Yukino Rigert

Adult Mentor (Community Outreach)

Yukino Rigert is a former teacher who taught grades K-3 and 7 in Japan.
Working with children has long been her passion and she believes that all children should be equally given the opportunities to express their understating using their own intelligence.

Multiple Intelligence is a theory founded by Howard Gardner in 1983. It describes the different ways children learn and acquire information. Yukino is a firm believer in this theory and used it when working with students and when raising her own children.
Yukino believes that each student should be given the opportunity to excel based on their own type of intelligence instead of being forced to conform to the typical methods of evaluation. She believes in the importance of getting to know each child to learn how best to teach them. For example, one of her students had difficulty writing a book report but was an incredibly talented puzzle solver. Knowing he is a visual-spatial learner, instead of having him write a book report, she gave him choices either to construct a diorama depicting the climax of the story, design costumed paper dolls to recreate key scenes, or draw a scene that he liked from the book. She had another student who also had difficulty with writing but uses rhythmic motion to help with concentration. With this music-smart student, Yukino had her write a play or sing an original song based on the book to demonstrate her understanding of the material.
Yukino also firmly believes in the importance of using real-world experiences and hands-on activities to reinforce learning. For example, she uses cooking to reinforce mathematical concepts, and gardening to introduce science concepts.
Gardner says, “If teachers give students an opportunity to use their bodies, imagination, and different senses, almost all students will find that they are good at something.” Yukino believes it is the role of educators to help children find which intelligence they own inside.
When Yukino saw Sweety’s “Expressions” platform, she felt it to be a great place for people to explore and develop an understanding of their own intelligence and express themselves using the styles and techniques that resonate with them.