Approaching the Multiple Intelligences of Howard Gardner
What makes the most sense in regards to Multiple Intelligences (MI) Theory is to use it in two ways. Mi (get the pun!) first preference is to use it to vary instruction by using as many of the eight (8) intelligences as possible. Can you imagine how we would maintain the students' interest in lessons if we could do this?The second way would be to use a project approach with opportunities for students to select from activities that would each highlight one of the intelligences. Presentation of the projects would ensure that everyone addresses the interpersonal intelligence.
I would like to share a geometry lesson that I recently taught while supply teaching a grade four class. The concepts involve teaching slides, flips, and turns. In the past, I would have gone right to the dotted paper and used the overhead projector to aid my teaching. This time, I chose to emphasize the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence approach. The classroom had square tiles on the floor so I had the students stand about the room on tiles. Next, I had them move themselves one tile at a time using the up - down - right - left movements that are used in slides. Then, I progressed to move "Up 5" and "Right 6." I could not believe how quickly the girls and boys had caught on. They had very little difficulty when we moved to using paper and pencil.
For teaching flips, a group of students lay on the floor and became the flip line. Another group formed a shape on one side of the flip line while the students who were to become the flip image had their backs turned. The flip image group then had to work as a group and become the flip image. We did a similar activity to demonstrate turns using the floor tiles.
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home | most recently revised by Clifford Morris on Sunday, March 4, 2001.