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Using Multiple Intelligences in Testing and Assessment

Page 1 of 2 Although Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (MI) is over a decade old, teachers are still trying to find the best way to use this theory to assess students with different styles of learning and varied academic strengths. Multiple Intelligences shape the way students understand, process, and use information. Gardner groups student capabilities into eight broad categories (each student's unique learning style is a combination of these intelligences): Logical/mathematical (uses numbers effectively) Visual/spatial (is artistically or spatially perceptive) Bodily/kinesthetic (excels at tasks that require physical movement) Musical (perceives and/or expresses musical forms and patterns) Linguistic (uses words effectively) Interpersonal (responds well to others) Intrapersonal (is reflective and inner-directed) Naturalist (makes distinctions in the natural world)

Since no single approach to teaching and assessment can possibly work best for every student, teachers face a challenge. What's the best way to match assessments to students' learning styles? Assessing Multiple Intelligences Of course, assessment should reflect the diversity of intelligences and learning styles in your classroom. For example, students who are good at spatial learning might not display the full range of their knowledge on an essay test. In fact, traditional testing methods are inherently biased in favor of students with strong linguistic and mathematical skills. Advocates of MI theory suggest that teachers supplement their traditional assessment methods with assessment strategies that evaluate student progress in an inclusive, meaningful way. So, how can you use the theory of multiple intelligences to assess student achievement in your classroom? The MI approach to testing is closely related to authentic assessment. This approach enables students to demonstrate the depth of their understanding, connect their classwork to real-life experiences, and apply their knowledge to new situations. MI theorists offer the following tips: Emphasize ongoing assessment and progress. Continue to ask if and how students have improved their skills. Introduce assessment to your students as a regular part of classroom life. Make assessment a part of the learning process, not a stressful, intimidating "event." Try to use instruments, tools, and procedures that embrace some, if not all, of the multiple intelligences.

Use a wide range of assessment tools to measure students' skills and abilities. Give lots of feedback!

Using Multiple Intelligences in Testing and Assessment

Page 2 of 2 Build Your Own Assessment Repertoire To create successful assessment strategies, familiarize yourself with your students' individual learning styles. Knowing how your students learn best can help you choose approaches that will reach them most effectively. Here are some specific strategies that can make assessment productive and fun: Linguistic Ask students to write in a journal regularly. Give oral exams and/or essay tests. Emphasize creative writing have students write poems, plays, and stories.

Logical/Mathematical Assign science labs and experiments. Have students complete logic problems and games.

Bodily/Kinesthetic Challenge students to write and perform plays. Have students build models or use other hands-on techniques to show what they learned.

Visual/Spatial Invite students to create collages, murals, and posters. Encourage students to illustrate their ideas using maps, charts, and graphs. Help students use school equipment to make a video or slide show.

Interpersonal Stage a classroom debate. Have students work collaboratively to brainstorm and prepare a project.

Intrapersonal Ask students to identify their own academic strengths and weaknesses. Have students think of personal goals and give progress reports.

Musical Challenge students to identify and explain patterns in music or poetry.

Ask students to write new lyrics to familiar melodies or to compose a new song.

Naturalist Ask students to keep environmental journals and to share their observations. Invite students to lead classmates on a nature walk to point out interesting plants and animals they found during independent study.

Note that many of these assessment strategies evaluate more than one kind of intelligence. You can use strategies like these and other combinations of projects, performances, and portfolios to assess students' progress. There is no "right" way to use multiple intelligences in testing and assessment. You don't have to overhaul your whole curriculum. But you can make an effort to address each student's strengths and weaknesses by using creative alternatives to traditional testing in your classroom.

Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire

Page 1 of 2 Multiple Intelligences is the theory, created by Howard Gardner, that every person excels at a different type of learning. For an in-depth explanation of the theory, read the Multiple Intelligences Overview. Use the following checklist to determine which intelligence each of your students possesses. Send it home to parents so they can better understand how their child functions and learns in the classroom. Then, check out our other Multiple Intelligences Resources. Linguistic Intelligence Does your child: Enjoy listening to other people talking? Get annoyed with people who use improper English? (for example, He don't know the answer.) Like to learn new words? Give good directions to others so that they understand the first time? Like to tell stories? Enjoy reading books? Have a good memory for names, dates, and trivia?

If this sounds familiar, then your child might someday write a bestseller or become fluent in four languages. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence Does your child: Like to work with computers and calculators? Enjoy math class? Easily add numbers in her head? Enjoy doing science experiments? Ask a lot of questions about how things work?

Enjoy chess, checkers, or other strategy games? Enjoy logic puzzles or brainteasers?

If so, then your child could one day design sky-scrapers or program computers. Spatial intelligence Does your child: Prefer to draw pictures rather than tell stories? Find her way around a new place easily? Like to take things apart and then try to figure out how to put them back together? Read maps, charts, or diagrams more easily than text? Daydream more than peers? Build interesting three-dimensional constructions (like LEGO buildings)? Doodle a lot on notebooks?

If this is your child, then she could grow up to paint a masterpiece or fix car engines. Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence Does your child: Find activities like riding a bicycle, skating, or walking on a balance beam easy? Use a lot of hand gestures and body movement when talking to friends? Run, swim, and exercise without getting tired? Learn to play new sports easily and quickly? Like to touch something she has just seen? Report different physical sensations while thinking or working? Cleverly mimic other people's gestures or mannerisms? Move, tap, or fidget while seated for a long time in one spot?

If yes, then your child could develop into an expert skier or someone who amuses her friends with hilarious impersonations

Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire

Page 2 of 2 Musical Intelligence Does your child: Enjoy playing a musical instrument? Listen to music a lot? Hum or sing a lot? Cheer herself up with songs when she is sad? Tell you when music sounds off-key? Have a good singing voice? Remember the melodies of songs?

If this is your child, then she may one day conduct a symphony or play in a steel drum band. Interpersonal Intelligence Does your child: Like to work and play with other kids? Understand how friends are feeling by looking at their faces? Have two or more close friends? Give advice to friends who have problems? Have a good sense of empathy or concern for others? Seem to be street-smart? Seem to be a natural leader on teams?

If you answered yes to most of these, your child might become someone's favorite teacher or the CEO of a big company. Intrapersonal Intelligence Does your child: Often need a quiet place to work or just be alone? Like to make collections of things that have special meaning to her? Remember her dreams? Display a sense of independence or strong will? Have a realistic sense of her strengths and weaknesses? Have an interest or hobby that she doesn't talk much about? Accurately express how she is feeling?

Sound familiar? Then your child could someday write great poetry or resist negative peer pressure and do the right thing for herself. Naturalist Intelligence Does your child: Enjoy collecting bugs, flowers, or rocks? Like to closely examine what she finds in nature? Keep detailed records of her observations of nature? Like to watch natural phenomena like the moon and the tides and hear explanations about them? Become fascinated with one particular thing from nature and want to learn about it thoroughly? Want to become a geologist, biologist, or some other type of scientist?

If your answer is yes, then your child could become an expert on paleontology or discover new ways to save the whales. Read more on TeacherVision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/intelligence/teachingmethods/3678.html#ixzz1tklpyE7X Read more on TeacherVision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/intelligence/teachingmethods/3678.html#ixzz1tklkBNNv

Read more on TeacherVision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/intelligence/resource/4933.html#ixzz1tkkGrQdU Read more on TeacherVision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/intelligence/resource/4933.html#ixzz1tkk6EOmZ

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TEST Where does your true intelligence lie? This quiz will tell you where you stand and what to do about it. Read each statement. If it expresses some characteristic of yours and sounds true for the most part, jot down a "T." If it doesn't, mark an "F." If the statement is sometimes true, sometimes false, leave it blank. 1. _____ I'd rather draw a map than give someone verbal directions. 2. _____ I can play (or used to play) a musical instrument. 3. _____ I can associate music with my moods. 4. _____ I can add or multiply in my head. 5. _____ I like to work with calculators and computers. 6. _____ I pick up new dance steps fast. 7. _____ It's easy for me to say what I think in an argument or debate. 8. _____ I enjoy a good lecture, speech or sermon. 9. _____ I always know north from south no matter where I am. 10. _____ Life seems empty without music. 11. _____ I always understand the directions that come with new gadgets or appliances. 12. _____ I like to work puzzles and play games. 13. _____ Learning to ride a bike (or skates) was easy. 14. _____ I am irritated when I hear an argument or statement that sounds illogical.

15. _____ My sense of balance and coordination is good. 16. _____ I often see patterns and relationships between numbers faster and easier than others. 17. _____ I enjoy building models (or sculpting). 18. _____ I'm good at finding the fine points of word meanings. 19. _____ I can look at an object one way and see it sideways or backwards just as easily. 20. _____ I often connect a piece of music with some event in my life. 21. _____ I like to work with numbers and figures. 22. _____ Just looking at shapes of buildings and structures is pleasurable to me. 23. _____ I like to hum, whistle and sing in the shower or when I'm alone. 24. _____ I'm good at athletics. 25. _____ I'd like to study the structure and logic of languages. 26. _____ I'm usually aware of the expression on my face. 27. _____ I'm sensitive to the expressions on other people's faces. 28. _____ I stay "in touch" with my moods. I have no trouble identifying them. 29. _____ I am sensitive to the moods of others. 30. _____ I have a good sense of what others think of me. Top of page

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE SCORING SHEET Place a check mark by each item you marked as "true." Add your totals. A total of four in any of the categories A through E indicates strong ability. In categories F and G a score of one or more means you have abilities as well.

A Linguistic

B LogicalMathematical

C M usical

D Spatial

E BodilyKinesthetic

F Intrapersonal

G Interpersonal

7 ___ 8 ___ 14___ 18 ___ 25 ___

4 ___ 5 ___

12 ___
16 ___ 21 ___ ____

2 ___ 3 ___ 10 ___ 20 ___ 23 ___ ____

1 ___ 9 ___ 11___ 19___ 22___ ____

6 ___ 13 ___ 15 ___ 17 ___ 24 ___ ____

26 ___ 28 ___

27 ___ 29 ___ 30 ___

Totals:

____

____

____

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The Seven Multiple Intelligences in Children

Children who are strongly: Linguistic Think Love reading, writing, telling stories, playing word games, etc. Need

LogicalMathematical

Spatial

BodilyKinesthetic

Musical

Interpersonal Intrapersonal

books, tapes, writing tools paper diaries, dialogues, discussion, debate in words stories things to explore and think about, experimenting, science materials, manipulatives, by reasoning questioning, figuring out trips to the planetarium and science puzzles, calculating, etc. museum art, LEGOs, video, movies, slides, designing, drawing, in images imagination games, mazes, puzzles, visualizing, doodling, and pictures illustrated books, trips to art etc. museums role play, drama, movement, things through dancing, running, to build, sports and physical games, somatic jumping, building, tactile experiences, hands-on sensations touching, gesturing, etc. learning singing, whistling, via rhythms sing-along time, trips to concerts, humming, tapping feet and music playing at home and school, and hands, listening, melodies musical instruments etc.. by bouncing leading, organizing, friends, group games, social ideas off relating, manipulating, gatherings, community events, clubs, other people mediating, partying, etc. mentors/apprenticeships deeply setting goals, secret places, time alone, self-paced

inside themselves

meditating, dreaming, being quiet,

projects, choices

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