AN INTRODUCTION TO MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE TEACHING. Please take a moment to answer the following true-false questions:
____ My students may not be learning to their fullest potential.
____ Even when I'm doing my best teaching, I sometimes wonder why certain students don't get it.
____ Many of my students know more about a topic than they demonstrate on the tests I give.
____ Some of my students are highly skilled in areas that are not included in the curriculum.
____ Student's "tune me out" at times when I'm teaching.
____ My teaching doesn't seem to stimulate my students enough.
____ I need to try new ways to motivate and actively involve my students in the learning process.
If you answered true to any of these statements, Multiple Intelligence teaching may be of great interest to you! Don't stop now, read on.
Many educators, like yourself, have embraced Multiple Intelligence teaching. Why? According to Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory "we all have different intellectual strengths or "intelligences" and we use them all to varying degrees to aquire knowledge, understand the world, engage in problem solving, create, and to meet the challenges in our daily lives."
8 INTELLIGENCE AREAS
Gardner's reseach suggests that we all possess at least 8 intellligence areas. They are: logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, verbal/linguistic, intrapersonal, body/kinesthetic, interpersonal, musical/rhythmic, naturalist.
Each of us has all of these intellligences, but not all of them are developed equally. Because of this we do not use them effectively. One or two intellligences may be stronger and more fully developed than the others. However, this does not need to be a permanent condition. We as teachers, have the capacity to activate all these intelligences for our students, and in so doing, new worlds of sensing, feeling, and knowing are opened to them. This is a very important concept since it has become clear as we head toward the 21 century, schools are now more accountable for student achievement. Students MUST be taught to think and to problem solve. Why not find ways to reach out to all learners and allow them to play to their own strengths. As educators, we need to help our students discover and develop their talents to become self-motivated and competent lifelong learners.
You may be saying to yourself "OK, this all sounds good, BUT, how can Multiple Intelligence teaching help accomplish these goals?"
BENEFITS OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE TEACHING
* helps students understand their abilities and the abilities of those around them.
* shows students how to use their strengths both to learn and to work on their weaknesses.
* builds student confidence to begin taking risks.
* provides for unforgettable learning, thereby helping students learn more.
SOUND GOOD? Read on!!!!
TEACHING WITH MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
(What follows is a brief outline to get you started. I would recommend reading MI literature to gain a deeper understanding of this concept. I have included a list of resources at the end of this page so you can begin gathering your own information.)
STEP 1: AWAKEN THE INTELLIGENCES: With all children, discuss the many ways of being intelligent. You might use the terms number smart, word smart, body smart, music smart, picture smart, people smart, self smart, nature smart. As children learn that experiences they love encompass one or more intelligences you will see their eyes brighten.
STEP 2: AMPLIFY THE INTELLIGENCES: Provide activities to help the children become aware of the different intelligences and their many talents and skills. Select two or three activities that explore different intelligences each week and integrate these into a curriculum area.
STEP 3: TEACHING WITH INTELLIGENCES: The goal at this stage is to present lessons using different intelligences. Reflect on the concept you want to teach and identify the intelligences that seem appropriate for communicating the content. I have included a "Teacher Toolbox" for just this purpose. Or you might want to use menus from which the children choose the way they would like to learn.
STEP 4: INTEGRATING THE INTELLIGENCES: This stage includes learning to apply the intelligences into one's daily living to meet the challenges in the classroom and beyond. Having had exposure to all 8 intelligences, student's come to realize they can approach a problem using any of their intelligences.
TEACHER TOOLBOX (a useful aid when planning daily lessons incorporating multiple intelligences)
Verbal/Linguistic: reading, biographies, poetry, storytelling, humor/jokes, creative writing, debate, journal writing, explanations, feelings, reports, lists, library reseach.
Logical/Mathematical: analyzing, calculations, classifying, pattern games, time lines, numbers, logic problems, experimentation, critical thinking, sequencing, outlining, compare and contrast, graphic organizers, scientific thinking, venn diagrams, writing problems, reasoning, problem solving.
Visual/Spatial: guided imagery, collages, drawing, designs, posters, mapping, fantasy, imagination, labeling, pictures, pretending.
Body/Kinesthetic: acting, drama, dancing, exercise, physical gestures, experiment, inventing, movement, role playing, human graph, demonstrations, hands-on thinking (manipulatives)
Musical/Rhythmic: chants, rhythmic patterns, listening, rap, singing, music performance, humming, instrumental sounds, music creation.
Interpersonal: feedback, cooperative groups, discussions, group projects, teamwork, role playing, person-to-person communication, empathy practices, interviews, team assessment.
Intrapersonal: reflection, autobiography, concentration, focusing, goal setting, self-identification, thinking strategies, higher order reasoning, metacognition, free choice time, awareness of personal feelings.
Naturalist: create observation notebooks, draw natural scenes, photography, describe changes in environment, binoculars, telescopes, microscopes, magnifiers, classify and categorize things in nature, design venn diagrams.
By referring to this list you can easily make anything you teach into a multiple intelligence lesson.
A FINAL THOUGHT
When using Multiple Intelligences in teaching, students get the whole picture, they understand to different degrees that each of us possesses all eight intelligences and we have the ability to develop them all. This knowledge empowers students, and such support allows them to take risks and to be open to exploring new areas. Children need to know that you respect and support their own particular strengths.
Multiple Intelligence does not demand an overhaul of your curriculum, but it does offer a framework for enhancing instruction. It's view does not tell how and what to teach, it does however, give a teacher a model from which to construct curriculum, improve ourselves as educators, and make teaching more appealing to our students.
RESOURCES
Campbell, Linda. "How Teachers Interpret MI Theory." Educational Leadership, Sept. 1997.
Gardner, Howard. "Multiple Intelligences as a Partner in School Improvement." Educational Leadership, Sept. 1997.
Gardner, Howard. Multiple Intelligences, The Theory in Practice. Basic Books, NY. 1993.
Greenhawk, Jan. "Multiple Intelligences Meet Standards." Educational Leadership, Sept. 1997.
Nicholson-Nelson, Kristen. Developing Students' Multiple Intelligences. Scholastic, 1998.
Reiff, Judith C. "Multiple Intelligences, Culture and Equitable Learning." Childhood Education, Spring. 1997.
Sausele Knot, Jean. "A Think Tank Cultivates Kids." Educational Leadership, Sept. 1997.
Wilkins, Deirdre. Multiple Intelligences Activities. Teacher Created Materials, 1995.