Differentiated Instruction:

The Implications of Gardener’s Multiple Intelligence

Theory for TEYL

Dr. Zeineb Deymi-Gheriani

April 9, 2020
 Outline
1. Introduction: What is Differentiated Pedagogy

2. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory (MIT)

3. Criticism of MIT

4. Implications of MIT for TEYL

5. Conclusion

6. Further Research

7. References
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 I. Introduction
Differentiated instruction is based on the assumption that

students differ in their learning styles, needs, strengths,

abilities, and types of intelligence. Consequently,

classroom activities should be adapted to meet these

differences.
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 Learning Styles

• Children learn about their world in different ways, using their preferred
learning styles.

• They may be characterized essentially as visual, auditory or kinesthetic

learners.

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What is your favourite learning style?

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 II. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory (MIT)

• Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner saw that  the traditional psychometric

views of intelligence (IQ testing) are too limited.
• The assumption that only those who are good at mathematics and logic are
intelligent is totally wrong!! 
• Intelligence, as defined by Gardner, is the ability to solve problems or
fashion products that are valuable in a certain cultural setting in many
different ways.
• For him, everyone is naturally inclined to at least one of 9 different types of
intelligences and can develop each aspect of intelligence to an average
level of competency (See next slide).
• People are not born with all of the intelligence they will ever have, but rather
Gardner, H. 1983. they acquire and accumulate it throughout life.
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Gardner proposed that there are eight intelligences with the possible addition
of a ninth known as "existentialist intelligence:"

1. Logical/ Mathematical
2. Verbal/ Linguistic
3. Bodily/ Kinesthetic
4. Visual/ Spatial
5. Musical/ Auditory
6. Interpersonal
7. Intrapersonal
8. Naturalsitic
9. Existential
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 1. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
This is the ability usually measured by traditional intelligence tests  (IQ testing)
Characteristics of logical-mathematical intelligence include:
• Having excellent problem-solving skills
• Enjoying thinking about abstract ideas
• Enjoying conducting scientific experiments
• Being good at dealing with numbers and solving
complex computations
• Having the ability to form and test hypothesis
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 2. Linguistic/Verbal Intelligence

Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart) is the capacity

• to use language, your native language, and perhaps other languages
• to use words effectively to express what's on your mind
• to better understand written and spoken words and to understand
other people
• Likely to “invent” own language

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Characteristics of linguistic-verbal intelligence include:

• Being good at remembering written and spoken information

• Enjoying reading and writing
• Being good at debating or giving persuasive speeches
• Being able to explain things well
• Often using humour when telling stories

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 3. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Thinking through physical sensations

It is the unique ability to use one’s body effectively to :

• Communicate with others
• Express emotions
• Create products
• Solve problems

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Characteristics of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence include:

• Being good at dancing and sports

• Enjoying creating and manipulating things with hands
• Being excellent at physical coordination
• Tending to remember by doing, rather than hearing or seeing
They Need

 Role play  Movement  Sports and physical games  Hands-on

learning
 Drama  Things to build  Tactile (touchable) experiences

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 4. Spatial/Visual Intelligence

• It refers to a person's ability to perceive, analyze, and understand visual

information in the world around them. Essentially, they can picture
concepts with their mind's eye.
•People with this learning style tend to think visually and often prefer
learning the same way. 
• Visual artists or successful navigators
often demonstrate this type
of intelligence.
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Characteristics of visual-spatial intelligence include:

• Being good at interpreting pictures, graphs, and charts

• Being able to visualize objects from different angles
• Enjoying drawing, painting, and the visual arts
• Recognizing patterns easily
• Enjoying reading and writing
• Being good map readers
• Being good at putting puzzles together

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 5. Musical/Auditory Intelligence
• It refers to a person's ability to understand and process
sound, rhythm, patterns in sound, relationships between
sounds, and ability to process rhymes and other auditory
information.
• Universal skill valued in all cultures

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Characteristics of musical intelligence include:
• Being able to distinguish the sounds around you
• Recognizing musical patterns and tones easily
• Being good at remembering songs and melodies
• Having rich understanding of musical structure, rhythm, and notes
• Enjoying singing , playing musical instruments, and/or composing
your own melodies even at a young age
• Even if you are only singing a song or making music, you are using
your musical intelligence!

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 6. Interpersonal Intelligence
• Ability to notice details about other people
• Particularly moods, intentions, and motivations

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Characteristics of interpersonal intelligence include:

• Good at communicating verbally

• Skilled at nonverbal communication
• Sees situations from different perspectives
• Creates positive relationships with others
• Good at resolving conflict in groups

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 Activities Enjoyed
• Giving feedback to the teacher or to classmates •Creating  group rules
• Understanding other's feelings •Acting in a play or simulation
• Person-to-person communication •Conducting an interview
• Cooperative learning strategies •Creating "phone buddies" for homework
• Receiving feedback •Sensing others’ motives
• Group projects •Creating  group rules
• Teaching someone else something new
• Learning from someone outside of school
• Other points of view
 7. Intrapersonal Intelligence
• Ability to understand one’s self
• Very perceptive about their own feelings and needs

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Characteristics of intrapersonal intelligence include:

• Being good at analyzing his or her strengths and weaknesses

• Enjoying analyzing theories and ideas
• having excellent self-awareness
• Being able to easily understand the basis for his or her own
motivations and feelings

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Activities Enjoyed
• Solitary learning style
• Prefer individual activities
• Don’t like pair/group work or class debate
• Like writing autobiographies
• Like any activity requiring concentration
• Like meditation and Yoga exercises
• Like any activity requiring Higher-Order Thinking and Reasoning
• Good at goal setting
• Like free-choice time activities
 8. Naturalistic Intelligence
• Appreciation for nature
• Ability to categorize, classify, explain and connect things encountered
in nature

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Characteristics of naturalistic intelligence include:

• Interested in subjects such as botany, biology, and zoology

• Good at categorizing and cataloguing information easily
• May enjoy camping, gardening, hiking, and exploring the
outdoors
• Don’t enjoy learning unfamiliar topics that have no
connection to nature

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Activities Enjoyed:

• Keep a journal of natural observations and compare with others

• Student share and explain a collection of cards, matchbooks,
rocks
• Making a point on taking a field trip to a nature preserve
• Research plants and animals that are indigenous to the country
 9. Existential Intelligence

• Appreciation of spirituality and questions about life

• Ability to explore humane existence in the universe

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 III. Criticism of MIT
• Gardner’s theory has been criticized by both psychologists and
educators.
• These critics argue that Gardner’s definition of intelligence is too broad
and that his eight different "intelligences" simply represent talents,
personality traits, and abilities.
• MIT has been blamed for its lack of supporting empirical research.
• However, MIT still enjoys considerable popularity mainly with
educators.
• Many teachers adopt Gardner’s theory in the preparation of their
lesson plans, in the development of their teaching materials and in
their classroom practice.
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 IV. MIT Implications for TEYL

There is a need for a variety of learning activities

that cater for the learning preferences and

intelligence types of all pupils.

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 For Visual learners

• Show them: videos, films, cartoons, images

(though animated images are better), diagrams,
PPTs, etc.
• Give them opportunities to color!

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 For Auditory Learners
• Give them large input of listening and repeating.

• Tell them stories!

• Listening to songs is the most enjoyable auditory activity!

• Karaoke is the utmost joy for them! They learn new vocabulary with a lot

of fun and without being aware of it!

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 For kinesthetic learners
• Use role-playing strategy when possible.

• Give them opportunities to move,

• to play games,

• to trace

• and to draw (whether on hard paper or even on drawing applications such as Paint).

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 V. Conclusion

• If you succeed in teaching the same material to all

students using a variety of instructional strategies

based on the ability of each, you are applying what

comes to be called differentiated pedagogy!

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The more you diffrentiate your teaching strategies, the more you involve
your students, and the longer and stronger their memories become

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 VI. Further Research Questions (RQs)
• RQ 1: Isn’t differentiated instruction time and energy
consuming for the teacher both in lesson planning and
classroom practice??
• RQ 2: What are the possibilities of differentiation in
assessment??

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 References
• Armstrong, T. (1994). Multiple intelligences in the classroom. Alexandria, VA:
Association Supervision and Curriculum Development.

• British Council. LearnEnglish Kids.

• Cerruti C. (2013). Building a functional multiple intelligences theory to advance

educational neuroscience. Front Psychol, 4(950). doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00950

• Gardner , H. (1983.). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New

York: Basic Books;

• Cherry, K. (2019, July 7). Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Retrieved from
https://www.verywellmind.com/gardners-theory-of-multiple-intelligences-
2795161#citation-2

• Lazear, D. (1999). Multiple intelligence approaches to assessment: Solving the

assessment conundrum. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press.
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Thank you for your attention

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES!