MHA Conference: Multiple Intelligences

The last session at the Minnesota Homeschooler's Alliance conference was my favourite: "Embracing Your Child's Multiple Intelligences".

The speaker for this session was Michele Wolf. She is the founder/president of Intellego Publishing, who create and sell unit studies that are designed to appeal to all learning types. They look pretty nice, actually, and all done in PDF download-able format to keep costs reasonable. If we take a break from "regular" homeschool to do a unit study, we might try one of these. Anyway, she is one smart woman and she knows a LOT (she is currently on the faculty of 4 different universities to prove it!). She used to work in the alternative education field for public schools in the pre-Bush years.

There is almost too much information to type out here, but I'll do my best and then provide the links to the information I have here in my handout sheet.

Here are the types of intelligence according to this research:

verbal/linguistic
logical/mathematical
spatial
musical
kinesthetic
interpersonal
intrapersonal

To determine which you or your child are, you can print out this questionnaire and see which categories you get the most "yes" replies. But if you can, try to ignore the headings so that you don't pre-judge the questions. A lot of us like to think we are something, or have been told we are, etc... If you are doing it with your kids, you can hold the paper and just ask them the questions. Try to do the questionnaire yourself as well, if you are the one teaching your child most of the time. It will give you an idea of where any possible "gaps" exist in the ways you each view the world.

Not every person is going to be super-concentrated in one particular area. There will be one or two that stand out and then a few that are moderate.

I will write out a little blurb here on each of the different intelligences, but for a really thorough history of this area of research and details about each type, go to this link. Everything is there.

VERBAL/LINGUISTIC
- really enjoys books
- remembers more from a radio program than a film
- like puns and word games
- reads the signs and billboards while driving
- this is AUDITORY not VISUAL even though reading is involved

Suggestions for schooling the verbal/linguistic child: lectures, audio files, worksheets, reading, word games, speeches, storytelling, debates, discussions.

LOGICAL/MATHEMATICAL
- can quickly compute numbers in head
- like strategy games like chess
- looks for structure, patterns, sequences
- thinks clearly, non-emotionally
- finds flaws in logic of what people say or do
- high valued in IQ tests
- very curious and analytical

Suggestions for schooling the logical/mathematical child: computer games, charts, graphs, math problems, experiments, critical thinking activities, linear outlining and timelines, logic games, sequential presentation of information.

SPATIAL
- when I close my eyes I see clear visual images
- responsive to colour
- enjoys visual puzzles/games
- vivid dreams
- navigates well in unfamiliar places
- recall visual images easily
- when asked to recall information, looks away for a moment as she/he looks with their mind's eye at their visual image of the info you asked for

Suggestions for schooling the spatially smart child: charts, graphs, movies, films, diagrams, maps, puzzles, construction and building activities, clay models, art activities, drawing and painting, presentations and photo essays, use storyboards and visual displays.

KINESTHETIC
- like sports
- difficult to sit still
- like to work with hands
- gets insight, new ideas when doing something physical
- includes nail biting, mouthing things
- when very young almost all kids *appear* to belong to this category just because they are so active at that age
- well coordinated
- need to touch or hold objects to learn about them

Suggestions for schooling the kinesthetically strong child: opportunities for touching/feeling, creating murals, wall paintings, movement, drama, cooking, gardening, acting out new concepts, role playing, permission to fidget/doodle, taking walks while working through difficult concepts, mimes, skits, hands- on.

MUSICAL
- have a good ear or voice
- knows when musical notes are out of tune
- often has a tune running through head
- not good with rote memorization
- good to remember context and patterns
- can keep time to a piece of music
- often tap, hum, whistle...

Suggestions for schooling the musical child: playing recorded music, concerts, online performances, background noise, mnemonics using song and rhythm, chanting, clapping, tapping, needs to make NOISE!, don't ask them to write a paper, ask them to write a song.

INTERPERSONAL
- prefers team activities and groups
- enjoys social games instead of solo ones
- comfortable in a crowd
- large circle of CLOSE friends
- when troubled, looks for someone to talk to
- likes teaching others what they know

Suggestions for schooling the interpersonal child: discussions, giving feedback, letter writing, group work, interviews, role playing, working with parent, verbal problem solving, teaching material to others; don't hand them a book and tell them to go read alone, it won't work.

INTRAPERSONAL
- spend time reflecting, meditating, thinking
- likes solo hobbies
- realistic view of own strengths and weaknesses
- keeps journal or diary
- intuitive, self aware
- aware of own motivations
- strong sense of who they are

Suggestions for schooling the intrapersonally minded child: encourage personal reflection, individual work, journaling, story telling, autobiographies, free choice, give a personal connection to what they are learning.

Her closing remarks were basically that you should try to remember to teach in such a way that is FUN, interactive and varied. The more ways you can deliver information, the greater the learning. Varied and multisensory activities teach to strengths and develop capacities in areas of relative weakness.

If you are interested by this don't forget the link I posted above (here it is again) because there is a lot more information there that I couldn't get into here. :-)