Will Students’ Retention and Mastering of Basic Math Skills be Greater by Implementing Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence (MI)?

Purpose

This research is based on implementing new methods to explore the mastering of the basic math facts while engaging

students longer. Two third grade classrooms of equal academic, social

and behavior achievements where used as the base of this study.

Participants

Two third grade classrooms:

1. Classroom one (control) group consisted of 24 students and has 14 girls and 10 boys with four students on IEPs.

2. Classroom two (experimental) consisted of 26 students and has 17 girls and 9 boys with six of the students on IEPs.

Methods

1. One class, (control group), used the traditional method of learning the math facts, such as flash cards, ditto sheets and book work.

2. Second class (experimental group) used Howard Gardner’s MI to expand the methods of learning.

3. The control classroom for grade three math lessons are 90 minutes each day broken down into three parts with an activator, guided practice, independent practice and assessment.

4. The experimental classroom will be broken up the same way except they will have a block of Howard Gardner’s MI after and including guided practice.

5. Educators were given Strategy cards (Appendix A) to aid in the research. The cards had several questions to prompt them in their questioning and to diversify the learning methods.

Collection Methods

Pretest

Posttest

Parents Survey

Student Journals

Educator Journals/Observations

ResultsPretest/Posttest Classroom One:

Students as a whole, over a two week period of instruction did not show improvement in the speed or accuracy with addition facts however improved slightly with multiplication facts during the time testing tests.

Pretest/Posttest Classroom Two:

Students as a whole, over a two week period of instruction showed improvement in the speed and accuracy with addition facts along with multiplication facts during the time testing tests.

Survey

Survey results revealed that most parents do not take an active role in their child’s homework and promote independence with their child’s learning. Both educators of classroom one and two saw improvement with students who had the support from home with their math facts.

Journal entries

Classroom One:Journal entries were basic in nature, students were asked to write an equation and explain how they came up with the answer. Then they were asked to write their thoughts of the overall lesson. Students on average stated they like math but found it hard to memorize all the facts. Student also stated reservations when it came to playing around the world, stating they were not good enough and where embarrassed when it was their turn.

Classroom Two:Students were given variations of tasks to complete in their journals. Coloring equations with different representations of objects to add and multiple and reflect on how they perceived the new method of learning. Lessons varied each day by implementing Howard Gardner’s Theory. Students’ journal entries were engaging and students justify their reasoning by having to explore outside the norm. The journals provided opportunities for students to represent their mathematical idea using different models and language techniques.

Observations

Educators observed students throughout the lesson, prompting students to engage in higher thinking, and writing down what and how students are completing the task at hand. Closely monitoring the students and journaling their strengths and weaknesses, along with what is keeping the students engaged to enrich their learning. Observations are used to adjust the curriculum and provide alternate avenues for accomplishment and success. The educator in classroom 2 indicated she saw an enormous change in the engagement of students when implementing the theory. Students enjoyed raping to the multiplication facts and were starting to memorize the math facts at a higher rate. The educator of classroom two stated in her entries where and how she saw room for improvement.

Reflection

Today’s classroom has increasing diversity among students in terms of language, culture, religions, ability, and experience, it becomes important to find strategies that meet the needs of all students. A variety of teaching approaches, engage with families and communities to support life-long learning is the key. Gardner’s Theory can become an imperative tool to support the frameworks, aid teachers in designing classrooms, and meeting the individual needs of the diverse student body.

Final Thoughts

Although the research sheds light on the implications of using Howard Gardner’s MI Theory in a classroom there is much more needed to fully understand the retention in later years. The study was limited in time for most students to show improvement. Although by the end of week two students in classroom 2 made a positive advancement in the speed and number of problems completed. The research would have to follow a group of student who are subjected to Gardner’s theory from the third grade to the eight grades to truly see if this theory will aid in students’ retention and mastering of basic math skills.