MI in the Classroom

Comprehending Gardner's theories is not the toughest thing about MI. It is taking the theories and applying them to the curriculum and everyday classroom activities.

You've already taken the first step. You know what MI is, and you're ready to implement it in your classroom, but how do you do it?

MI causes you to think about your own learning and teaching strategies. This is the first benefit of studying MI. Once you are conscious of your own learning and teaching strategies, you will become conscious of your students' distinct abilities and learning strengths. This, in turn, will allow you to incorporate different learning types and teaching strategies in your particular curriculum.

At first, incorporating all 8 intelligences into your lessons may seem daunting. Past teachers have admitted that it is at first. But once you are comfortable with your comprehension of MI, you will feel more comfortable teaching with MI strategies.

Here's a tip -- don't always try to teach every lesson 8 different ways. You will burn out, your students will burn out, and MI will end up being another teaching strategy thrown out the window. If you find that you can teach a lesson two different ways -- maybe linguistically and muscially -- just concentrate on those two ways. For the next lesson, incorporate two other intelligences.

Click here for more about incorporating MI in your classroom.