1. Multiple Intelligence: Meeting the Needs of All Students

2. "I am 100% convinced that if I were to come back to Earth in 50 years, people would laugh at the idea of uniform education.” -Howard Gardner

3. Definition
At least eight ways that humans perceive and understand the world
Theorized by Howard Gardner in 1983

4. All theories of learning purport the following:
“. . . student brains are more than IQ and their skills span more than the Three R’s” (Flick and Lederman 120)
All students can learn
It is important in education to celebrate all aspects of diversity, including the many ways students learn

5. Reasoning Behind Gardner’s Theory
“Individuals should be encouraged to use their preferred intelligences in learning.”
“Instructional activities should appeal to different forms of intelligence.”
“Assessment of learning should measure multiple forms of intelligence.”
(Gardner)

6. Why the Attraction for Educators…
Helps to create more personalized lessons
Helps “explain and promote understanding” (Owen)
Helps promote self-motivation in students because learning is based on innate talents
Validates teacher insights into their students

7. The Eight Established Intelligences…
Suggestions for table activities: Have each table take ONE of the intelligences and on chart paper, describe HOW this child would best learn in their classroom/content area. Have each table discuss as a group and report out ONE lesson activity that would engage a child with that type of intelligence. Have tables consider WHAT type of intelligence the TEACHER is, their STUDNENTS, and the effects of mis-matches in classrooms.

8. Naturalist Learners (the new intelligence)
Sensitive to patterns in and connecting to nature
Especially like animals and natural phenomena
Suggestions for Teachers: Be aware to changes in even minute details of the classroom environment, bring the outdoors in

9. Verbal-Linguistic Learners
Sensitive to meanings, sounds and rhythms of words
Especially like storytelling and creative writing
Suggestions for Teachers: activities such as dialogue writing, books on tape, word processing, newspaper activities, etc.

10. Logical-Mathematical Learners
Sensitive to order and sequence
Especially like problem solving, noting and creating patterns and experiments
Suggestions for Teachers: use of graphic organizers, showing relationships, computer instruction, syllogism, etc.

11. Visual-Spatial Learners
Sensitive to visual cues and images
Especially like day-dreaming and art
Suggestions for Teachers: using color, mind-mapping, manipulatives, etc.

12. Body-Kinesthetic Learners
Sensitive to activity, athletics and physical gestures while talking
Especially like role-playing, touching and feeling
Suggestions for Teachers: hands-on activities, manipulatives, use of textures, etc.

13. Musical-Rhythmic Learners
Sensitive to singing, playing instruments, drumming
Especially like the human voice, sounds from nature, instrumental music
Suggestions for Teachers: vary voice pitch during instruction, play music in the classroom, watch surrounding sounds for possible interference

14. Interpersonal Learners
Sensitive to leadership opportunities, others’ feelings; “street smart”
Especially like helping others, peer tutoring, working cooperatively
Suggestions for teachers: group work, discussions, skits, etc.

15. Intrapersonal Learners
Sensitive to their own feelings, personal motivation
Especially like day-dreaming, working alone; “march to the beat of a different drummer”
Suggestions for Teachers: designate quiet areas, independent practice, journals, etc.

16. How We Can Change…

17. According to Gardner,
“Successful education does not
require covering everything ‘from
Plato to NATO.’ In fact, the greatest enemy of understanding is coverage. If we try to cover everything, by the end of the day people will have learned very little and will have understood nothing. As a teacher, ask yourself, ‘If I had one hour (per semester) to teach students, what would I teach them?’”

18. The Impact on Schools
We teach all children the way we have met the needs of the gifted in the past
Move beyond traditional methods; incorporate the other six intelligences in teaching, assessing and planning
Teachers are better able to create more “inclusive, affective and effective instruction” (Owen)

19. Schools in the Future
Movement toward Apprenticeships: have students work closely with key individuals over an extended period of time in order for them to learns EXACTLY what a culture would like them to know someday; teaching is primarily done through example

20. Creation of Children’s Museums: Students are afforded the opportunity to work with interesting topics at their own pace and in their own ways; what they’ve “learned” in school can be “checked out” through experimentation; additional questions will naturally arise that can be brought back to the classroom and discussed further

21. Focus on the End Result/What Students REALLY need to know upon leaving the formal learning environment
Recognize that not all children will have an “understanding” of all traditional areas in today’s world of information dissemination

22. The Really Important Things for Students to Know…
How to make use of accessible information
How to use expertise
How to become lifelong learners
How to find out about the things they don’t know but need to know

23. Success Stories

24. Works Cited
Andrews, Roland H. “Three Perspectives of Learning Styles.” School Administrator. January :1, pp/ 19+.
Flick, Lawrence B. and Norman G. Lederman. “Popular Theories—Unpopular Research.” School Science and Mathematics. March :3, pp
Gardner, Howard. “Multiple Intelligences.” TIP Database. Ed. Greg Kearsley George Washington University. 1 March
Reiff, Judith C. “Bridging Home and School Through Multiple Intelligences.” Childhood Education. Spring :3, pp

25. Works Cited (con’t.)
Wilson, Leslie Owen. “The Eighth Intelligence: Naturalistic Intelligence.” Newer Views of Learning. The CELT Center. March March
Wilson, Leslie Owen. “What’s the Big Attraction?” New Horizons for Learning. March New Horizons. 1 March