Teachings from a professor led by the philosophy of multiple intelligence
By: Maddie Mannino
As a student came into Dr. Michael Dealy’s classroom late, they greeted each other and the whole class laughed right before getting back into their studies. A professor sitting in his class later questioned Dealy why he didn’t scold the student for their tardiness. Delay’s teaching techniques are not like every other teacher, they are driven by the philosophy of multiple intelligence which adapts to each student’s ways of learning.
After spending many years learning and earning degrees, certifications and being trained by many professors including Howard Gardner in universities such as Pace, Fordham and Havard, Dealy went on to teach every grade from K-12, became a headmaster at silver lake preparatory school, a school psychologist for both a public and private school, and serves as a professor in multiple colleges including here at CSI. Along the way, Delay’s experience shaped his belief that the teacher should meet the students where they are, rather than forcing material onto them.
“I went up to Harvard and got trained by Howard Gardner, who was the researcher who had discovered multiple intelligences,” said Dealy. “The idea that every individual brain is operating a little differently, so, someone might be really cued into a class but the person next to them might be cued into not only this class, but something that’s happening by the wall, or maybe something that’s happening in the mind.”
In Dealy’s classroom he’s putting his philosophy of multiple intelligences into practice. Dealy prioritizes each student’s mind, adjusting himself and his lesson to what the students truly have an interest for. Instead of focusing on a specific agenda, Dealy allows the students to guide his lesson with their curiosity.
“Its more important to me what is going on with that person at the moment than what I have planned to teach them,” said Dealy “focus more what the students focus on, not what you think you want to finish.”
Dealy’s teachings influence not only the students but other teachers too. In Dealy’s preparatory school, art teacher Allison Mackey expressed how Dealy’s philosophy of love and positivity impacted her own approach to teaching, leading her to focus more on what the students are interested in.
“Mike has a way, it’s a philosophy of meeting the child where they are, in their learning and in their mind,” said Mackey. “It kind of helps them lead, and he finds where they are in their learning rather than forcing something on them, and they don’t get triggered.”
Beyond the classroom Dealy is always teaching and inspiring others in many ways. On Fridays, Dealy teaches a class for karate which he has always had a love for since his youth. His philosophy is always in use as he is always teaching, Dealy expressed there is no work life and personal life because everything involves teaching and learning.
In the Catskill woods, Dealy created a log cabin community for like-minded Karate students in which he contributes to building. He teaches students self defense using karate, applying his same philosophy of meeting each student where they are. This truly shows how learning can happen anywhere whether it’s in a classroom or in the woods, Dealy takes every moment to teach and inspire others.
As Dealy continues to teach, he uses his philosophy of multiple intelligence to impact each student just a little bit differently, expanding the knowledge of others without it being forced upon them.
“I started a school based off of multiple intelligence so we’re not giving homework where people aren’t going to get punished if they don’t do their homework,” said Dealy “I’m trying to inspire people to go home and do some studies and advance themselves, not threaten them.”
