who gave swirlies to geeks.

Intellectual Bully
This student wound up being one of the most popular kids in high school because he appealed to the jock and the nerd equally, almost as if he bridged the gap between the two groups. He did nothing for kids who weren’t sharp or athletic.
There’s nothing wrong with flexing biceps, and flexing the brain can be equally appealing, but our high school hero wound up flexing in the wrong direction when he decided to take on a student in remedial class. His fixation on the perils of the academically advanced made him blind to the perils of the academically challenged, often making this group the target of jokes and neglect.

Remedial Wise Guy
Our hero soon turned into an intellectual bully who did little more than serve as a guard dog for scholars and an icon of high school athletic achievement. His narrow perception made him blind to the true nature of special education.
One day, he had a quick exchange with a student who struggled with behavior problems and with all things academic. I felt a wave of disappointment upon hearing our Protector of the Geeks use the word sped. Later, I was glad that he chose to misuse the word.
The kid responded, as he entered his remedial classroom, “You’re in the gifted class. That makes you a sped too, genius.” How very wise this student was.

Defining Special Education
Special education involved changing teaching approaches in order to meet the needs of the student. This includes students who need special instruction because they are advanced. As the suggests, gifted students require special teaching strategies.  Gifted classes are special education, and our Remedial Wise Guy taught us a great lesson, including the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

One pressing question in the field of education is What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? When a person is knowledgeable, she has a nice collection of data under her belt. This does her little good if she is unable to apply this information in real life. Wisdom is the ability to apply the collection of facts to everyday experiences. 

LessMeans More

Less can mean more when it comes to knowledge. I like to look at this in the same way I do fashion. It’s better to wear a stunning pair of diamond earrings rather than a gaudy array of cheap jewelry arranged haphazardly on my person. Doesn’t make sense? It will in a moment.

A person can be very knowledgeable but if he can’t use what he knows, it’s nothing more than clutter, a poorly accessorized mind, if you will. A wise person selects his knowledge judiciously, applying it as appropriate. Why let data sit in the back of your mind? It does little more than collect dust.

Avoiding the Ivory Tower
You may be familiar with the Ivory Tower, that place in which the knowledgeable completely lose touch with the real world. You can avoid this realm by getting your PhD in Wisdom. This approach requires no formal schooling, grades or examination. It requires insight into how you use what you learn.

I used to pride myself on how much I know. Now I pride myself on how much I accomplish. Accomplishments require much wisdom and after achieving specific life goals, I decided to treat myself with a fake diploma to commemorate my wise accomplishments.

Getting Your PhD in Wisdom
Too bad that there isn’t a diploma available for wisdom. We focus on academics, which are, well, academic. Consider what you want to accomplish as you explore the notion of using wisdom to maximize your knowledge base. This involves delving into your natural talents. A wise person is in touch with her talent and she uses her talent well.

Earning your degree in Wisdom requires little more that self-exploration. Take some time to consider the things that you know. How can you use this hoard of data to move you toward a more fulfilling and rewarding life? Developing wisdom naturally draws you in the proper direction.

Once you have discovered your talent, you are better able to apply what you have learned to what you do. The beauty of the process is that you don’t have to know a lot; you merely have to use what you know wisely.

The concept of multiple intelligences is luscious, a sensuous notion about learning that focuses on the senses. Developed by Harvard’s Dr. Howard Gardner, this concept addresses different learning styles. You can maximize your learning potential by learning how you learn. It’s important to go through all of the steps in the process because the results may surprise you. 

  Photo by Kenn W. Kiser

Seven—Err, Eight Learning Styles

Initially, Hot Howard from Harvard presented seven intelligences but an eighth type has been added to the mix. Check out the learning styles to see which one suits your brain the best.

The original set of multiple intelligences has changed since its inception in 1991. The eighth learning style is the naturalist intelligence, pertaining to those who learn best in the great outdoors.

Learning Style Test

While you may nod your head with certainty when you look at the list, you should take the Learning Styles Test anyway. I know that your learning style seems obvious to you but you might be in for a surprise.

I took the test thinking that I would fall into the interpersonal learning style without a doubt. My test scores said otherwise, showing that I am primarily a musical learner. Now this seemed off the mark to me considering that I don’t play an instrument and to be brutally honest, I look much better than I sound.

Surprises and Self-Discovery

After looking back at my education, I slowly realized that the sounds around me really stuck. I remember song lyrics very easily; I used to make up funny songs and rhymes to recall facts for exams. And even though I loved gazing at my gorgeous history teacher in high school, it is his buttery voice that stays in the forefront of my memory.

I would have never recognized my own skill as a great listener. This very skill is what makes me such a wiz at interacting with others. Other surprises may be in store for you as well.

Multiple Multiple Intelligences

You may find that you are intelligent in a number of different facets. Some people score equally well in two or three realms, making it possible for you to be a mathematical, visual, and naturalistic learner.  

So take the test and tell Brainy Bridgette how you did. I do love surprises.

Honorary degrees are fascinating to me because I love the notion of being recognized for accomplishments beyond the academic realm. The recipient doesn’t take classes, exams or attend lectures. The honor is bestowed upon him based on a number of factors; attendance is not among them.

As I was wheeling the notion of the honorary degree through my mind, I began to look at the honors with pure objectivity. The objective perspective often peels away the sentimental components, making it possible to look at the stark facts. It seems that an honorary degree is fundamentally a fake diploma.

How to Get an Honorary Degree

Consider the process of receiving such an honor. If you look at it through the green-colored glasses of an advertising mogul, it seems to play out like a too-good-to-be-true scheme. I can almost hear Billy Maze Yes! You can earn your degree without attending a single lecture. No studying is required and it’s Free!& Sounds wonderful to me but there has to be more to it.

The process of granting a degree for the honor differs from one institution to the next but the skeleton of procedure is readily apparent. Each school has a different approach but this is the basic structure: nominate, vote, and win.

The entire process takes roughly one year and all nominations are completely confidential. It’s kind-of like American Idol, well, without the singing and cameras.

Qualities of an Honoree

Just as procedure differs from one school to the next, the qualifications do as well. If you are a high profile bio researcher who has just discovered a new life form in the ocean, you may have an easier time being nominated. High profile is the operative phrase; few schools take time to honor the little guy.

If we consider the basic qualities, we see educational institutions noting achievements, inspiration, leadership, and contributions. Ah, there’s the rub.

Ulterior Motives

I hate to be cynical but I have a sneaking suspicion that the educational institutions that present the degrees may have ulterior motives. After all, you don’t see many single mothers who make great sacrifices to ensure that their children go to college getting an academic nod. This is a great achievement that requires inspiration, leadership, and contribution so where are the accolades? 

Can honorary degrees be about money?

Perhaps not entirely but the honor does serve a purpose beyond honors, as McGill Reporter states that a degree can be a way of thanking supporters, followed by an example of an honoree who previously donated $64 million—you read it right—$64 million to the institution. Sheesh. I’d send him a degree for a fraction of that!

Give It to Me Straight

I wouldn’t mind getting an honorary degree. It would feel lovely. As one recipient of the McGill honor said, You feel stroked. Well, that put a smile on my face. Oh yes, the fur goes in that direction. Purr.

Sure, it’s easy to get an honorary degree when you don’t really need a diploma. I’m curious, dear readers. Whom would you nominate?

Grammar Girl is an adorable character created by Mignon Fogarty who provides quick and dirty tips to help grammatically challenged individuals find fast answers. I am among the group of individuals who have difficulty keeping the rules straight.

During a recent search through the site, I came across terms that immediately made me think of the classroom setting. Grammar Girl makes a distinction between disinterested and uninterested, taking my mind to the uncomfortable setting in front of a sea of students gazing with disinterest. 

Disinterest in the Classroom

While it may seem as if I made the grammatical mistake of using disinterest to describe a group of uninterested students, I mean to make this distinction. As teachers, we commonly look at our students as uninterested in the subject, meaning that they simply don’t have any interest in the topic.

Let’s try a new perspective and consider our students disinterested. When a person is disinterested, he has no personal stance on the issue. Nothing is at stake. Grammar Girl uses the example of a judge in her explanation. A judge should be disinterested in order to make judgment without bias.

Building Interest

The task of motivating students to develop genuine interest on a topic is nearly impossible unless teachers make the subject relevant to their students’ daily lives. This is the crux of building interest. Teachers can take proactive measures to make classroom lessons applicable to everyday experiences.

Consider some of the techniques used by successful instructors to build curiosity and instill intrinsic motivation. Creating a personalized approach to teaching is a wonderful strategy for building interest in the classroom. Practical application is important as well. Each of these elements requires a student-centered approach, and they each show what is at stake for the pupil. 

Lessening Lectures

I love public speaking and I have to admit that performing in front of an audience is one of my favorite activities. Perhaps I chose the field of education for this reason. While the notion of being the center of attention is appealing, it isn’t always the best strategy when it comes to making information relevant and applicable.

Student-centered instruction does not translate into a complete absence of lectures but it does require educators to factor the needs and interests of the students. We’ll explore some specific student-centered teaching methods including:

Student-Centered Motivation

When a group of disinterested students has an opportunity to be actively involved in their education, they naturally have a better chance of developing interest on the topic. This does not necessarily happen overnight, but it can be a viable solution to classroom apathy. 

I once asked one of my failing students why he didn’t want to learn. How could someone turn away from knowledge?

It’s boring, he replied.

How do you know it’s boring if you know nothing about it? I asked.

He couldn’t develop an answer but he did develop curiosity.