Abstract & Synthesis

Teaching MI theory is simple because all eight intelligences are linked to things that all children can relate to: words, numbers, pictures, the body, music people, the self, and nature. When describing MI theory, it is best to use simple terms when discussing the eight intelligences so the students can better understand the meaning of each one. Terms such as word smart to define linguistic intelligence, number smart to define logical-mathematical intelligence, picture smart to define spatial intelligence, and so on and so forth. Asking simple questions pertaining to each intelligence helps to build inclusion and makes every student feel intelligent themselves. Simple questions such as "How many of you can do math?" and "How many of you can draw?" are questions that a teacher can pose. Doing activities to introduce the model in real life instances so the students can experience all eight intelligences is a good way to introduce how the intelligences work. For example: having a career day in which people from different professions such as having an editor come in to discuss how he uses "word smart" activities in his job, or a tax accountant to see how he uses his "math smarts" in his area of work is something that could be done. Or going on a field trip and taking students to places in the community where each of the eight intelligences are practiced. The idea is to continue these activities throughout the year to give the students plenty of exposure to familiarize them with MI theory.
Most everyone of my classmates agree that teaching MI theory to students is important as it introduces them to different ways of learning. Through this, students can find the ways they learn best and incorporate it when in school and out in the "real world". It is important to get the students involved in activities that give them experience with each of the eight intelligences so they can get a feel for how they can be used. Keeping MI theory relevant to what goes on in the class helps familiarize the students with the model and keeps them focused on their strengths in learning.