Howard Gardner’s Mi
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Howard Gardner’s MI
essay
Multiple Intelligence
As a teacher it will always be my responsibility to keep up to date on new research done on learning theories. That way I am able to provide a fun and exciting learning environment for my students. After learning about Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences I now realize how important it is to make sure I work hard to include every child into my curriculum. Gardner’s theory is that everyone is able to recognize a student that does scores great on an exam is smart, that does not mean that a student that falls short of doing good on the same test is not as brilliant as the other student. Howard Gardner’s, theory opposes traditional methods that view intelligences as unitary, and perceives intelligence to contain eight domains. Gardner believes there is several different intelligences that each person embodies in certain magnitudes. Having more of a particular intelligence than another will change has each person retain information. As a child growing up in public elementary schools, I was taught from a traditional methods. These methods focused mainly on verbal and mathematical skills. If a student is anyone of the other six proposed intelligences, he or she would most likely do unsatisfactorily in school. Howard Gardner’s eight intelligences are: body/ kinesthetic, naturalist, visual/ spatial, musical/ rhythmic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, verbal/ linguistic, and logical/ mathematical.
Body/ kinesthetic is one of the first intelligences we’ll explore. This kind of learner has the skill to manipulate body motion and manage things with skill. Also the body/ kinesthetic learner obtains great hand eye coordination and has an excellent sense of balance. Interacting with the space around them is the way in which this learner processes information. The body/ kinesthetic learner can be a handful in a classroom, and as a student it may be difficult for this type of person to sit still. A teacher needs to give this student breaks and let them move around. Also, as part of the curriculum a teacher could include activity centers and allow the students to act out stories. The second intelligence is the naturalist student. This student has an understanding of the natural world around them. The naturalist thrives when learning about plants, animals, science. They have an understanding for animals behaviors and needs. In the classroom will often be an observer. For this style of learning a teacher can bring natural materials into the classroom and go outside for activity centers. A teacher can also surround field trips to the zoo and farms. Some other characteristics of the naturalist are: they will have rock and insect collections.
The third intelligence is the visual/ spatial learner, who have the skill to comprehend things they learn using pictures. Art is usually a strong area for this type of student, because they seem to be able to think in three dimensions. This student will be able to create an abstract idea into a tangible object. This student will often sit near the front of the classroom because they need to see the teacher’s body language and facial expressions to understand a lesson. In the classroom this student will take notes using pictures. The visual/ spatial learner will exceed at creating collages, painting, storyboards. They have great conceptualization skills. The fourth intelligence is musical/ rhythmic, who have the ability to produce and enjoy music. This learner thinks in rhythms, sounds, and patterns. The musical/ rhythmic learner critique music when they hear it. This student may tap on the desk or make humming noises and be involved with music as an extracurricular activity. As a teacher you can allow