Multiple Intelligences
College Preparatory
General
Vocational
Special Education
Adapt instruction
to the child rather
than having the
child adapt to the
instruction.
Howard Gardner
The theory of Multiple
Intelligences serves as a
template for constructing
strategies for student success.
Theory of Multiple Intelligences
The question is not, “How smart are you?”
Rather, it is, “How are you smart?”
Why Multiple Intelligences?
 Increased
variety (students/
teachers)
 Higher level skills
 Potential for all students
Why Multiple Intelligences
 positive
learning tone
 increased student participation
 greater student achievement
How can I determine the learning
styles of my students?

teacher observation

self-report instruments

analysis of students’ work
Theory of Multiple Intelligences
 VERBAL/LINGUISTIC
 LOGICAL/MATHEMATICAL
 VISUAL/SPATIAL
 RHYTHMIC/MUSICAL
 KINESTHETIC
 INTERPERSONAL
 INTRAPERSONAL
 NATURALIST
Learning and Emotion
The best teachers know that kids learn
more readily when they are emotionally
involved in the lesson because emotion
drives attention, which drives learning
and memory.
Robert Sylwester, Ed. Leadership, March 1997
Interpersonal and intrapersonal
intelligences are the integrators
and synthesizers of the other
intelligences.
Intrapersonal Characteristics
Intrapersonal
intelligence involved knowledge
 Has a deep awareness of inner feelings, strengths,
of internal
aspects of the self such as feelings,
weaknesses
the
Displays
sense
of independence,
strong will,
selfrangea of
emotional
responses,
thinking
direction
processes,
self-reflection, and a sense of or
 Reacts with strong opinions
intuition about spiritual realities. Intrapersonal
 Prefers own, private inner world
intelligence
allows you to be conscious of your
 Motivates self
consciousness.
Self-image and the ability to
 Marches to the beat of a different drummer
transcend
theintuitive
self are part of the functioning of
 Is strongly
intrapersonal
 Prefers individual
interests,intelligence.
hobbies, or projects
Intrapersonal Ideas




Grapple with the moral issues raised by
Spanish conquest of the Aztecs by acting as
jurors in a hypothetical trial of Hernan Cortez
Experience the sting of discrimination during
a simulation of a “separate but equal”
classroom in the American south in the 1950s
Examine personal convictions of right and
wrong during a recreation of the hysteria
surrounding McCarthyism
Create their own Student Bill of Rights as
they struggle to define their individual rights
in a society governed by the rule of law.
Interpersonal Characteristics
Interpersonal intelligence involves the ability
 to
Enjoys
with people
workinteracting
cooperatively
in a group and the ability
Socializes at schools,
home,
or nonverbally,
work
to communicate,
verbally
and
with other
People.
It builds on the capacity to notice
 Has
many friends
moods, temperament,
motivations,
 contrasts
Organizes,in
communicates,
sometimes manipulates
intentions
amongand
other
people. Those with
 and
Learns
best by relating
cooperating
developed
interpersonal
intelligence
 highly
Serves as
the “Family
Mediator” during
disputes can
have genuine
for another’s
 Displays
empathyempathy
for the feelings
of othersfeelings,
fears,
anticipations,
and beliefs.
Counselors,
teachers,
 Responds
to the moods
and temperaments
of others
therapists, politicians, salespeople, and religious leaders
usually have strong interpersonal intelligence
Interpersonal Ideas:



Working in groups, students are given key passages from
the writings of Marco Polo and Ibn-Batuta to incorporate
into travel brochures designed to encourage traders to use
the Silk Road between Europe and China
A group of student assume the perspective of some societal
group – feminists, fashion models, advertising executives,
university sociologists – and meet for a panel discussion
with other groups about the changing image of women in
the American media from the 1950s to the present.
Assume the roles of historical figures to recreate a 1776
town meeting to determine whether or not the colonists
should declare independence.
Interpersonal importance
“...unless people enjoy, in the main, good
human relationships, they can neither be
educated nor educate themselves.”
– Everett Reimer, 1972
– School Is Dead
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Characteristics
Body-kinesthetic
intelligence
is the
ability or
toacting
use the
body
 Learns best by
moving around,
touching,
things
out emotion (as in dance and body language), to
to express
 Processes
knowledge
through
bodily
sensations
play
a game (as
in sports),
or to
create
a new product
Moves,
taps, an
twitches,
or fidgets
while sitting
(as in
devising
invention).
Learning
by doing has
long
recognized
an important
part of
education.
 been
Engages
in physicalasactivities;
can become
accomplished
Our bodies
know
things
our motor
mindstasks
don’t
and can’t know in
 Performs
fine
and gross
skillfully
anyother
People
such
as talking
actors,toclowns
Likesway.
to touch
people
when
them and mimes
demonstrate
the endless
forthe
using
 Demonstrates
skill inpossibilities
a craft that uses
handsthe body to
know, understand,
and communicate
ways that touch the
Enjoys “hands-on”,
manipulatives,in
role-playing,
simulations, competitive
humansports,
spirit.and action stories
Bodily/Kinesthetic Ideas:
Students create a “living statute”
commemorating some aspect of daily life in
Constantinople
 Recreate life on the assembly line by
drawing a small part of a picture over and
over against until they feel the fatigue,
stress, and boredom of factory production
 Act out what they see in a picture

Estimation Line-UP
Students estimate the answer to a problem
 Line up - lowest to highest
 Fold line in half
 Discuss and record strategies
 Partners report each other’s strategies
 List strategies

Walking Tour Activator
Post quotes, problems, concepts, pictures
around the room
 Tour groups of 3-4 review posters for 2-5
minutes
 Respond to reaction prompts: this means...
this reminds us of... we are confused
by...advantages/disadvantages of this are...
this may cause...
 Discuss responses...then read, solve, etc.

Musical/Rhythmic Characteristics
Musical-rhythmic intelligence includes such capacities as
 Sensitive
to a and
variety
sounds
in the and
environment
the
recognition
useofof
rhythmic
tonal patterns,
 sensitivity
Plays a musical
instrument
and/or
enjoys music the human
and
to sounds
in the
environment,
 voice,
Remembers
melodies of
songs
and musical
instruments.
Of all forms of
 Can tell when
a musical
note is off key intelligence has
intelligence
identified,
musical-rhythmic
Can relax“consciousness
with music on or altering”
when studying
or on
working
the greatest
effect
the brain.
 Collects
tapes,you
CDsare stressed, stimulates you
Music
calmsrecords,
you when
 Sings
songs
when
you are
bored, and helps you attain a steady rhythm
 Keeps
time
rhythmically
to and
musicexercising. It has been
during
such
tasks
as typing
used
to inspire
religious
to intensify national
 Hums
or whistles
tunes tobeliefs,
him/herself
loyalties, and the express great loss or intense joy.
Musical/Rhythmic Ideas:



Listen to West African songs to understand how
music is used to commemorate an event and
express emotion, and then create commemorative
music of their own
Analyze the lyrics and music of Civil War songs to
discover different perspectives held by
Northerners, Southerners and African Americans
View slides of immigrants on the transatlantic
voyage to the United States, they make sounds as
the creaking of a boat, the clanging of a steering
mechanism, and the howling of wind and waves.
Visual/Spatial Characteristics
Visual-Spatial intelligence deals with such things as
 Thinks in images and pictures
the visual arts (including painting, drawing, and
 Likes to draw, paint, sculpt, participate in arts activities
sculpture), navigation, map-making, and architecture,
 Reports clear visual images when thinking about
all ofsomething
which involve the use of space and knowing how
to get around. Games such as chess and marbles,
 Easily reads maps, charts, and diagrams
which require the ability to visualize objects from
 Draws accurate representations of people or things
different perspectives and angles, are also included.
 Likes to see movies, slides, or photographs
The key sensory base of this intelligence is the sense of
 Can do jigsaw puzzles and mazes
sight, but the ability to form images and pictures in the
 Engages in daydreaming
mind is also involved.
Visual/Spatial Ideas:



Create a physiographic map of Latin America
showing key bodies of water, rivers, mountains,
flatlands and canyons
Create visual metaphors representing the
relationship between the US and the USSR during
the Cold War
Analyze a series of Allied and Central Power
propaganda posters from World War I by looking
for political distortion
Graphic Organizers
Venn Diagram
 Matrix
 Attribute Web
 T-Chart
 Cluster Charts
 5 W article organizer

Logical/Mathematical Characteristics
Logical/Mathematical intelligence is most often
associated
Explores categories,
patterns,
andscientific
relationships
with what
is called
thinking or
 Computes
problems
quicklyto observe and
deductivearithmetic
reasoning:
the ability
 Enjoys using
computers,
especially
datapattern.
base and Inductive
understand
details
as part of
a general
spreadsheet
thought
processes are also involved, such as the ability
Able to
group, order,
analyze, andand,
interpret
tomake
objective
observations,
fromdata
the observed
 Solves
problems
through logical
reasoning
data,
to draw
conclusions,
to make
judgments, and to
 Plays checkers
and strategy
games to win
formulate
hypothesis.
Logical-mathematical
intelligence
 Enjoys
working
on logical
puzzles patterns, to work with
involves
the
capacity
to recognize
 Devises
experiments
out things
that aren’t easily
abstract
symbols,
andtototest
discern
relationships
and see
understood
connections.
Logical/Mathematical Ideas:
Given geographic data about a particular
location in the United States, student are
told to create a city on that site
 Place the date key inventions were created
in Chinese history along a time line
 Graph and analyze various indicators of the
United States’ rise to industrial prominence

Linguistic/Verbal Intelligence
Characteristics
Linguistic
intelligence
is responsible for the production
 Likes to
read
of language and all the complex possibilities that
 Has highly developed auditory skills
follow
including poetry, humor, storytelling, grammar,
 Tells tales, jokes, stories
metaphors, similes, abstract reasoning, symbolic
 Has a good memory for names, places, dates, trivia
thinking, impromptu speaking, verbal debate,
 Enjoys writing
conceptual patterning, and the written word.
 Enjoys speaking to groups
Linguistic intelligence is awakened by the spoken
 Readily uses a word processor
word, by reading someone’s ideas about poetry, by
 Spells accurately and easily
writing one’s own ideas, thoughts or poetry, and by
 Likes crossword puzzles, word games
listening to a speech, lecture or group discussion.
Linguistic/Verbal Ideas:



Write a dialogue between Patriots and Loyalists
detailing the tensions between the American
colonies and Great Britain
Read haiku about the experiences of JapaneseAmericans interned during World War II
Discuss Islamic contributions to the world in the
fields of medicine, engineering and astronomy
Word Splash Activator
Teacher creates word splash prior to book,
movie, speaker, lecture, field trip.
 Students (individual or group) make
predictions for each item.
 Read, listen, watch, visit.
 Share predictions.
 Revise predictions for accuracy.

When planning a lesson, ask the
right questions.




Linguistic: How can I use the spoken or
written word?
Logical-Mathematical: How can I bring in
numbers, calculations, logic, classifications, or
critical thinking?
Spatial: How can I use visual aids,
visualization, color, art, metaphor, or graphic
organizers?
Musical: How can I bring in music or
environmental sounds, or set key points in a
rhythm or melody?
Asking the right questions
Bodily-Kinesthetic:
How can I involve the whole
body, or hands-on experiences?
Interpersonal: How can I engage students in peer
or cross-age sharing, cooperative learning, or
large-group simulation?
Intrapersonal:How can I evoke personal feelings
or memories, or give students choices?
A Private Universe
Principles of Learning

Learning is not necessarily an outcome of
teaching

What students learn is influenced by their
existing ideas

Progression in learning is usually from the
concrete to the abstract
Principles of Learning

People learn to do well only what they
practice doing

Effective learning by students requires
feedback

Expectations affect performance