Draw on the multiple intelligences to develop every child's literacy skills in new ways |
By Kristen Nicholson-Nelson Perhaps you've taught a child who is a genius on the athletic field, moving with elegance and grace, or a child who excels at playing the saxophone. Yet, strengths and intelligence aren't always this simple and discrete. In reality, children are complex and highly individualistic. Susie, for example, is an excellent math student. But no student who excels in math sits down to tackle an assignment and uses only her or his math-logic intelligence. Susie achieves by drawing on the rich resources of her multiple intelligences, or different learning styles. She uses intrapersonal intelligence when she realizes that she needs a quiet place to do the math. And when she comes to a difficult problem, she uses interpersonal intelligence by asking the right person in the right way for assistance. Word problems draw upon her verbal-linguistic intelligence. Geometry and graphs require her to use spatial intelligence. Therefore, we can't label Susie as a math-logic-intelligent student but as an intelligent student. My desire to avoid separating intelligences was bolstered upon hearing a 1995 speech given by Howard Gardner, Ph.D., the Harvard professor who developed the multiple intelligences theory. He spoke about the importance of recognizing that students need all the intelligences, interacting with one another, to achieve genuine understanding. With this in mind, I set out to develop a classroom environment that would help students see themselves as wonderful amalgamations of different intelligences. More Than One Way to Be Smart There are now eight recognized types of intelligence-math-logic, verbal-linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and naturalistic (the latter recently added to the list by Gardner). As individuals, students bring all the intelligences to bear upon their daily activities, although each person has distinct areas of strength. Knowing where students' natural talents and interests lie may help us tailor lessons to their particular way of seeing the world, as well as introduce them to fresh, creative ways of approaching a subject. Use the chart at the end of this article, "Eight Ways of Being Smart," as a reproducible guide-to refer to and share with colleagues and parents. It should help you become sensitive to each individual's preferred learning style. The following are ideas for activities and strategies to develop literacy skills through the multiple intelligences. For the majority of my students, these techniques have opened doors to the world of language. Primary Literacy Strategies Body-Smart • Have students write before reading. Music-Smart • Recite simple poems and rhythmic, repetitive stories. Picture-Smart • Have students use rulers or strips of paper to underline what they're reading. Number-Smart • Make dice with letters on them instead of dots. Use them to play letter and sound games. Word-Smart • Provide language experiences by writing down stories as children tell them to you. Read them aloud and encourage students to read them back to you. People-Smart • Encourage partners, groups, or the entire class to read aloud together. Self-Smart • Provide a quiet, cozy reading corner. Intermediate Literacy Strategies Bodily-Kinesthetic • Challenge youngsters to act out the story. Spatial • Have students keep a long-term collage on a bulletin board to add to as the story progresses. Musical • Play music that has a tone that relates to a story children have just read in class. Verbal-Linguistic • Have each student write a summary of a story. Mathematical-Logical • Ask pupils questions in the form of syllogisms: "If , then ?" Interpersonal • Host reading parties in the classroom. Intrapersonal • Designate private and comfortable reading nooks in the classroom. Awakening the Multiple Intelligences By incorporating multiple intelligences methods in all your lesson plans, you can improve students' skills across the curriculum. Employing these strategies will often benefit all the children in the class-not just those whose particular talents and strengths are being addressed that day. Awakening your students to the multiple intelligences broadens their understanding and presents them with fresh, innovative problem-solving techniques and insights. Children develop an awareness of their own strengths and interests and discover that there isn't always one way to learn. The traditional Chinese adage "Let a hundred flowers bloom" is a wonderful theme for the use of multiple intelligences theory in your classroom. Begin slowly, find what works for you and your students, then stand back and breathe in the fragrance of your beautiful, blooming flowers. Eight Ways of Being Smart
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