MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

How to use them in the EFL classroom?

DIDACTIC II

Teacher: Ezia Valenzuela

Student: Priscilla Concha

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MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Intelligence is a biopsychological potential to process information that can be activated in a

cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value to the society.

Gardner is the founder of the MI theory: a learner-based philosophy that characterizes

human intelligence as having multiple dimensions that must be recognized.

The Multiple Intelligences Theory is a cognitive model that seeks to describe how

individuals use their intelligences to solve problems and fashion products” (Armstrong

2000: 12).

According to Gardner (1999) every human possesses eight intelligences whereas the IQ

test (Alfred Binet, 1911) mainly focuseson linguistic and mathematical intelligences. For

this reason teacher tend to focus on these intelligences limiting other possible ways that

students learn.

The author claims that to understand MI theory and its principles because opens up wide

range of poosibilities for helping students learn more effectively and successfully in EFL

classroom

These intelligences are:

LINGUISTIC: An ability to analyze information and create products involving oral and

written language such as speeches, books, and memos.

LOGICAL-MATEMATICAL: An ability to develop equations and proofs, make calculations,

and solve abstract problems.

SPATIAL: An ability to recognize and manipulate large-scale and fine-grained spatial

images.

MUSICAL: An ability to produce, remember, and make meaning of different patterns of

sound.

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NATURALIST: Ability to identify and distinguish among different types of plants, animals,

and weather formations that are found in the natural world.

INTERPERSONAL: An ability to recognize and understand other people’s moods, desires,

motivations, and intention.

INTRAPERSONAL: An ability to recognize and understand his or her own moods, desires,

motivations, and intentions.

KINESTHETIC: An ability to use one’s own body to create products or solve problems.

How and Why to use MI in the EFL classroom?

Tele (2000) points out that students have different ways of learning. The theory of MI

suggests that teacher need to pay attention in those different intelligences in the

classroom and schools, specially spatial, bodly-kinesthetic, musical and naturalist

intelligences that may be have not been successful in linguistic or mathematical issues.

Each person possesses ALL eight intelligences.

Learning strategies: the learner chooses and uses learning strategies that work them.

There are different activities using different strategies:

Words are not enough: movement and involve the senses, colours and sounds. You will

need to have plenty of objects and pictures to work with, this will always helpp the pupils to

learn (Scott and Ytreberg 1990)

Telling jokes in the class: students can create puppets and then tell jokes to their peers.

They also compose a song for the joke and then act out the joke in the classroom, jokes

not only practise language but also encourage children to think” (Brewster, Ellis and

Girard, 2003)

Play with the language: make them to play with the language by making up rhymes,

singing songs, telling stories, etc. The purpose, is that singing stimulate the child’s sense

of humour.

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Cooperation not competition: the theory of MI jis based on Cooperation, because this

avoid prizes, and awards in the class, group the children together whenever and wherever

posible.

Using storybooks: as a way to create an acquisition rich environment and ideal learning

contidions which provide “comprehensible input”, children enjoy listening to stories.

Some examples: Drawing and colouring, Handicrafts, Songs and rhymes, Vocabulary

activities, Dramas, Games.

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References:

http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1405&context=ipp_collection

http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html

http://Iteslj.org/Techniques/Bas-tegratingMultipleIntelligences.html

www.academia.edu/1741669/Using_Multiple_intelligences_in_your_Classroom

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