E-Learning Week (1 - 2 Mar 2010)

Task A: Discovering your Learning Profile
Post your learning profile on your blog and write in no less than 100 words the implications or what you feel about the Multiple Intelligence test.

According to the Birmingham Grid for Learning Multiple Intelligence test for Secondary school students, my interpersonal skills rank highest (23/30), followed closely behind by my naturalist nature (22/30), then my linguistic skills (19/30). My logical and Visual/Spatial skills are on par, followed by kinaesthetic, intrapersonal and finally, musical skills.


I feel that the Multiple Intelligence test is partially reliable as I am quite sociable and like mixing around with my friends, helping them when they require assistance. I am also a strong advocate of environmental conservation, usually buying "green" products even at an expense of a higher cost. Furthermore, I enjoy being close to nature and more often go to nature reserves, like the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to observe and appreciate the beauty and serenity of Mother Nature . Additionally, my musical knowledge is comparable to that of a layman as I just do not have a natural aptitude for it. On the other hand, I disagree with the test results on my logical skills as I have quite a logical, mathematical mind and can usually solve math puzzles with ease.

Task B: Consider these questions: Is Maycomb a good place to live in? Is Maycomb corrupted? [focus on 2 main themes: Courage and Prejudice]

Pick 2 tasks according to your learning profile (eg: If my 2 highest scores are in spatial and lingustics, I will pick a spatial and linguistic task each).

As my interpersonal and naturalist skills rank among the top 2 in my learning profile, I shall pick one task from each category.

- Naturalist:

a. Do a research on the natural habitat of mockingbird. In your research, include the kind of flora and fauna you think exist in Maycomb and explain why the mockingbirds live in Maycomb.

Mockingbirds belong to the Mimidae family, which includes thrashers, mockingbirds and tremblers. As the name suggests (Mimidae is the Latin word for "mimic"), birds belonging to this family are renowned for their vocalization and mimicking skills. Mockingbirds are best known for mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects loudly and rapidly, hence their name.

Grey on top and white underneath, the mockingbird usually has a long black tail with white feathers and a long, sleek bill. Males and females look alike and are native to most of the continental United States, from southern Oregon through northern Utah to Newfoundland and Mexico, living mainly in open country with shrubby vegetation like thickets, hedges, fruiting bushes, farmland and brushes. It prefers living in grassy areas rather than on dry, hard ground. Mainly, they inhibit parks, cultivated land and suburban areas.

Hence, based on my research, I picture Maycomb as a quiet rural, maybe somewhat backward town; an area with wide open spaces with many types of natural vegetation like bushes and flowering shrubs. There are no loud noises, no cars, buses, taxis or trains; horses pull carriages on old, worn streets. In the woods, squirrels jump freely from tree to tree, small birds like robins and sparrows chirp in the morning sun and the occasional snake slithers in the tall grass, foraging for field mice scampering about.

I feel that the mockingbirds live in Maycomb mainly because of its calming and soothing nature. There is no commerce going on there, no large business carrying on, no cars honking, no hustle and buste. As a quote from TKAM describes Maycomb so aptly, “there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County”. Hence, I feel that the mockingbird was attracted to Maycomb’s peacefulness and stillness and of course, its natural vegetation.

- Intrapersonal

a. Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.

I would want to befriend Atticus Finch, father of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch and Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch. I admire him chiefly for his courage and his care for others, as well as his benevolence.

I would befriend Atticus for his bravery. No matter how many people oppose him for how high the odds stacked against him are, he dares to fight for what he truly believes in. For example, he dares to take on Tom Robinson’s case, even though he knew that prejudice of the blacks at that time would almost certainly result in Tom Robinson losing. Even so, Atticus rises to defend Tom Robinson, saying that "courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.". This shows how courageous Atticus Finch is in daring to do what he feels is right as he feels “the one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience”. Hence, I would like to become Atticus’s friend.

Furthermore, I would also befriend Atticus Finch for his care and concern for others. As a single parent, he is the sole breadwinner of his family and has to take care of two playful children. However, he always sets aside some time to read to Scott, his daughter and play with Jem, his son, as illustrated by how “he played with us(them), read to us(them)”, “reading every night” to them. He also taught them many facts of life, such as how “you never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Thus, I would befriend Atticus Finch for his thoughtful nature.

Lastly, I would befriend Atticus Finch for his nobleness. When Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose calls him a “nigger-lover”, he does not retaliate at all but instead, “Atticus would sweep off his hat, wave gallantly to her and say, "Good evening, Mrs. Dubose! You look like a picture this evening." This illustrates how benevolent Atticus Finch is as he does not mind being insulted by a sick lady. As such, I would gladly befriend him for his gallantry.