Article: Orchestrating Multiple Intelligences

Article 1: What do we know about how kids learn – with or without technology?

Moran, S., M. Kornhaber, & Gardner, H. (2006, September). Orchestrating multiple intelligences. Educational Leadership, 64(1), 23 – 27.

This article was an interesting take on Gardiner’s Multiple Intelligences. It does provide some information for teachers attempting to teach to students who differ across the 9 intelligences. Instead of trying to plan 9 lessons with 9 sets of objectives, Moran et al suggest that teachers create collaborative, content-rich, authentic learning activities. In this way, students are constantly working to use their intelligences for the completion of the assignment. They compensate for each others weaknesses and stretch their own mental muscle. Moran, Kornhaber, and Gardner offer teachers a way to tap into the 9 intelligences without bringing a near-impossible task upon themselves.

A few interesting facts:

1. Using MI theory helps students to “perceive themselves as potentially smart in a number of ways”. I like this idea – especially these days when our heavily tested kids often label themselves “smart” or “dumb” based on standardize scores that only provide information on a limited number of intelligences.

2. The laser and searchlight profiles are an interesting way to look at students’ abilities. Laser profile individuals have one or two really strong intelligences while the other intelligences are less-developed. The searchlight profiles are students who have similar skills in many of the different intelligences. It would be great know which students are in which group – and which profile I fall into!

3. I love the metaphor of a class working together being an “orchestra”. It really points out the benefits each member can reap when each student capitalizes on their strengths for the educational good of the entire class.

This was a nice review of MI Theory (with a new twist, to boot!). In the days of tests, tests, and tests – we are sometimes taken away from sound educational theory – like Multiple Intelligences. It was nice to have this little refresher.