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When American psychologist Dr. Howard Gardner theorized that each
person has different areas of intelligence or expertise, it brought
one institution alive: Multiple Intelligence (MI) International
School.
“The Multiple Intelligence International
School is the pioneer institution in the country to advocate for
progressive education and the use of the theory of multiple
intelligences are cornerstone in educational practice,” says Joy
Abaquin, school directress.
That is why, inspired by this theory, the
Multiple Intelligence International School, established in 1996 in
Manila, thought of strengthening these different kinds of
intelligence individually among children.
The school recognizes the individualism in each
learner and provides a suitable environment for each to further
bring out their potential. They do this by creating stimulating
activities that enables each student to express their particular
strengths in specific fields
In 2007, backed by more than a decade experience
in education, Multiple Intelligence International School decided to
open their doors to the teens by opening the Multiple Intelligence
International High School. Creating an advocacy of small but
committed community of parents, teachers, and students that use
one’s intelligences to make a difference, the thrust of the MI
High School for leadership and entrepreneurship was a natural
evolution.
An exemplary school, Dr. Howard Gardner, in his
latest book Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons, singles out the MI
International School in the Philippines as “pioneering in its
effort to bring together themes of multiple intelligences and good
work.” In fact, the school’s entrepreneurship thrust was already
evident in the yearly bazaars the school has held, which featured
first-class handicrafts, accessories, and foodstuff—the proceeds
of which went to Bahay Kalinga Foundation
The MI students are imbibed with the idea that
entrepreneurship can also be a means of not only raising funds but
also a means to help other people. They run an annual kids’ bazaar
as part of their Kids Can! Movement that allows them to put their
business plans to the test in real market environment. The proceeds
from sales go to indigent children.
Even as young as adolescents, they are already
empowered to make a difference. The entrepreneurial mind does not
mean that the school is just for the child who will eventually go
into business. It is a mindset that everyone will need whether the
student goes into medicine, politics, architecture, or any disciple
that they will choose to follow. The MI International High School
seeks to support the individual intelligences by creating venues
where they can put their minds to work.
With a goal to inspire the students to introduce
new technologies, new industries and new products, the MI High
School created the program “Faces of Youth Entrepreneurship”.
The event highlighted the eight different intelligences or
“smarts” and the potential business borne from each kind of
intelligence.
The Real Work Begins
“Students in the MI school are challenged to
use their knowledge and understanding of lessons and apply it to
real-world problems. Students try to develop prototypes of products,
understand the needs of a community and come up with services and
products to meet these needs,” Abaquin explains.
The Linguistic Intelligence group came up with
Flash Range, a media center that captures ideas and messages through
photos and witty copywriting to create inspirational and
advocacy-driven hardbound picture books on environmental
conservation, teen solutions, nature, and the like.
For the group that got all the rhythms, Boom Box
Music was their business of choice. The Musical Intelligence group
aimed to promote the Filipino musical talent through the production
of high-quality music records that are socially relevant and
resonant to the times. Boom Box Music offers original song
composition services and music record production.
The People Organizing Outstanding Fundraisers
(POOF), a company made by the Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
group, specializes in organizing fund-raising events for companies
and civic organizations. Their fundraising activities include
bazaars, concerts, recycle drives, and the production of awareness
campaign materials.
The Naturalist Intelligence group, with their
company The Soap Factory offers environmentally safe, affordable,
and high quality personalized bath and body products.
The people-smart students who compose the
Interpersonal Intelligence group conceptualized a family restaurant
named Pastushi featuring a fusion cuisine of Italian and Japanese.
One of their dishes is the Seabed Pizza, an Italian pizza topped
with Japanese ingredients.
For the Intrapersonal Intelligence group, a
statement shirt line named M.A.D. Make A Diff is their business of
choice. The shirt line allows self expression among people. And like
the fad mode of transaction, the business is conducted online
through Multiply and other web-based communities.
Adole-sense, a gallery that features and sells
paintings of teens and budding artists is the idea of business by
the Spatial Intelligence group. The collections revolve around teen
culture and include visual representations of teen views, teen
issues, and teen solutions.
A specialized accessories and total lifestyle
store, Get Wired, showcases a line of household and personal
products that are hand crafted from wires became the business
venture of the Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence group.
Each group was assigned with their respective
mentors that will guide them through the execution of their
businesses.
Learning and Earning
That is why, in an exclusive visit of Australian
entrepreneur giant and philanthropist David Bussau to the MI high
school students last year, he recognized the school’s emphasis in
fostering socially-relevant entrepreneurship or entrepreneurship
with a heart.
The High School is unique in a way that its
curriculum, mentorship programs and entrepreneurial laboratories all
complement the school’s thrust to motivate young adolescents to
develop their entrepreneurial minds. Dr. Howard Gardner’s
definition of intelligence, the ability to problem-solve and create
products that are valued in one or more cultural settings, explains
how intelligence applies to the real world, complements the
entrepreneurial mind and the mind of a leader.
For MI High School, honing the
entrepreneurial mind among children and teenagers is an important
link in the chain of national development because change will come
from this generation. The MI High School has maximized the unique
opportunities for more personalized and meaningful education that is
only possible in a “small school”. Because it is a small school,
its care is extensive, enabling them to develop not only smart
leaders and entrepreneurs but more importantly, responsible leaders
and entrepreneurs who will use their intelligences to make a
difference.
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