Diane Larsen-Freeman

t 70
Strategies, Cooperative Learning, and Multi/li e Intelligences
Strategies, Cooperative Learning, and Multiple Intelligences 171
4 Mu sical/rhyth mic-c-an a bility ro recognize to na l patterns an d a sensitivity
to rhythm, pitch, melod y
5 Interpersonal- the a bility til und erstand another person 's moods, fed ­
ings. motivat ions, a nd int entions
6 ln rrapcrson al-c-th c a bility to understand o neself and to pract ice selfdiscipline
7 Verbaillinguistic-the ability to use language effec tively and creatively.
W hile eve ryone might possess these seven intelligences, they a rc not
equally developed in anyone individu al. Some teachers feel that they
need to create acnviries that draw o n a ll seven , not only 1O facilita te lan ­
gu age acqu isition among diverse students , but a lso to help them rea lize
their full potential with a ll seven. One way of doing so is to thi nk a bout
the activities that arc frequently used in the class room and to categorize
them according to intelligence type. By being aware of which type of
inte lligence is bei ng tapped by a particular activity, teachers can keep
track of which type they arc emphasizing or neglecting in the classroom
an d aim for a diffe rent representa tion if they so choose. Christison ( 1996)
and Armstron g (1994) give us exa mples of activities that fit eac h type of
intelli gence:
Logica l/mathematical-puzzles and ga mes, logical , seq uentia l presentat
ion s, classifications a nd categorizatio ns
2 Visual/s panal-c-ch arrs a nd grids, videos, d rawing
3 Bod y/k inesthetic- hands-on acti vities, field trips, pantom ime
4 Musical/rhyrhmic-e-singing. pla ying mus ic, jazz chan ts
5 lnterpersonal- pairwork, project work, group problem-solving
6 Intrapl'rslm al-self-evaluation, journal keeping, options for homework
7 Verbal/linguisric-c-note-rakin g, sto ry telling, debates.
A second way to teach from a multiple intelligence per spective is to deliberately
plan lessons so that th e different intelligence s ar c represented .
H ere is one lesson plan, adapted from E. Agosrini," w hich addresses all of
the intelligences:
Srep I-Give students a riddle and ask them to solve it in pair s:
I have eyes. hut I sec nothing. I ha ve cars, but I hea r nothing. I ha ve a
mouth, but I canno t speak. If I am youn g, 1stay you ng; if I a m old, I
stay old. What arn I?
Answe r: A person in a pa int ing or photograph.
(Intellige nces: interperson a l, ver bal/li nguistic]
Step 2-Guided imagery: Tell st ude nts to close their eyes a nd to relax;
then describe a pain ting to them. Ask them to imagine it. Play mus ic
whi le you arc giving the students the descriptio n.
(Intelligences: spat ial/visual intelligence, mu sical)
Step 3-Distribute to each person in a sma ll group a written description
of the sa me pai nting they have JUSt heard described . Each description
is incomplete, however, and no two in the group are quire the
same. For example, o ne description has certain words missing; the others
have different words missi ng. T he students work together with the
other members oftheir group to f ill in the missing words so that they all
end up with a complete description of the pa inting.
(Intelligences: interperson al, verbal/linguistic)
Step 4- Ask the groups to create a tableau of the pai nting by acting out
the description.
(Intelligence: body/kincsrhcric]
, Ba'l.·o OilE1l1;1Il1lel;1AAOSlini's 1':1'017 TESOI. Italy's pre,enf;llion, 'Seven Easy I'i