Multiple intelligences: Understanding Your Students

Multiple
Intelligences
Caleb Warren
Teacher Workshop
Berean Baptist Academy
August 7, 2019

Differentiation
Based on what has been discussed so far,
what is your current understanding of
differentiation?

Differentiation
“Three components that are most notably associated with differentiation are
content (what is being taught), process (how it is being taught), and product
(tangible results being produced based on student interest and abilities)”
(Dinnocenti, 1998, p. 2).
• Differentiated teaching takes information, organizes it
according to student interest and abilities, and optimizes it to
touch different types of intelligences.
• Examples of differentiation include “problem-based learning,
Socratic method, simulations, independent study, and
higher-level thinking” (Dinnocenti, 1998, p. 2).

Intelligence
A necessary component of differentiation
requires an understanding of intelligences. How
do YOU define intelligence?

Intelligence
Gardner and Hatch (1989) defined intelligence as “the capacity to solve
problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural setting.”
Psychology began to become more accepted as scientific in the early 1900s,
and here we find the introduction of IQ tests (Intelligence Quotient). Science
began attempting to understand the natural intelligence of an individual.

Intelligence
As the idea of intelligence expanded, two traditional components of
intelligences were developed and commonly accepted:
• Computational: the ability to solve problems using complex
computational tasks involving “logic, reasoning, planning,
complex agents, language understanding, rule-based machine
learning and reinforcement learning” (Duch, 2007).
• Verbal: the ability to solve problems by analyzing information
using language-based reasoning (Logsdon, 2019).
• These are the two primary components of an IQ test (Winarti,
Yuanita, & Nur, 2018) used to assess verbal comprehension,
working memory, perceptual reasoning, and processing speed.

Intelligence
In 1983, Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard University, proposed the idea
of Multiple Intelligences (MI), listing a total of seven intelligences, working
together and complementing each other (thus the idea a person has multiple
intelligences with some more dominant than others).

Multiple Intelligences
Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences proposes that the brain has multiple
ways of learning information.
His position was not to asking “Are you smart?” but “HOW are you smart?”

Multiple Intelligences
Logic-Mathematical: detecting patterns, reasoning
deductively, and thinking logically. Used primarily
in science and mathematics. “Number Smart”
Engineers, scientists, mathematicians
Linguistic: possessing a mastery of language by
remembering information and by manipulating
language to express using rhetoric (persuasion).
“Word Smart”
Poets, writers, language teachers, linguists
Spatial: using the mind to solve problems through
manipulation and creating images (not limited to
visual sight) “Picture Smart”
Artists, designers, architects, sculptors
(Brualdi, 1996, p. 2; Şener & Çokçalışkan, 2018)
Musical: recognizing and composing musical
components including pitch, tone, and rhythm “Music
Smart”
Musicians, singers, composers
Body-Kinesthetic: using mental abilities to coordinate
bodily movements. “Body Smart”
Athletes, dancers, mechanics, physical education
Personal intelligences “People Smart”
• Interpersonal: understanding feelings, motivations,
and intentions of others.
• Intrapersonal: understanding one’s own feelings and
motivations

But Why???
Why is it
important?

Relevance of MI
Multiple studies have found “that adjusting learning strategies with students’
intelligence has improved learning motivation and emotional intelligence to
positively impact student achievement” (as cited in Winarti, Yuanita, & Hur,
2019).
• A research study by Winarti, Yuanity, & Hur (2019) identified
that there was a significant impact on student motivation,
achievement, and processing skills when MI-learning strategies
were utilized for science.

Relevance of MI
“Exploring learning style and multiple intelligence type of learners can enable
the students to identify their strengths and weaknesses and learn from them. It
is also very important for teachers to understand their learners’ learning styles
and multiple intelligences since they can carefully identify their goals and
design activities that can teach to the different intelligences, and design
student-centered activities” (Sener & Çokçalışkan, 2018, p. 125).
This is why it is important to understand your students and
“sample” them at the beginning of the year to understand
their intelligences and learning styles.

Criticism of MI
Like all theories, Multiple Intelligence has its critics and adaptations. Most
criticisms argue …
• There is little empirical data to validate Gardner’s position.
• The intelligences are so intertwined that it supports one overall
general intelligence and not separate ones.
• Students are “pigeon holed” into one intelligence and not
introduced to other types.
• There is little measurability.

Response to Criticism of MI
Personal/Professional Belief: Differentiation identifies that all students are
different, and this corresponds the concept that God uniquely designed each
students.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my
mother's womb … My frame was not hidden from you, when I
was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the
earth. (Psalm 139:13,15).
Matthew Henry - “intricately woven” can be translated
“embroidered with great skill”

Response to Criticism of MI
Thomas Armstrong’s book Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom presents
several major criticisms as well as responses to those criticisms.
• His conclusion from Chapter 15: “It is interesting to note that
most of the criticisms of MI theory have come from academics
and journalists—people who are usually far removed from the
classroom. Few criticisms actually come from those who have
applied the theory in their classrooms and seen the difference it
makes in students' lives” (Armstrong, 2017)
• You can read this chapter online for free here.

Then There’s This ...
What is a “meta-analysis”?
The Effect of Multiple Intelligences on Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analytic and Thematic
Study by Veli Betdi (2017) - a “meta-analysis” examining 63 separate research studies.
It found …”As a result, it is understood from the meta-analytical
and thematic results in the first stage of the research that MIT
has positive effects on academic achievement in comparison with
traditional methods in terms of teaching grade, subject area,
teaching period, intelligence area and general characteristics.”

Learning Styles
In addition to multiple intelligences, one must focus on teaching styles to
connect different intelligences with learning: visual, auditory, kinesthetic,
reading/writing, tactile.
One can also add individual and group learning to this list (Şener &
Çokçalışkan, 2018).

Caution
We have a tendency to teach based on our dominant
intelligences and learning styles. The idea behind differentiation
is that we are constantly changing our methodology to
accommodate those who learn differently than we do.

Not the Same
Intelligence refers to a capacity to understanding specific content while learning
style refers to the style in which it is taught (Armstrong, 2018).
Important Note 1: the idea of multiple intelligences is that your
intelligences complement each other so you cannot target only
one primary intelligence. Do not cater towards a more
“dominant” one.
Important Note 2: even if you have a primary learning style, you
can still learn by other methods (visual and auditory at the same
time).

Differentiating The Delivery Method
Rasmussen College’s website is a great resource in defining, identifying, and
engaging these types of learners.
4 Types of Learning Styles: How to Accommodate a Diverse Group of Students:
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/types-of-learning-styles

Differentiating the Intelligence
The research study by Winarti, Yuanita, and Nur (2019), referred to previously,
improved student achievement using MI-based learning strategies. Their
learning strategies included six components:
(1) Self-reflection: students telling about themselves
(2) Introduction of a concept: teachers using a variety of MI
activities
(3) Formulation of a question: students develop their own
questions
(4) Concept exploration: students following scientific
exploration
(5) Talent show: students expressing understanding
(6) Formulation of a conclusion: concluding the lesson

Differentiating the Intelligence
All students have a natural predisposition to their dominant intelligences so any
set teaching strategy will be effective with some students and less with others
who do not have those intelligences (e.g. “music smart” vs. “logic smart”)
“Because of these individual differences among students,
teachers are best advised to use a broad range of teaching
strategies in the classroom” (Armstrong, 2018, p. 71).

Word Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage word smart students. What
teaching strategies might you use to engage these students?
Exclude lectures, textbooks, worksheets since those are so common.
Apply to history, science, literature ...

Word Smart
• Storytelling - integrating math into story form (everything he touched
multiplies by ____); using literary devices
• Brainstorming - assigning group projects and having to brainstorm ideas
for a promotional flyer; creating a mind map to collect ideas
• Audio Recording - students place their writing into an audio recording;
English: persuading an audience by making a commercial
• Journal Writing - journaling vocabulary terms, scientific
experiments/observations, math formula folder
• Publishing - taking the words and publish into a book, school
newsletter, community board, or website [legal disclaimer]
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom (4th ed) by Thomas
Armstrong (2018) - Chapter 6.

Number/Logic Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage number/logic smart students. What
Do not restrict this to just math and science. How can you make students think
in history, Bible, technology, reading, or writing?

Number/Logic Smart
• Calculations - using statistics in Bible, history, or geography; use data to
project future prediction
• Classifying and Categorizing - take kings of the Bible and divide into good
and bad; types of animals and separate by class/species
• Socratic Questioning - teaching asking questions with students and not at
them; cause and effect for economics or climate stewardship in science
• Heuristics - finding solutions by applying concepts from one
scenario to another; using logic to solve real world problems
• Science Thinking - understanding the scientific impact on
society; giving background context to advances in medicine,
technology, business

Picture Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage picture smart students. What
Our mind has a way of converting words into images and pictures so it can be
applied to all academic disciplines.

Picture Smart
• Visualizations - “close your eyes and try to remember” … a formula, the
spelling of a word, the last place you placed your keys
• Color Cues - using different colors to represent different subjects, facts,
categories; using a highlighter to cue an important fact
• Picture Metaphors - associating concepts “what animal does this character
represent in this story?”; name association by picturing someone else
• Idea Sketching - allowing a student to sketch a drawing instead
of taking notes; Bible - description of the Temple, the growth
stages of a grasshopper
• Graphic Symbols - drawing/displaying concepts (3 states of
matter) to connect words to concepts

Body Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage body smart students. What
“Students leave their textbooks and folders behind them when they leave
school, but they take their bodies with them wherever they go” (Armstrong, p.
81).

Body Smart
• Body Answers - responding to instruction using the body, hands, eyes [use
Plicker]
• Classroom Theater - dramatizing or role-playing; re-enacting literature or
history
• Kinesthetic Concepts - physical illustrations to visualize concepts -
• Hands-on Thinking - making things with their hands to create something
• Body Maps - using the body as a point of references in steps or
calculations

Music Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage music smart students. What

Music Smart
• Rhythms, Songs, and Chants - memorizing using rhythm (poems, verses,
lists)
• Discoveries - using songs about specific content to “unpack” with students
after listening
• Supermemory Music - using musical background during instruction or
activity to place students in relaxed mindset
• Mood Music - using appropriate mood music (tone, sound
effects) to put students in the frame of mind for a story
[Example: Star Wars audiobook; Shelter commercials]

People Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage people smart students. What
These types of students work well with others to accomplish tasks or projects.

People Smart
• Peer Sharing - sharing concepts with a neighbor
• Collaborative Groups - can be structured to delegate responsibilities to
different intelligences / skill sets
• People Sculptures - using bodies to create words, numbers, symbols
• Board Games - engaging in learning by the focus of a specific game (one
created or acquired)
• Simulations - dressing up for a presentation and acting “as if”
they are that person; speech - improvisation

Self Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage people smart students. What
Think in terms of reflection.

Self Smart
• One-minute Reflection Periods - time to self reflect and digest what has
been taught so far in the lesson (e.g. entrance/exit ticket)
• Personal Connections - tying together personal experience with a lesson
(geography - traveling to another country; anatomy - breaking a bone)
• Choice Time - giving students the option to decide the next course of action
for that class (because they know if they have mastered it)
• Feeling-Toned Moments - using student emotions to tie
relevance to a topic (anger, joy, sadness)
• Goal-Setting Sessions - giving time each day for students to
set goals for themselves based on that day’s content then
chart their own progress

Nature Smart Smart
Consider “open ended” activities to engage nature smart students. What

Nature Smart
• Nature walks - tie in the outdoors to visually identify content inside a
textbook; science - multiple choice on which type of tree it is
• Windows onto Learning - using “what’s outside the window” such as
community helpers, construction, weather, plants
• Plants as Props - bring nature into the classroom if a nature walk is not
possible (location, weather)
• Pets in the Classroom - having a room pet (delegating
responsibility, keep track of pet statistics on food, biblical
integration verses), bringing in a pet expert

Diversify Your Differentiation
• Develop a system to rotate what you do
– Create a system with numbers and have students call random number
– Create a “differentiation wheel” for students to turn
– Create a schedule to do fixed intelligence/learning style different days
of the week
– Create learning centers for different categories
– Reinforce class rules by using intelligence signs (logic,
gestures, music, pictures) to reinforce class rules
– Use technology tools

It’s Too Much Work
• Most new concepts can seem overwhelming because they are new to us,
and we tend to shy away from things outside our comfort zone.
– #EmbranceTheUncomfortable
• The more you do it, the easier and more natural it will become (e.g.
technology integration, biblical integration)
• If you find it too overwhelming, find authors who “ooze” ideas
online or through books

Book Recommendations
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom (4th ed)
by Thomas Armstrong (2018)
Total Participation Techniques (2nd ed)
By Persida & William Himmele

References
Armstrong, T. (2017). Multiple intelligences in the classroom (4th ed.). USA: ASCD.
Batdi, V. (2017 December). The effect of multiple intelligences on academic achievement: A
meta-analytic and thematic study. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 17(6), 2057-2092.
Brualdi, A.C. (1996, July). Multiple intelligences: Gardner’s theory. Eric digest. Retrieved on August 2,
2019, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED410226. Doi 10.12738
Dinnocenti, S.T. Differentiation: Definition and description for gifted and talented.
Duch, W. (2007). What is Computational Intelligence and what could it become?
Retrieved on August 3, 2017, from http://cogprints.org/5358/1/06-CIdef.pdf
Elrick, L. (2018, August 9). 4 types of learning styles: How to accommodate a diverse
group of students. Retrieved on August 3, 2019, from
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/types-of-learning-styles.
Gardner, H., & Hatch, T. (1989). Multiple intelligences go to school: Educational
implications of the theory of multiple intelligences. Educational Researcher, 18(8),
4-9.

References
Logsdon, A. (2019, June 15). Importance of verbal intelligence. Retrieved on August 3, 2019, from
https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-verbal-intelligence-2162167.
Sener, S. and Cokçalışkan, A. (2018, February 2). An investigation between multiple intelligences and
learning styles. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 6(2), 125-133. Doi: 10.11114
Winarti, A, Yuanita, L., & Nur, M. (2019). The effectiveness of multiple intelligences
based teaching strategy in enhancing the multiple intelligences and science process
skills of junior high school students. The Journal of Technology and Science, 9(2),
122-135. Retrieved on August 3, 2019, from https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.404.

Multiple intelligences: Understanding Your Students

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