Tales of Thinking

Book by Carreiro, Paul

"When are you going to teach me something?"

A provocative question from Caroline, one of the children you will meet in Paul Carreiro's story of how he has incorporated Howard Gardner's work on multiple intelligences in his busy kindergarten classroom. Focusing on his current students, he also looks back at the other elementary-level children he has worked with, including special needs students.

Paul describes how he has constructed a workable framework for approaching any topic or curriculum in a way that accommodates a range of intelligences. You will find answers to the questions he has posed for himself:

- How can I get the most thinking from the simplest everyday acts of teaching?
- How can I develop thinking in the broadest range of learners?
- How can I teach so that all children perceive themselves as thinkers?
- How can I use the electronic media to develop and extend thinking?

The heart of the book deals with the entry points Gardner has nominated as being useful in approaching any topic. In concise chapters, the Paul describes the specific and practical strategies he has developed that demonstrate ways in which children can and do think when prompted by appropriate teacher challenges.

Tales of Thinking

- includes material related to the newly nominated naturalist intelligence;
- discusses the use of the portfolio process with young children;
- has many examples of recognizing and extending thinking from media-saturated children;
- expands your understanding of the scope of Gardner's work;
- provides examples of teaching strategies to accommodate intelligences in your classroom;
- offers evidence of how negotiated curricula can work even in a crowded curriculum;
- models the process and practice of authentic teacher inquiry.

Find out how dance took over a kindergarten class. Listen in as children consider whether their teacher is an alien. Observe the learning that takes place as children learn to talk mathematically. By relating these and many other tales of thinking from children and classrooms past and present, Paul Carreiro demonstrates how capable children are of choosing their own paths to learning and understanding.