MI in the Classroom

Setting up eight different centers is a good way to incorporate every intelligence into a lesson. For example, for a lesson about photosynthesis, a student could read about it at the linguistic center; watch the process, conduct experiments, and discuss it in a group (logical and interpersonal); explain how it fits into the grand scheme of nature (naturalist); create a sequence of movements to describe the process (bodily-kinesthetic); make up a rap about photosynthesis (musical); map out the stages (visual-spatial); and finally describe what learning about photosynthesis has meant to you, what previous knowledge you can connect it with, and identify what intelligence helped you learn the most about photosynthesis (intrapersonal). Sounds like a lot of work for the teacher, but MI teachers say that it starts to come naturally very quickly.

Another way of incorporating MI into lessons is to change up the intelligences weekly. Ask students to do their homework musically for one week and visually the next. Have musical reviews and design shows during the week so students can ‘turn in’ homework. Then one week have students pick what kind of intelligence they would like to use to do their homework.