CHAPTER TEN: LEARNING STYLES

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

-Walter McKenzie

IT’S NOT HOW SMART YOU ARE, IT’S HOW YOU ARE SMART!

What parent can not see gleaming rays of genius in their child? And yet, how many children come to school and demonstrate their own unique genius? There was a time when it might have been a joke to suggest “Every parent thinks their kid’s a genius.” But research on human intelligence is suggesting that the joke may be on educators! There is a constant flow of new information on how the human brain operates, how it differs in function between genders, how emotions impact on intellectual acuity, even on how genetics and environment each impact our childrens’ cognitive abilities. While each area of study has its merits, Howard Gardner of Harvard University has identified different KINDS of intelligence we possess. This has particularly strong ramifications in the classroom, because if we can identify children’s different strengths among these intelligences, we can accommodate different children more successfully according to their orientation to learning. Thus far Gardner ‘s work suggests nine intelligences. He speculates that there may be many more yet to be identified. Time will tell. These are the paths to children’s learning teachers can address in their classrooms right now. They are:

¨ VISUAL/SPATIAL – learning visually and organizing ideas spatially. Seeing concepts in action in order to understand them. The ability to “see” things in one’s mind in planning to create a product or solve a problem.

¨ VERBAL/LINGUISTIC – learning through the spoken and written word. This intelligence was always valued in the traditional classroom and in traditional assessments of intelligence and achievement.

¨ MATHEMATICAL/LOGICAL – learning through reasoning and problem solving. Also highly valued in the traditional classroom, where students were asked to adapt to logically sequenced delivery of instruction.

¨ BODILY/KINESTHETIC – learning through interaction with one’s environment. This intelligence is not the domain of “overly active” learners. It promotes understanding through concrete experience.

¨ MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC – learning through patterns, rhythms and music. This includes not only auditory learning, but the identification of patterns through all the senses.

¨ INTRAPERSONAL – learning through feelings, values and attitudes. This is a decidedly affective component of learning through which students place value on what they learn and take ownership for their learning.

¨ INTERPERSONAL – learning through interaction with others. Not the domain of children who are simply “talkative” or “overly social.” This intelligence promotes collaboration and working cooperatively with others.

¨ NATURALIST – learning through classification, categories and hierarchies. The naturalist intelligence picks up on subtle differences in meaning. It is not simply the study of nature; it can be used in all areas of study..

¨ EXISTENTIAL – learning by seeing the “big picture”: “Why are we here?” “What is my role in the world?” “What is my place in my family, school and community?” This intelligence seeks connections to real world understandings and applications of new learning.

Teachers are now working on assimilating this knowledge into their strategies for helping children learn. While it is too early to tell all the ramifications for this research, it is clear that the day is past where educators teach the text book and it is the dawn of educators teaching each child according to their orientation to the world.

Visual: Seeing and imagining

Core Characteristics:

Spatial Awareness – solving problems using spatial orientation
Non-sequential Reasoning – thinking in divergent ways
Visual Acuity – assessment of information based on principals of design and aesthetics
Imagination – seeing the possibilities before engaging them in the physical world
Small motor coordination – creating, building, arranging, decorating

Students with a strong visual intelligence:

Seek ocular stimulation
Respond to color, line and shape
Can “see” ideas
Use mental images for mnemonic devices
Imagine possibilities
Enjoy expressing themselves through the arts
Appreciate symmetry and congruence
Enjoy rearranging their environment
Can manipulate three-dimensional models in their minds
Understand by seeing a concept in action

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Allowing student movement around the learning environment
Providing a visually stimulating environment
Sketching plans before beginning work
Brainstorming ideas
Semantic mapping
Guided imagery exercises
Working with manipulatives
Diagramming abstract concepts
Providing visual assessment performance tasks
Utilizing visual technologies such as KidPix and PowerPoint

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Overhead projector
Television
Video
Picture books
Art supplies
Chalkboard
Dry erase board
Slide shows
Charting and graphing
Monitor
Digital camera/camcorder
Scanner
Graphics editor
HTML editor
Digital animation
Digital movies

Linguistics: spoken and written word

Core Characteristics:

Ideation – think and remember through internal language
Functional Literacy – understand the rules and functions of language
Self-Regulation – analyze one’s own use of language
Adaptation – apply rules of language to new and different contexts
Oral Expression –explain and express one’s self verbally
Written Expression – explain and express one’s self in writing

Students with a strong linguistic intelligence:

Appreciate the subtleties of grammar and meaning
Spell easily
Enjoy word games
Understand jokes, puns, and riddles
Use descriptive language
Are good storytellers
Internalize new information through lecture and discussion
Demonstrate understanding easily through discussion and essay

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Exploring new vocabulary
Learning terms and expressions from other languages
Encouraging opportunities for public speaking
Incorporating drama into learning
Keeping daily journals
Promoting opportunities for creative writing
Nurturing oral storytelling
Including opportunities for expository and narrative writing
Utilizing quality children’s and young adult literature in the classroom

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Textbook
Pen/pencil
Worksheet
Newspaper
Magazine
Word processing
Electronic mail
Desk top publishing
Web-based publishing
Keyboard
Speech recognition devices
Text bridges

Naturalist: classification, categories and hierarchies

Core Characteristics:

Ideation – think and remember through internal language
Functional Literacy – understand the rules and functions of language
Self-Regulation – analyze one’s own use of language
Adaptation – apply rules of language to new and different contexts
Oral Expression –explain and express one’s self verbally
Written Expression – explain and express one’s self in writing

Students with a strong linguistic intelligence:

Appreciate the subtleties of grammar and meaning
Spell easily
Enjoy word games
Understand jokes, puns, and riddles
Use descriptive language
Are good storytellers
Internalize new information through lecture and discussion
Demonstrate understanding easily through discussion and essay

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Exploring new vocabulary
Learning terms and expressions from other languages
Encouraging opportunities for public speaking
Incorporating drama into learning
Keeping daily journals
Promoting opportunities for creative writing
Nurturing oral storytelling
Including opportunities for expository and narrative writing
Utilizing quality children’s and young adult literature in the classroom

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Textbook
Pen/pencil
Worksheet
Newspaper
Magazine
Word processing
Electronic mail
Desk top publishing
Web-based publishing
Keyboard
Speech recognition devices
Text bridges

Rhythmic: sound and patterning

Core Characteristics:

Aural Orientation – heightened listening ability
Patterning – seeking all kinds of patterns, not just in sound
Resonance – identification with patterns as an expression of experience
Audiation – thinking musically rather than verbally

Students with a strong rhythmic intelligence:

Seek patterns in new information
Find patterns in their environment
Are particularly drawn to sound
Respond to cadence in language
Enjoy moving to rhythms
Pick up terms and phrases in foreign languages easily
Use patterning to both internalize and recall skills, ideas and concepts

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Working with pattern blocks
Hearing sounds in one’s environment
Moving to rhythm
Drawing visual patterns
Learning a foreign language
Identifying rhyme schemes
Finding patterns in sequences of numbers
Listening to a symphony
Deciphering code
Learning to read music

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Pattern blocks
Puzzles
Musical instruments
Phonograph
Headphones
Tape player/recorder
Digital sounds
Online pattern games
Multimedia presentations
Speakers
CD ROM disks
CD ROM player

Logical: reasoning and problem solving

Core Characteristics:

Linear Reasoning – seeking order and consistency in the world
Concrete Reasoning – breaking down systems into their components
Abstract Reasoning – using symbols that represent concrete ideas
Causal Relationships – identifying cause and effect within a system
Complex Operations – performing sophisticated algorithms

Students with a strong logical intelligence:

Seek order
Reason scientifically
Identify relationships
Enjoy testing theories
Like completing puzzles
Excel at calculating numbers
Solving problems instinctively
Analyze abstract ideas
Manipulate functions
Perform these operations at a rapid rate

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Creating intrinsic and extrinsic order in your classroom
Presenting criteria at the beginning of an activity to provide structure
Offering open-ended problem solving tasks
Including convergent thinking activities in instruction
Promoting experiments which test student hypotheses
Using syllogisms in language
Encouraging classroom debate
Incorporating puzzles into learning centers
Setting short term, achievable goals for the class
Allowing students to participate in building assessment rubrics

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Lecture
Cuisenaire rods
Unifix cubes
Tangrams
Measuring cups
Measuring scales
Ruler/yardstick
Slide rule
Graphing calculators
Spreadsheet
Search engine
Directory
FTP clients
Gophers
WebQuests
Problem solving tasks
Programming languages

Intrapersonal:

feelings, values and attitudes

Core Characteristics:

Affective Awareness – the knowledge of one’s feelings, attitudes and outlook
Ethical Awareness – the setting of one’s principles and moral priorities
Self-Regulation – monitoring one’s thoughts, actions and behavior
Metacognition – the awareness of one’s thought processes

Students with a strong intrapersonal intelligence:

Are comfortable with themselves
Express strong like or dislike of particular activities
Communicate their feelings
Sense their own strengths and weaknesses
Show confidence in their abilities
Set realistic goals
Make appropriate choices
Follow their instincts
Express a sense of justice and fairness
Relate to others based on their sense of self

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Differentiating instruction
Using analogies in making comparisons
Providing activities which offer learner choices
Having students set goals for themselves in the classroom
Including daily journal writing in your classroom routine
Providing opportunities for learners to express their feelings on a topic
Allowing opportunities for student reflection on learning
Examining current events in terms of social justice
Including student self-assessment in classroom assessment strategies
Utilizing interest inventories, questionnaires, interviews and other approaches to measuring student growth

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Journals
Diaries
Surveys
Voting machines
Learning centers
Children’s literature
Class discussion
Real time projects
Online surveys
Online forms
Digital portfolios
Self-assessments

Interpersonal: interaction with others

Core Characteristics:

Collaborative Skills – the capability to jointly complete tasks with others
Cooperative Attitude – the willingness to offer and accept input
Leadership – recognition by peers as someone to follow
Social Influence – an ability to persuade others
Social Empathy – an awareness and concern for others
Social Connection – a skill for meaningfully relating to others

Students with a strong interpersonal intelligence:

Seek the support of a group
Value relationships
Enjoy collaborative work
Solicit input from others
Enjoy sharing about themselves
Display a “winning” personality
Tend to be natural leaders

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Allowing interaction among students during learning tasks
Including activities where students work in groups
Providing opportunities for students to select their own groups
Forming cooperative groups wherein each member has an assigned role
Planning activities where students form teams to be successful
Allowing competition that promotes higher level achievement
Incorporating structured dramatic activities in which students can role play
Utilizing resource people to invigorate your classroom
Promoting interaction with other classes by participating in learning tasks together

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Class discussion
Post-it notes
Greeting card
Laboratory
Telephone
Walkie-talkie
Intercom
Board games
Costumes
Collaborative projects
Chat
Message boards
Instant messenger

Existential:

connecting to larger understandings

Core Characteristics:

Collective Consciousness – the capability to see how something relates to the big picture
Collective Values – the understanding of classical western values of truth, goodness and beauty
Summative Iteration – the ability to summarize details into a larger understanding
Intuitive Iteration – a responsiveness to the intangible qualities of being human, be it responding to the arts, philosophical virtues or religious tenets

Students with a strong existential intelligence:

Seek meaningful learning
Look for connections across the curriculum
Like to synthesize ideas based on their learning
Enjoy literature and customs from other cultures
Have a strong connection with family and friends
Develop a strong identity with their neighborhood and town
Express a sense of belonging to a global community
Like to get involved with social and political causes
Can have a strong commitment to their health and well-being
Tend to look at information relative to the context in which it is presented

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Offering an overview before starting new instruction
Considering topics from multiple points of view
Relating material to global themes and concepts
Integrating your instruction across the curriculum
Including the arts in instruction where appropriate
Discussing how topics are important to the classroom, school, community or world
Bringing in resource people who offer additional perspective on a topic
Helping students learn to cohesively summarize what they have learned
Allowing students to demonstrate learning by applying understanding in new and different contexts
Having students participate in rubric development for performance-based tasks so that they take ownership for their learning

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Art replica
Planetarium
Stage drama
Classic literature
Classic philosophy
Symbols of world religions
Virtual communities
Virtual art exhibits
Virtual field trips
MUDs
Blogs
Wikis
Virtual reality
Simulations

Kinesthetic:

interaction with the environment

Core Characteristics:

Sensory – internalizes information through bodily sensation
Reflexive – responds quickly and intuitively to physical stimulus
Tactile – demonstrates well-developed gross and/or fine motor skills
Concrete – expresses feelings and ideas through body movement
Coordinated – shows dexterity, agility, flexibility, balance and poise
Task Orientated – strive to learn by doing

Students with a strong kinesthetic intelligence:

Seek to interact with their environment
Enjoy hands-on activities
Can remain focused on a hands-on task for an extended period of time
May demonstrate strong fine and/or gross motor ability
Prefer learning centers to seat work
Seek out other students who are physically gregarious
Master a principle once they can manipulate materials that demonstrate the concept
Enjoy group games and active learning tasks
Are different from children who are hyperactive

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

Providing hands-on learning centers
Incorporating creative drama into your instruction
Including interactive games in reviewing and remediating content
Offering experiences in movement to rhythm and music
Engaging students in hands-on science experiments
Utilizing manipulatives in math instruction
Allowing opportunities for building and taking apart
Encouraging students to construct physical representations of concepts
Keeping students physically moving throughout the school day

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

Construction tools
Kitchen utensils
Screw
Lever
Wheel and axle
Inclined plane
Pulley
Wedge
Physical education equipment
Manipulative materials
Mouse
Joystick
Simulations that require eye-hand coordination
Assistive technologies
Digital probes

Multiple Intelligences Survey

http://surfaquarium.com/MI/inventory.htm

Part I

Complete each section by placing a “1” next to each statement you feel accurately describes you. f you do not identify with a statement, leave the space provided blank. Then total the column in each section.

Section 1

_____ I enjoy categorizing things by common traits

_____ Ecological issues are important to me

_____ Classification helps me make sense of new data

_____ I enjoy working in a garden

_____ I believe preserving our National Parks is important

_____ Putting things in hierarchies makes sense to me

_____ Animals are important in my life

_____ My home has a recycling system in place

_____ I enjoy studying biology, botany and/or zoology

_____ I pick up on subtle differences in meaning

_____ TOTAL for Section 1

Section 2

_____ I easily pick up on patterns

_____ I focus in on noise and sounds

_____ Moving to a beat is easy for me

_____ I enjoy making music

_____ I respond to the cadence of poetry

_____ I remember things by putting them in a rhyme

_____ Concentration is difficult for me if there is background noise

_____ Listening to sounds in nature can be very relaxing

_____ Musicals are more engaging to me than dramatic plays

_____ Remembering song lyrics is easy for me

_____ TOTAL for Section 2

Section 3

_____ I am known for being neat and orderly

_____ Step-by-step directions are a big help

_____ Problem solving comes easily to me

_____ I get easily frustrated with disorganized people

_____ I can complete calculations quickly in my head

_____ Logic puzzles are fun

_____ I can’t begin an assignment until I have all my “ducks in a row”

_____ Structure is a good thing

_____ I enjoy troubleshooting something that isn’t working properly

_____ Things have to make sense to me or I am dissatisfied

_____ TOTAL for Section 3

Section 4

_____ It is important to see my role in the “big picture” of things

_____ I enjoy discussing questions about life

_____ Religion is important to me

_____ I enjoy viewing art work

_____ Relaxation and meditation exercises are rewarding to me

_____ I like traveling to visit inspiring places

_____ I enjoy reading philosophers

_____ Learning new things is easier when I see their real world application

_____ I wonder if there are other forms of intelligent life in the universe

_____ It is important for me to feel connected to people, ideas and beliefs

_____ TOTAL for Section 4

Section 5

_____ I learn best interacting with others

_____ I enjoy informal chat and serious discussion

_____ The more the merrier

_____ I often serve as a leader among peers and colleagues

_____ I value relationships more than ideas or accomplishments

_____ Study groups are very productive for me

_____ I am a “team player”

_____ Friends are important to me

_____ I belong to more than three clubs or organizations

_____ I dislike working alone

_____ TOTAL for Section 5

Section 6

_____ I learn by doing

_____ I enjoy making things with my hands

_____ Sports are a part of my life

_____ I use gestures and non-verbal cues when I communicate

_____ Demonstrating is better than explaining

_____ I love to dance

_____ I like working with tools

_____ Inactivity can make me more tired than being very busy

_____ Hands-on activities are fun

_____ I live an active lifestyle

_____ TOTAL for Section 6

_____ Foreign languages interest me

_____ I enjoy reading books, magazines and web sites

_____ I keep a journal

_____ Word puzzles like crosswords or jumbles are enjoyable

_____ Taking notes helps me remember and understand

_____ I faithfully contact friends through letters and/or e-mail

_____ It is easy for me to explain my ideas to others

_____ I write for pleasure

_____ Puns, anagrams and spoonerisms are fun

_____ I enjoy public speaking and participating in debates

_____ TOTAL for Section 7

Section 8

_____ My attitude effects how I learn

_____ I like to be involved in causes that help others

_____ I am keenly aware of my moral beliefs

_____ I learn best when I have an emotional attachment to the subject

_____ Fairness is important to me

_____ Social justice issues interest me

_____ Working alone can be just as productive as working in a group

_____ I need to know why I should do something before I agree to do it

_____ When I believe in something I give more effort towards it

_____ I am willing to protest or sign a petition to right a wrong

_____ TOTAL for Section 8

Section 9

_____ I can visualize ideas in my mind

_____ Rearranging a room and redecorating are fun for me

_____ I enjoy creating my own works of art

_____ I remember better using graphic organizers

_____ I enjoy all kinds of entertainment media

_____ Charts, graphs and tables help me interpret data

_____ A music video can make me more interested in a song

_____ I can recall things as mental pictures

_____ I am good at reading maps and blueprints

_____ Three dimensional puzzles are fun

_____ TOTAL for Section 9

Part IV

Now determine your intelligence profile!

Key:

Section 1 – This reflects your Naturalist strength

Section 2 – This suggests your Musical/Rhythmic strength

Section 3 – This indicates your Logical strength

Section 4 – This illustrates your Existential strength

Section 5 – This shows your Interpersonal strength

Section 6 – This tells your Kinesthetic strength

Section 7 – This indicates your Verbal strength

Section 8 – This reflects your Intrapersonal strength

Section 9 – This suggests your Visual strength

Remember:

¨ Everyone has all the intelligences!

¨ You can strengthen an intelligence!

¨ This inventory is meant as a snapshot in time – it can change!

¨ M.I. is meant to empower, not label people!