Chapter 6: MI and Teaching Strategies

This chapter offers a wide array of teaching strategies which suit the multiple intelligences. Although many of them are widely used, the book offers solutions which help to recapture the interest of the students. While writing on the board and raising hands are methods used in many classrooms, it is nice to consider the many ways that we can restructure these ideas. For instance, instead of having students raise their hands, a great method is to have them instead raise fingers to rate their understanding. If a student does not understand a concept, they may raise one finger, yet if they feel they have mastered the concept, they would hold up five fingers. Not only does this allow the teacher to gain an idea of where the student stands, but it also shows the student that the teacher cares where a student stands in regards to a topic. The chapter encourages branching out beyond their own comfort zone and considering methods of incorporating all intelligences into every content area. We are given the statistic that “up to 95 percent of adults lack a fundamental knowledge of scientific vocabulary and demonstrate a poor understanding of the impact of science in the world” (Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom 55). Aside from all other reasons, knowing that adults have become nearly incompetent in regards to science frightens me and creates a desire to help students by incorporating science into my own content area. Along those lines, this chapter helps teachers of every content area by providing countless methods of creative incorporation.