Action Reach Project 1

Chapter 10: Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

As a culinary instructor, I have the opportunity to implement many diverse instructional

techniques that apply to varying types of intelligences. I am going to outline a unit that

demonstrates various types of instruction that applies to various learners in relation to Gardner’s

Multiple Intelligences Theory.

Logical-Mathematical. The second unit in our foods and nutrition course establishes the

foundations of equivalents, abbreviations and cooking terms found in the culinary world. I have

my students practice basic fractions that they would find in the kitchen.

Intrapersonal. At the beginning of each class period, I provide a bell quiz. Typically, the

quiz questions recall information that we discussed in the previous class period. Additionally, I

will have some questions that are reflective of their own personal goals or hopes for the class.

Each student may be called upon to answer the questions.

Spatial. To help my students understand the proper measuring techniques in the kitchen,

during this unit, I usually demonstrate a similar recipe that they will be performing in class. If it

is something that will take more time than we have or just to solidify the proper methods, I will

show a video clip explaining the process.

Interpersonal. I divide my students up into lab groups once they are ready to work in the

kitchen. I assign one member of the group to be the “manager” of the kitchen. The manager is

responsible for assigning lab group responsibilities to each person in the group. After a lab day,

the manager is also responsible for completing the lab sheet that has a reflection page and they

also get to grade their peers on their work and participation.

 Bodily-kinesthetic Interpersonal. During this unit, I do a project known as the “Mystery

Lab.” The object is for students to become familiar with on how to follow a recipe. I assign lab

groups and each student is a apart of the process of measuring, combining and creating a final

product. They also play a role in the clean up process as well.

Linguistic and Musical. These two types of intelligences are tied together in this unit. I

have an assignment at the end of the unit to help them integrate the information that we have

gone over into a song. I give two options of songs that I have selected and they are to rewrite the

lyrics in their lab groups. After they have completed rewriting the lyrics, they perform their song

with a karaoke accompaniment in front of the class with their lab group. The musically inclined

students love this assignment and cheer on their group. You can see the other who painfully

endures this assignment. Overall, it is one that they mostly enjoy.

I can readily see how this action research project using Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

matches up pretty well with this second unit in my foods and nutrition course. Each intelligence

speaks to a variety of learners and it becomes a great foundation for the rest of the semester.