Gardner's multiple intelligences and differentiated language instruction approaches

Gardner's Seven Intelligences - Implications for Differentiated Language Instructions in the Classroom

Multiple intelligence theory, found by Howard Gardner, had created a challenge, as well as a hole to fix in classroom practical approaches. Previously, public only related and judged intelligence from one's ability to perform mathematic aspect, ability to memorize. Even schools commonly assess students' intelligence and put grades based on these types. In fact, human brain is more complex and each person develops unique approach in learning.

Gardner's Multiple-Intelligence Theory

Gardner had developed different conception against intelligence, which he believed to be integration of all elements of human thinking skills or one's capability to "solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural setting" (Gardner & Hatch, 1989 as cited in Brualdi, 1996). Within this definition, human should see intelligence as an active effort of human brain to contribute various aspects while thinking and analyzing a problem. The definition brought Gardner to enlist the different facets of intelligence (Brualdi, 1996):

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: This type of intelligence allows human to understand numbers, computing, logical reasoning, deduction, and detecting pattern or repeated step in process. It is common that schools emphasize on this intelligence on mathematics learning. This is also where students often get assessment on the intelligence.

Linguistic Intelligence: With this intelligence, human has the capability to recognize verbal expression, as revealed through words in one or more languages, and produce and use language in control to deliver and recall information, which sometimes involves certain style and artistic manipulation.

Spatial Intelligence: Human has the ability to perform "mental image" to see a situation, make picture of it and use it to analyze, relate it with the existing knowledge and find solution to respond or solve the problem. Mental picture has wide range of variation depending on the person's experience and knowledge.

Musical Intelligence: Human has used his/her auditory sense to recognize sound, voice, music, rhythm, tones, song, and read the meanings or relate it to the existing knowledge. Human is also capable to produce such features. Even people whose auditory function does not work properly can still recognize rhythm.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: Human brain has full control to body movement and muscle control of some parts of the body and manipulate them to accomplish tasks of a purpose. Somehow mind and body are connected and human can show the integration of both factors in the daily behavior.

The Personal Intelligences: Human is born to bear the individual function and to become a part of society. In this case, human has the capability to use the feeling, recognize others' feelings, and in relation with that, human is capable in performing intra-personal and interpersonal relationship.

From the definitions above, human brain turns to be a complicated feature. One type of intelligence most likely interacts with the others. It is not common that a single type of intelligence operates alone when human receives the stimulation from the environment and from other human. The multiple intelligences generally work together and contribute different aspects to recognize the responds and analyze things. As the result of the process, human can develop the pattern of the stimulation, find out how the stimulation is going to affect him/her, and what best respond he/she can build towards it.

In terms of learning, human brain develops physically and functionally. The multiple intelligences present and grow as the person undergoes the learning process through experiences and interactions. It is possible that each aspect of intelligence does not follow the same pattern and the same speed to develop, but they certainly develop significantly as appropriate stimulants are given to each aspect. For example, one may have been able to speak and use language well as he/she was exposed to the language circumstances in one part of his/her life, but he/she doesn't recognize music/sound pattern as there was no exposure before and no previous experience related to this subject.

However, when those different intelligences grow, they grow to complete each other. In one advanced step, human may be able to seek his/her own type of learning to accommodate his/herself through one or more types of intelligence.

C. Designing Instructions

Instructional variation is encouraged in class that students can get different options to receive and understand the content of teacher's presentation. For instance, for a single subject, teacher can present information using lecture, visual aids, demonstration, workshop, or outdoor lessons. Teacher should also allow students to have options on the way they will express the understanding in their task, such as delivering presentation, writing paper, taking pictures, interviewing people, making movies, and so on (Florez, 1998).

Differentiated instruction is one way to incorporate multiple-intelligence learning in for classroom use. Teacher should design the materials so that students can use available source from their environment to get deeper, more creative ways of learning.

Theisen in Differentiated Instruction in the Foreign Language Classroom: Meeting the Diverse Needs of All Learners explained, differentiation instruction regards each learner as a unique person with exclusive capability that no one else had. Teacher can use different phrases and different examples when explaining instruction to the students. A student may grasp verbal instruction once the teacher reads it out, but others may require deeper explanation with charts, diagrams, and sample pictures. Variety of complication, options on how they can approach their lessons give students chance to learn more about the subject as they see the problem several times from different angles. In this way, each student can reach maximum result the way they prefer to take.

Theisen also revealed that differentiation could be made in curricular elements:

Content: Content can be differentiated to suffice students with enough input about the lesson. By the end of the lesson, students need to understand the concept of the subject. Teacher chooses content variations based on learners' learning profile and gives activities ranging from the simple instruction (for students that take longer time to understand instruction) to complex one (for students that understand instruction quickly, as challenging matter.

Process: Students will acquire knowledge and skills from teacher's presentation through building self-recognition and building their own pattern for learning. Teacher can help the process by giving the medium to practice their skills such as using group work, observation, reading, etc. Students have many different media to access the same information.

Product: After stimulating their mind with various input and analysis, students should be able to demonstrate their ability or understanding about the subject. Again, various instructional activities is encouraged, as students can show they understand through the activity they are familiar with or something they enjoy, ranging e. g. from singing, speaking through writing.

Differentiation itself is important, as students can suit learning to the "readiness, interests, and learning profile." Students do not always understand subject instantly. Some need more time than the others, but it doesn't mean they are less intelligent than the others. So, interest is another important point, as students can choose the way they would learn without having to keep on to one method. Learning profile is the basic map on student's intelligence. Teacher should examine this to provide appropriate learning sources, guidance to accommodate the unique style.

Choosing the appropriate language for giving instructions becomes critical. Instructions that supports students in achieving their objective should meet the following criteria:

Clear, concise, understandable for every learner.

Simple, with one task to complete at a time. In advanced degree, learners may have developed how they can combine all capabilities to analyze problem, produce correct expression to describe or make statement about the problem, propose solution, and finally employ style, diction, vocabulary and capability to present arguments or persuasive skills to convince others about his/her thoughts.

Should state the time range when the assignment should be completed.

Should relate it to typical everyday encounters, so that the lesson makes students realize how they will use it in their daily life and contribute to the whole intelligence aspects as a person.

Should address one aspect of intelligence at a time, especially for students with lower competence. In other occasion, instruction may address two or more functions/aspects of intelligence, for example involving analytical or critical thinking toward a problem.

When teachers provide the class with supportive environment, by giving attention to students' preference during the learning process, students find the new atmosphere of learning. Instead of liking and detesting particular subjects, students would be able to see globally what they are learning and how it will affect their life, and later work on details to increase the quality of their learned subject. This means students learn "positively" (Florez, 1998).

In the practice, teachers should always have the seven intelligences fundamentals in mind when designing classroom instructions to accommodate the students. However, process and results may vary in each classroom. The classroom teacher should understand the special instruction he/she designs for particular student/s, monitor the process (although the students may undergo different methods, and later integrate the overall learning session to accomplish classroom's goal of the day (Hoerr, 2003).

For example, using authentic materials in a language class, like local maps, newspaper pictures, brochures, documentary movies, or inviting volunteer of local sources, the teacher asks students to identify the best and the worst eating places in town and describe them to the class by the end of the lesson. To give them guidance on types of description, especially for lower level or foreign language students (like EFL classes), teacher can give them list of hints in questions that will help them providing the information, like how they like/dislike the place, the interior design, the waiters, the other visitors, safety, and other facts.

The process can turn to be fascinating, as the students would be exploring their intelligence to exchange information, talk with peers in groups (personal intelligence), make judgments, choosing (spatial intelligence), draw conclusion (logical-mathematics intelligence), choosing the best words to describe the atmosphere (linguistic intelligence), and perhaps drawing (bodily-kinesthetic intelligence).

As the assessment, students can present their descriptions. The teacher can see how every person has fulfilled the task in different styles and performances. Usually they like to use drawings, sketches, pictures, and of course enthusiasm during their presentation.

Presenting the best restaurant involves a lot of fun. Students like to list the items from the food to the live music to rate the restaurants. Some of them may like showing the sketch of the building designs, and tell how the place has unique showcase. In this case, students experience the way English (or the subject language) is used in architecture terms.

For the worst restaurant description, some students may address the problem from logical analysis; for example, the hygiene is not quite satisfactory because the restaurant doesn't have strict sanitary check and the equipments need replacement, or because it is located near a landfill. Others may attempt to describe the socioeconomic problem is the cause of such bad places. They may use articulate terminology to emphasize the social gap, and to describe how economic condition has forced people to eat in restaurants of different classes.

The point is, students are situated to a topic they are interested to learn, therefore they voluntarily collect information from their own sources and combine them with their own knowledge and deduction to present the information.

Teacher can give some extra points for each progress in each aspect of intelligence explored by the students. However, referring to the main subject: to emphasize speaking performance in language class, this type of activities has addressed the multiple-intelligence essentials.