1. What is the theory of multiple intelligences? Alison Bencivenga Benold Middle School Georgetown, TX

2. In 1983, Howard Gardner (Harvard professor) said: All people learn differently. There are 9 “intelligences,” or ways people learn.

3. Some kinds of intelligence will be dominant over others. This is different for each person.

4. Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence Student learns best with spoken and written language.

5. Visual/Spatial Intelligence Student learns best by seeing information and visual displays.

6. Mathematical/Logical Intelligence Student learns best through reasoning and problem-solving; good at seeing patterns and connections.

7. Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence Student learns best by doing; physical interaction and practice of skills works best.

8. Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence Patterns, rhythms and music are excellent ways for these students to learn and retain information.

9. Intrapersonal Intelligence Student learns best by assessing the values and responsibilities attached to learning; strongly aware of their own feelings and attitudes.

10. Interpersonal Intelligence Cooperative learning strategies are very effective with these students, who learn best through interaction with others.

11. Naturalist Intelligence Students are adept at sorting information into classes and categories, in addition to the study of nature.

12. Existential Intelligence Students learn best by addressing “big” questions about human existence and their roles in the world.

13. What does this mean for educators? Many American educators now embrace Gardner’s theory and vary lessons to address a wider range of learning styles.

14. What might this look like in the classroom?

15. One example: Create groups to complete a task. Assign an historical figure to each group. Step One: Research Compile information and pull together the most important facts.

16. Step Two: create a poster to represent important concepts in visual form.

17. Step Three: Compose/Rehearse Students with strong musical intelligence might create or find a short song or jingle to perform for the rest of the class.

18. Step Four: Present A student with strong verbal-linguistic skills presents the group’s work to the rest of the class.

19. A sample project (from History Alive!)

20. What does this mean for students?

21. Students who can identify their strengths can adapt their study strategies to make better use of time and effort.

22. Examples of effective study strategies using multiple intelligences: Interpersonal: study groups Visual/spatial: flash cards, graphic organizers Verbal/linguistic: oral repetition Bodily/kinesthetic: transcribing notes by hand, drawing, “act-it-outs” Musical/rhythmic: creating songs/jingles/rhymes

23. Resources Concept to Class. http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/index.html http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/index.html Gardner, Howard. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic,1983 Gardner, Howard. Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century. New York: Basic, 2000. McKenzie, Walter. http://surfaquarium.com/MI/nine_intelligences.pdfhttp://surfaquarium.com/MI/nine_intelligences.pdf Teachers’ Curriculum Institute: History Alive! Clipart Courtesy of: www.discoveryeducation.com www.microsoftclipartgallery.com http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.htm