Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

258 Pages·2009·1.97 MB·English

by  Thomas Armstrong

Education
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Thomas Armstrong, an educator and psychologist, is the author of four other L MULTIPLE
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books by ASCD: Awakening Genius in the Classroom (1998), ADD/ADHD
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Alternatives in the Classroom (1999), The Multiple Intelligences of Reading and
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Writing (2003), and The Best Schools: How Human Development Research Should E IntEllIgEncEs

Inform Educational Practice (2006). I
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L i n t h e C l a s s r o o m
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“To respect the many differences between people”—this is what Howard
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Gardner says is the purpose of learning about multiple intelligences N
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(MI) theory, which holds that the human mind is composed of eight
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intelligences—linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, S

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musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic—plus a possible n

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ninth (existential). This updated 3rd edition of Multiple Intelligences in the h
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Classroom, Thomas Armstrong’s bestselling practical guide for educators,
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includes two new chapters that address the worldwide reach of MI and l
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rebut some common criticisms of the theory. s
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This new edition includes updated information and resources through- m
out the text to help educators at all levels apply MI theory to curriculum
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development, lesson planning, assessment, special education, cognitive rd
skills, educational technology, career development, educational policy, and E
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more. The book includes dozens of practical tips, strategies, and examples i
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from real schools and districts. Armstrong provides tools, resources, and o
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ideas that educators can immediately use to help students of all ages
achieve their fullest potential in life.
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$25.95 U.S. r
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Alexandria, Virginia USA
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Copyright © 2009 by Thomas Armstrong. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Armstrong, Thomas.
Multiple intelligences in the classroom / Thomas Armstrong. — 3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4166-0789-2 (pkb.: alk. paper)
1. Teaching. 2. Cognitive styles. 3. Learning. 4. Multiple intelligences. I. Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development. II. Title.
LB1025.3.A76 2009
370.15'23—dc22
2009000377
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
3rd Edition
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
in the classroom
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Preface by Howard Gardner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction to the 3rd Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
1. The Foundations of MI Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
2. MI Theory and Personal Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
3. Describing Intelligences in Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
4. Teaching Students About MI Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
5. MI Theory and Curriculum Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
6. MI Theory and Teaching Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
7. MI Theory and the Classroom Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
8. MI Theory and Classroom Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
9. The MI School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
10. MI Theory and Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
11. MI Theory and Special Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
12. MI Theory and Cognitive Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
13. Other Applications of MI Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
14. MI Theory and Existential Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
15. MI Theory and Its Critics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
16. MI Theory Around the Globe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Appendixes
A. Related MI Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
B. Related Books on MI Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
C. Examples of MI Lessons and Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
v

Acknowledgments
Many people have helped make this book possible. First, I thank Howard
Gardner, whose generous support of my work over the years has helped fuel
my continued involvement in MI theory. I also want to thank Mert Hanley,
former director of the Teaching/Learning Center in the West Irondequoit
School District in upstate New York, for encouraging me to write a book for
teachers on multiple intelligences and for providing me with the opportu-
nity to work with several school districts in the Rochester, New York, area.
Over a period of four years in those districts, I tried out many of the ideas
in this book. Thanks also to the following individuals who helped in different
ways to give form to Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom in one or more of
its three editions: Ron Brandt, Sue Teele, David Thornburg, Chris Kunkel,
Branton Shearer, Tom Hoerr, Jo Gusman, Jean Simeone, Pat Kyle, DeLee
Lanz, Peggy Buzanski, Dee Dickinson, and my wife, Barbara Turner. I also
want to thank Nancy Modrak, Scott Willis, Carolyn Pool, Julie Houtz, and the
rest of the staff at ASCD for making this 3rd edition of Multiple Intelligences
in the Classroom possible. Working with the wonderful people in the ASCD
book department has been one of the literary and educational joys of my
life. I encourage other educators who feel that they have a book inside of
vii
viii Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom
them to consider publishing with ASCD—go to www.ascd.org for submis-
sion guidelines. Finally, my special appreciation goes out to the thousands
of teachers, administrators, and students who responded to the ideas and
strategies presented in these pages: This book has been created in recogni-
tion of the rich potential that exists in each of you.
Preface
In addition to my own writings, there are now a number of guides to the
theory of multiple intelligences, written by my own associates at Harvard
Project Zero and by colleagues in other parts of the country. Coming from a
background in special education, Thomas Armstrong was one of the first
educators to write about the theory. He has always stood out in my mind
because of the accuracy of his accounts, the clarity of his prose, the broad
range of his references, and the teacher-friendliness of his tone.
Now he has prepared the book that you hold in your hands for members
of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Displaying
the Armstrong virtues that I have come to expect, this volume is a reliable
and readable account of my work, directed particularly to teachers, admin-
istrators, and other educators. Armstrong has also added some nice touches
of his own: the notion of a “paralyzing experience,” to complement Joseph
Walters’ and my concept of a “crystallizing experience”; the suggestion to
Howard Gardner is Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education and codirector of Project Zero at
the Harvard Graduate School of Education and adjunct professor of neurology at the Boston Uni-
versity School of Medicine. He is the author of Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences
(Basic Books, 1983/1993), Multiple Intelligence: The Theory in Practice (Basic Books, 1993), Intelli-
gence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century (Basic Books, 1999), and Multiple Intelli-
gences: New Horizons (Basic Books, 2006).
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