Multiple Intelligences (MI)
MI is an educational theory developed by psychologist Howard Gardner that explains the various intelligences expressed by humans. The intelligences that we will focus on in this course are:
- Bodily-Kinesthetic - movement
- Interpersonal - interaction and communication
- Verbal-Linguistic - facility with words, spoken or written
- Logical-Mathematical - reasoning, abstract pattern recognition, scientific thinking and investigation and the ability to perform complex calculations
- Naturalistic - collecting and analyzing, connecting learning with nature
- Intrapersonal - introspective and self reflective; prefer to learn alone
- Visual/Spatial -think in pictures; have a strong visual memory
- Musical/Rhythmic - use music to learn and memorize information, prefer lectures to reading
As a teacher, knowing your own MI allows you to purposefully connect with and more effectively teach students whose intelligences do not match your own.
For example, when developing your lesson plans, consider using some of the following activities to accommodate the various intelligences your students exhibit:
| Multiple Intelligence | Activities |
|---|---|
| Bodily Kinesthetic | Dance, craft making, acting |
| Interpersonal | Groupwork, debates and discussions |
| Verbal Linguistic | Telling stories, writing, speaking, reading |
| Logical Mathematical | Logic games, problem solving, experiments |
| Naturalistic | Learning outside in a kinesthetic way, connecting subject matter to nature; connect with science topics |
| Intrapersonal | Solo work without interruptions |
| Spatial | Puzzles, reading, charts and graphs |
| Musical | Singing, rhyming, playing instruments |
Students who are strong in the area of interpersonal intelligence often get very little from a lecture. When placed in a cooperative learning group, though, that student often becomes a leader within the group, subsequently learning the information better.
Students who are strong in the area of visual/spatial intelligence may get little from a lecture. However, if the lecture is supported with graphs, charts, colors, shapes, and other visual cues, they will garner significantly more information. These students will be able to demonstrate that information, especially if they are allowed to use drawing, creation of graphs or charts, and other skills in their area of preference. You may recognize students with high visual/spatial intelligence since they are the ones who "doodle" during lecture. Doodling not only helps them focus, but provides them with "notes" to study.