The The multiple multiple intelligencintelligences:es:

What are they, and what would mathematics

instruction addressing them look like?

By Laurie Yourk

What are they?

First introduced by Howard Gardner (1983) Originally Seven Intelligences

Verbal-Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Musical Visual-Spatial Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal

Later added (1997) Naturalist

Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence

Strengths include:Reading, writing, talking, story telling, thinking in words, memorizing.

Learns best through:Reading, hearing and seeing words, writing, discussion and debate.

In the classroom: Include reading, writing, and speaking, encourage discussion, verbalize problems.

A sensitivity to the meaning and order of words.

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

Strengths include:Problem-solving, math, logic, reasoning, patterns, working with numbers, experiments.

Learns best through:Classifying, abstract work, categorizing, working with patterns and relationships.

In the classroom:Use critical thinking, calculations, numbers, and problem solving.

Ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems.

Musical Intelligence

Strengths include:Singing, humming, playing music, remembering melodies, rhythms, picking up sounds.

Learns best through:Rhythm, melody, singing, listening to music and melodies.

In the classroom:Include sounds, music, jingles, rhythms and dance.

Ability to understand and create music.

Visual-Spatial Intelligence

Strengths include:Reading maps and charts, drawing, mazes, puzzles, imagining things, creating, visualizations, building.

Learns best through:Working with pictures and colors, drawing, visualizing, forming and manipulating a mental model.

In the classroom:Include art, graphs, diagrams, colors, pictures, visual aids.

Ability to accurately perceive and portray the visual world.

Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence

Strengths include:Movement, touching, body language, dancing, using tools, acting, athletics.

Learns best through:Touching, moving, processing knowledge through bodily sensations.

In the classroom:Include movement, dramatize problems, use manipulatives and hands-on activities.

Ability to use one’s body in a skilled way.

Interpersonal Intelligence

Strengths include:Understanding people, sales, organizing and leading groups, communication, resolving conflict, making friends.

Learns best through:Sharing, comparing, relating, interviewing, cooperative learning activities, group projects.

In the classroom:Include group work, discuss problems, have students present problems and solutions in groups or to the class.

Ability to perceive feelings and understand other individuals.

Intrapersonal Intelligence

Strengths include:Understanding self, setting goals, working alone, reflection, recognizing strengths and weaknesses.

Learns best through:Working alone, having space, reflecting, self-paced projects.

In the classroom:Provide private learning time, assign self-paced projects, allow students time to reflect on problems.

Ability to understand one’s own emotions.

Naturalist Intelligence

Strengths include:Understanding nature, identification, making distinctions, exploration.

Learns best through:Exploration, working in nature, learning about natural events, classification activities.

In the classroom:Have students observe and recognize patterns, relate problems to natural occurrences, identify problems, and explore solutions.

Ability to classify artifacts and understand nature.

Now that you know what Multiple Intelligences are …

What would math

instruction

addressing them

look like?

Howard Gardner (1998)

“Eight kinds of intelligence would allow eight

ways to teach, rather than one. And powerful

constraints that exist in the mind can be

mobilized to introduce a particular concept

(or whole system of thinking) in a way that

children are most likely to learn it and least

likely to distort it. Paradoxically, constraints

can be suggestive and ultimately freeing.”

The main goal:

Use different teaching methods to allow students with different learning styles the opportunity to interpret and analyze information within each lesson.

STOP lecturing all the time Include individual and group work within lessons to lead

the students to skill mastery. Incorporate lessons that support many of the multiple

intelligences and allow students to decide which activity they want to perform in order to learn the desired skill.

Create rubrics that support different learning styles and questioning to assess student learning, holding students accountable for their own learning.

One way to approach lesson planning

Write the topic in the middle of a blank piece of paper.

Draw eight spokes out from the topic.

Label each spoke with a different intelligence.

Start brainstorming ideas for teaching the topic, writing the idea next to the correct intelligence.

This method utilizes spatial

and linguistic intelligences.

Math topic

Linguistic

Math-logical

intr

aper

sona

l

Spat

ialMusical

Inte

rper

sonal

Naturalist

Bod

y-ki

nest

hetic

There are many ways to incorporate the theory of multiple intelligences into your lessons.

Lessons need to be carefully planned out to insure the topic covered is adequately learned by the students.

Activities should work well with the subject matter, not only teach to the intelligences.

Lesson activities should enhance, not detract from the subject matter being taught.

Having students learn the content is the most important part of the lesson.

The following sixteen slides give ideas for math lessons

geared toward each intelligence then how to direct the lessons to be

teacher or student centered.

From “Eight Ways of Knowing! Multiple Intelligences Applied”

http://davidlazear.com/Multi-Intell/MI_chart.html

And “Multiple Intelligences: Classroom Application”http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/mi-ls.htm

Math Lessons Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

Write a series of story problems for others to solve.

Explain how to work a problem to others while they follow along doing it.

Make up puns using math vocabulary, terms, concepts, & operations.

Solve problems with a partner—one solves & one explains the process.

Create poems telling when to use different math operations.

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

Teacher Centered

Present content verbally.

Ask questions aloud and look for student feedback.

Interviews.

Student Centered

Students presents material.

Students read content and prepare a presentation for his/her classmates.

Students debate over an issue

Math Lessons Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

Find unknown quantities/entities in a problem.

Teach how to use a calculator for problem solving.

Create number sequences & have a partner find the pattern.

Mind-map proofs for geometric theorems.

Design classification charts for math formulas, processes, & operations.

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

Teacher Centered

Provide brain teasers or challenging questions to begin lessons.

Make logical connections between the subject matter and authentic situations to answer the question “why?”

Student Centered

Students categorize information in logical sequences for organization.

Students create graphs or charts to explain written info.

Students participate in webquests associated with the content.

Math Lessons Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

Learn mathematical operations through songs, jingles, & rhythmic beats.

Learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division through drum beats.

Break a set of tones and/or rhythmic patterns into various groups to learn division tables.

Play the “Rhythm Game” to learn times tables (slap thighs, clap hands, snap fingers)

Make up sounds for different math operations & processes.

Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

Teacher Centered

Play music in the classroom during reflection periods.

Show examples or create musical rhymes for students to remember things

Student Centered

Create a song or melody with content embedded for memory

Use well known songs to memorize formulas, skills, or test content.

Math Lessons Visual/Spatial Intelligence

Do a survey of student’s likes/dislikes then graph the results.

Estimate measurements by sight & by touch.

Add, subtract, multiply, & divide using various manipulatives.

Imagine using a math process successfully, then really do it.

Learn metric measurements through visual equivalents.

Visual/Spatial Intelligence

Teacher Centered

When presenting the information, use visuals to explain content:

Powerpoint Slides, Charts, Graphs, cartoons, videos, overheads, smartboards.

Student Centered Have students work

individually or in groups to create visuals pertaining to the information:

Posters, timelines, models, powerpoint slides, maps, illustrations, charts, concept mapping.

Math Lessons Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence

Use different parts of the body to measure different things.

Add & subtract members to & from a group to learn fractions.

Invent something that requires applying math concepts.

Create & act out a play in which the characters are geometric shapes or other math concepts.

Make up a game that uses math concepts/operations.

Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence

Teacher Centered

Use props during lecture

Provide tangible items pertaining to content for students to examine.

Review using sports related examples (throw a ball to someone to answer a question).

Student Centered Students use

computers to research subject matter.

Students create props of their own explaining subject matter (shadow boxes, mobiles, etc.)

Students create review games.

Math Lessons Interpersonal Intelligence

Solve complex story problems in a group.

Conduct an “interviewing others” research project & calculate results as percentages.

“Each one teach one” new math processes/ operations.

Describe everything you do to solve a problem with a partner.

Have teams construct problems linking many math operations, then solve them.

Interpersonal Intelligence

Teacher Centered

Be aware of body language and facial expressions.

Offer assistance whenever needed.

Encourage classroom discussion.

Student Centered Encourage collaboration

among peers.

Group work strengthens interpersonal connections.

Peer feedback and peer tutoring.

Students present to the class.

Encourage group editing.

Math Lessons Intrapersonal Intelligence

Track different thinking patterns for different kinds of problems.

Bridge math concepts beyond school into “real life” (what? So what? Now what?)

Use guided imagery to see & solve complex story problems.

Evaluate your strengths/weaknesses in understanding math—plan new strategies for success.

Watch your mood shifts/changes as you do math problems—note causes.

Intrapersonal Intelligence

Teacher Centered

Encourage journaling as a positive outlet for expression.

Introduce web logging (blogs)

Make individual questions welcome.

Create a positive environment.

Student Centered

Journaling.

Individual research on content.

Students create personal portfolios of work.

Math Lessons Naturalist Intelligence

Work story problems with patterns in nature.

Use of “nature manipulatives” in math problem solving.

Graph positive & negative influences on the environment.

Create & work calculation problems based on nature/natural processes.

Naturalist Intelligence

Teacher Centered

Take students outside to enjoy nature while in learning process (lecture)

Compare authentic subject matter to natural occurrences.

Relate subject matter to stages that occur in nature (plants, weather, etc.)

Student Centered Students organize

thoughts using natural cycles.

Students make relationships among content and the natural environment (how has nature has an impact?)

Students perform community service.

Things to remember:

When teaching to an individual – use their preferred learning style.

When teaching to a group/class – use more than one style. Try to use all learning styles.

Students learn more and have better comprehension of ideas if they use and are exposed to all learning styles.

Benefits of Using the Theory of Multiple Intelligences in Lesson

Planning. All forms of Intelligences are treated equal.

Students have increased self-esteem.

Students develop stronger problem solving skills which can transfer to real life situations.

As a teacher – you gain the satisfaction of reaching more students and seeing them succeed. (more “ah ha” moments!)

Students become more interested in learning.

Students become more responsible for their own learning.

Some great websites

Mark Wahl Math Teaching Resources and Books http://www.markwahl.com/

Concept to Classroom – Tapping into Multi-Intelligences http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/

mi/index.html Eight Ways of Knowing! Multiple

Intelligences Applied http://davidlazear.com/Multi-Intell/MI_chart.html

What is YOUR learning style?

http://www2.bgfl.org/bgfl2/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/questions.cfm

http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/miinventory.php

http://www.ldpride.net/learning_style.html

Here are a few sites to help you find out.