The multiple intelligences:

1. The multiple intelligences: What are they, and what would mathematics instruction addressing them look like? By Laurie Yourk

2. What are they? • First introduced by Howard Gardner (1983) • Originally Seven Intelligences • Verbal-Linguistic • Logical-Mathematical • Musical • Visual-Spatial • Bodily-Kinesthetic • Interpersonal • Intrapersonal • Later added (1997) • Naturalist

3. Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence A sensitivity to the meaning and order of words. • Strengths include: • Reading, writing, talking, story telling, thinking in words, memorizing. • Learns best through: • Reading, hearing and seeing words, writing, discussion and debate. • In the classroom: • Include reading, writing, and speaking, encourage discussion, verbalize problems.

4. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence Ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems. • Strengths include: • Problem-solving, math, logic, reasoning, patterns, working with numbers, experiments. • Learns best through: • Classifying, abstract work, categorizing, working with patterns and relationships. • In the classroom: • Use critical thinking, calculations, numbers, and problem solving.

5. Musical Intelligence Ability to understand and create music. • Strengths include: • Singing, humming, playing music, remembering melodies, rhythms, picking up sounds. • Learns best through: • Rhythm, melody, singing, listening to music and melodies. • In the classroom: • Include sounds, music, jingles, rhythms and dance.

6. Visual-Spatial Intelligence Ability to accurately perceive and portray the visual world. • Strengths include: • Reading maps and charts, drawing, mazes, puzzles, imagining things, creating, visualizations, building. • Learns best through: • Working with pictures and colors, drawing, visualizing, forming and manipulating a mental model. • In the classroom: • Include art, graphs, diagrams, colors, pictures, visual aids.

7. Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence Ability to use one’s body in a skilled way. • Strengths include: • Movement, touching, body language, dancing, using tools, acting, athletics. • Learns best through: • Touching, moving, processing knowledge through bodily sensations. • In the classroom: • Include movement, dramatize problems, use manipulatives and hands-on activities.

8. Interpersonal Intelligence Ability to perceive feelings and understand other individuals. • Strengths include: • Understanding people, sales, organizing and leading groups, communication, resolving conflict, making friends. • Learns best through: • Sharing, comparing, relating, interviewing, cooperative learning activities, group projects. • In the classroom: • Include group work, discuss problems, have students present problems and solutions in groups or to the class.

9. Intrapersonal Intelligence Ability to understand one’s own emotions. • Strengths include: • Understanding self, setting goals, working alone, reflection, recognizing strengths and weaknesses. • Learns best through: • Working alone, having space, reflecting, self-paced projects. • In the classroom: • Provide private learning time, assign self-paced projects, allow students time to reflect on problems.

10. Naturalist Intelligence Ability to classify artifacts and understand nature. • Strengths include: • Understanding nature, identification, making distinctions, exploration. • Learns best through: • Exploration, working in nature, learning about natural events, classification activities. • In the classroom: • Have students observe and recognize patterns, relate problems to natural occurrences, identify problems, and explore solutions.

11. Now that you know what Multiple Intelligences are … What would math instruction addressing them look like?

12. Howard Gardner (1998) “Eight kinds of intelligence would allow eight ways to teach, rather than one. And powerful constraints that exist in the mind can be mobilized to introduce a particular concept (or whole system of thinking) in a way that children are most likely to learn it and least likely to distort it. Paradoxically, constraints can be suggestive and ultimately freeing.”

13. The main goal: Use different teaching methods to allow students with different learning styles the opportunity to interpret and analyze information within each lesson. • STOP lecturing all the time • Include individual and group work within lessons to lead the students to skill mastery. • Incorporate lessons that support many of the multiple intelligences and allow students to decide which activity they want to perform in order to learn the desired skill. • Create rubrics that support different learning styles and questioning to assess student learning, holding students accountable for their own learning.

14. One way to approach lesson planning • Write the topic in the middle of a blank piece of paper. • Draw eight spokes out from the topic. • Label each spoke with a different intelligence. • Start brainstorming ideas for teaching the topic, writing the idea next to the correct intelligence. This method utilizes spatial and linguistic intelligences. intrapersonal Math-logical Spatial Musical Math topic Interpersonal Linguistic Naturalist Body-kinesthetic

15. There are many ways to incorporate the theory of multiple intelligences into your lessons. • Lessons need to be carefully planned out to insure the topic covered is adequately learned by the students. • Activities should work well with the subject matter, not only teach to the intelligences. • Lesson activities should enhance, not detract from the subject matter being taught. • Having students learn the content is the most important part of the lesson.

16. The following sixteen slides give ideas for math lessons geared toward each intelligence then how to direct the lessons to be teacher or student centered. From “Eight Ways of Knowing! Multiple Intelligences Applied” http://davidlazear.com/Multi-Intell/MI_chart.html And “Multiple Intelligences: Classroom Application” http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/mi-ls.htm

17. Math Lessons Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence • Write a series of story problems for others to solve. • Explain how to work a problem to others while they follow along doing it. • Make up puns using math vocabulary, terms, concepts, & operations. • Solve problems with a partner—one solves & one explains the process. • Create poems telling when to use different math operations.

18. Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence Teacher Centered • Present content verbally. • Ask questions aloud and look for student feedback. • Interviews. Student Centered • Students presents material. • Students read content and prepare a presentation for his/her classmates. • Students debate over an issue

19. Math Lessons Logical/Mathematical Intelligence • Find unknown quantities/entities in a problem. • Teach how to use a calculator for problem solving. • Create number sequences & have a partner find the pattern. • Mind-map proofs for geometric theorems. • Design classification charts for math formulas, processes, & operations.

20. Logical/Mathematical Intelligence Teacher Centered • Provide brain teasers or challenging questions to begin lessons. • Make logical connections between the subject matter and authentic situations to answer the question “why?” Student Centered • Students categorize information in logical sequences for organization. • Students create graphs or charts to explain written info. • Students participate in webquests associated with the content.

21. Math Lessons Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence • Learn mathematical operations through songs, jingles, & rhythmic beats. • Learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division through drum beats. • Break a set of tones and/or rhythmic patterns into various groups to learn division tables. • Play the “Rhythm Game” to learn times tables (slap thighs, clap hands, snap fingers) • Make up sounds for different math operations & processes.

22. Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence Teacher Centered • Play music in the classroom during reflection periods. • Show examples or create musical rhymes for students to remember things Student Centered • Create a song or melody with content embedded for memory • Use well known songs to memorize formulas, skills, or test content.

23. Math Lessons Visual/Spatial Intelligence • Do a survey of student’s likes/dislikes then graph the results. • Estimate measurements by sight & by touch. • Add, subtract, multiply, & divide using various manipulatives. • Imagine using a math process successfully, then really do it. • Learn metric measurements through visual equivalents.

24. Visual/Spatial Intelligence Teacher Centered • When presenting the information, use visuals to explain content: • Powerpoint Slides, Charts, Graphs, cartoons, videos, overheads, smartboards. Student Centered • Have students work individually or in groups to create visuals pertaining to the information: • Posters, timelines, models, powerpoint slides, maps, illustrations, charts, concept mapping.

25. Math Lessons Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence • Use different parts of the body to measure different things. • Add & subtract members to & from a group to learn fractions. • Invent something that requires applying math concepts. • Create & act out a play in which the characters are geometric shapes or other math concepts. • Make up a game that uses math concepts/operations.

26. Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence Teacher Centered • Use props during lecture • Provide tangible items pertaining to content for students to examine. • Review using sports related examples (throw a ball to someone to answer a question). Student Centered • Students use computers to research subject matter. • Students create props of their own explaining subject matter (shadow boxes, mobiles, etc.) • Students create review games.

27. Math Lessons Interpersonal Intelligence • Solve complex story problems in a group. • Conduct an “interviewing others” research project & calculate results as percentages. • “Each one teach one” new math processes/ operations. • Describe everything you do to solve a problem with a partner. • Have teams construct problems linking many math operations, then solve them.

28. Interpersonal Intelligence Teacher Centered • Be aware of body language and facial expressions. • Offer assistance whenever needed. • Encourage classroom discussion. Student Centered • Encourage collaboration among peers. • Group work strengthens interpersonal connections. • Peer feedback and peer tutoring. • Students present to the class. • Encourage group editing.

29. Math Lessons Intrapersonal Intelligence • Track different thinking patterns for different kinds of problems. • Bridge math concepts beyond school into “real life” (what? So what? Now what?) • Use guided imagery to see & solve complex story problems. • Evaluate your strengths/weaknesses in understanding math—plan new strategies for success. • Watch your mood shifts/changes as you do math problems—note causes.

30. Intrapersonal Intelligence Teacher Centered • Encourage journaling as a positive outlet for expression. • Introduce web logging (blogs) • Make individual questions welcome. • Create a positive environment. Student Centered • Journaling. • Individual research on content. • Students create personal portfolios of work.

31. Math Lessons Naturalist Intelligence • Work story problems with patterns in nature. • Use of “nature manipulatives” in math problem solving. • Graph positive & negative influences on the environment. • Create & work calculation problems based on nature/natural processes.

32. Naturalist Intelligence Teacher Centered • Take students outside to enjoy nature while in learning process (lecture) • Compare authentic subject matter to natural occurrences. • Relate subject matter to stages that occur in nature (plants, weather, etc.) Student Centered • Students organize thoughts using natural cycles. • Students make relationships among content and the natural environment (how has nature has an impact?) • Students perform community service.

33. Things to remember: • When teaching to an individual – use their preferred learning style. • When teaching to a group/class – use more than one style. Try to use all learning styles. • Students learn more and have better comprehension of ideas if they use and are exposed to all learning styles.

34. Benefits of Using the Theory of Multiple Intelligences in Lesson Planning. • All forms of Intelligences are treated equal. • Students have increased self-esteem. • Students develop stronger problem solving skills which can transfer to real life situations. • As a teacher – you gain the satisfaction of reaching more students and seeing them succeed. (more “ah ha” moments!) • Students become more interested in learning. • Students become more responsible for their own learning.

35. Some great websites • Mark Wahl Math Teaching Resources and Books • http://www.markwahl.com/ • Concept to Classroom – Tapping into Multi-Intelligences • http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/index.html • Eight Ways of Knowing! Multiple Intelligences Applied • http://davidlazear.com/Multi-Intell/MI_chart.html

36. What is YOUR learning style? Here are a few sites to help you find out. http://www2.bgfl.org/bgfl2/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/questions.cfm http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/miinventory.php http://www.ldpride.net/learning_style.html