Creating Lessons That Use Multiple Intelligences

Varying Instruction to Meet Needs of Students Using Gardner's Theory

Sep 20, 2009

Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences suggests incorporating various teaching methods in a lesson to include eight different ways of learning.

Dr. Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983, which identifies eight different ways in which a student might learn. What these eight intelligences provide teachers are ideas of how to include different learners in a classroom lesson so that all students have the opportunity to learn.

How to Vary Instruction to Meet Student Learning Styles

Two of the multiple intelligences are the most heavily emphasized in classrooms. These intelligences, known as linguistic and logical-mathematical, are the primary components of standardized exams. Students who learn best through these two modes also tend to succeed in school and may be highlighted as the ideal or model student.

Linguistic and logical-mathematical instruction has an emphasis on verbal learning styles. By making small changes to instruction intelligences that are more dependent on audio and kinesthetic learning, such as musical or visual-spatial become easier to reach. This can be accomplished by including an audio clip of a famous speech or having students sketch a political cartoon.

Another way to vary instruction is through a variety of individual and group work. Some students have strong interpersonal intelligence whereas others have intrapersonal intelligence. Providing opportunities for students to work both independently or as a team can help students with these opposite strengths succeed in the same class. Group work also helps students bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, as does providing opportunities for whole-body movement activities.

Naturalistic intelligence incorporates kinesthetic learning, but these learners also need connections to previously learned information. Providing spiraling connections to earlier lessons can help these learners.

Examples of Lessons That Use Multiple Intelligences

It can seem overwhelming when trying to adapt a lesson to incorporate multiple intelligences, but many of the intelligences are related and most students learn through more than one. For example, a student who is strongly bodily-kinesthetic might also have strong visual-spatial and interpersonal intelligences.

Project based reviews are one way to incorporate many of the intelligences. Students can be provided choices of different projects that emphasize one intelligence or a combination of several.

Another way is to incorporate a variety of instructional styles to enhance a traditional lesson. A geography lesson might include some vocabulary (linguistic) or explanation provided on the board, a short video clip (musical, visual-spatial), and a map of the region that students research (logical-mathematical) and fill out independently (intrapersonal).

Adapting a lesson to reach all students is not as simple as changing the level of difficulty. Whether it is a single teacher attempting to better teach a child with a learning disability, a team wanting to incorporate multiple teaching methods, or an entire school aiming to leave no child behind, being aware of multiple intelligences while creating lessons can make it possible for all students to succeed.

The copyright of the article Creating Lessons That Use Multiple Intelligences in Teaching Strategies/Mentorship is owned by Tammy Andrew. Permission to republish Creating Lessons That Use Multiple Intelligences in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.