MI Chapters 7, 9, 13, 14

Chapters 7, 9, 13, and 14 of Multiple Intelligences focus on showing teachers how to create a classroom environment that is flexible and accepting to all learning styles. They expresses how important it is for educators to have extensive knowledge of the eight different intelligences and to make their students aware of them too. The best way to do this is to incorporate knowledge of different learning styles into the curriculum. Teachers need to be aware of how many different learning styles their lessons can accommodate, and make changes to their methods where necessary. Embracing multiple intelligences in the classroom is all about adaptability, and teachers need to be open to things like activity centers and student choice as ways to encourage learning. The topic of MI schools was also addressed, with the goal being total immersion in multiple intelligence-supporting curriculum and methods. Schools with this very targeted approach place a lot of emphasis on students being able to experience each of the different intelligences every day, and that they have the right as students to do so. The book also addresses practical applications of MI theory, such as with career choice and technology usage. The element of universality in multiple intelligence learning is also discussed, with the point being that everyone has different strengths and skills that are an asset to life outside of the classroom. Chapter 14 talks about Howard Gardner’s proposed ninth intelligence and raises questions about how to adapt potentially controversial material into content that is acceptable for everyone.

Learning about the different ways to apply multiple intelligence theory in the classroom is very useful to me as a future teacher. The thought of finding ways to incorporate each of the eight intelligences into my curriculum is a very daunting task, and there is a lot of pressure because messing up results in wasting precious time to educate a student. But the tenets of multiple intelligence theory – flexibility, adaptability, hands-on learning – are all traits that teachers should strive for anyway. As a teacher I will try to be all of these things, because accommodating for different learning styles is of the utmost importance. Something the author said in Chapter 9 really stood out to me; on page 129, the author says that we have to be careful not to create an education system where we exploit students’ strongest intelligences to pigeonhole them into the sector of society that we see fit. Multiple intelligence theory is all about equality and acceptance, and creating a ranking system of different intelligences is not something that would accomplish these goals. As a teacher I want to strive to have a classroom where there is no longer a boundary between the “smart” kids and the “dumb” kids. Teachers need to learn to appreciate the different strengths of their students, and so do the students themselves. The best way for this to happen is for teachers to integrate acceptance of multiple intelligences into their curriculum, and that is something that I am determined to do as an educator.