Multiple Intellingence Learning Styles
he theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) produced by Howard Gardner of the Harvard Graduate Education Program and Project Zero should be considered in education because of its practical application in the classroom and its support in recognizing individual strengths in students based on a variety of intelligences. Multiple Intelligences will: foster understanding of the learning process in each of our students, allow students to take a more active role in their education, provide a variety of approaches to learning, provide various individual and interactive activities, allow for the use of various assessment options, and provide assistance to the specific needs of our students.
Gardner says that "although intelligences are not necessarily dependent on each other, these intelligences seldom operate in isolation. Every normal individual possesses varying degrees of each of these intelligences, but the ways in which intelligences combine and blend are as varied as the faces and the personalities of individuals."
The Intelligences are listed below with a link to more detailed information about each intelligence.
| Learners who are strongly: | Think… | Love… | Need… |
| Linguistic | in words | reading, writing, telling stories, playing word games, etc. | books, tapes, writing tools, paper, diaries, dialogue, discussion, debate, stories, etc. |
| Logical-Mathematical | by reasoning | experimenting, questioning, figuring out logical puzzles, calculating, etc. | things to explore and think about, science materials, manipulatives, trips to the planetarium and science museum, etc. |
| Spatial | images and pictures | designing, drawing, visualizing, doodling, etc. | art, LEGOs, video, movies, slides, imagination games, mazes, puzzles, illustrated books, trips to art museums, etc. |
| Bodily Kinesthetic | through somatic sensations | dancing, running, jumping, building, touching, gesturing, etc. | role play drama, movement, things to build, sports and physical games, tactile experiences, hands-on learning, etc. |
| Musical | via rhythms and melodies | singing, whistling, humming, tapping feet and hands, listening, etc. | sing-alongs, trips to concerts, music playing, musical instruments |
| Interpersonal | by bouncing ideas off other people | leading, organizing, relating, manipulating, mediating, partying, etc. | friends, group games, social gatherings, community events, clubs, mentor/apprenticeships |
| Intrapersonal | deeply inside themselves | setting goals, meditating, dreaming, being quiet, planning | secret places, time alone, self-paced projects, choices, etc. |
From Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1994, page 27.
Multiple Intelligence