Multiple Intelligence Approach to the

Multiple Intelligence Approach to the Study of People of Colonial America Many elementary schoolchildren in the United States lack a fundamental understanding of how this nation was created, and what forces were at play during its founding (Davies, 2001). Furthermore, the increasingly diverse nature of the sociocultural composition of the nation's schools, together with additional focus on other cultures, has largely been at the expense of classwork concerning the cultural origins of the United States.

Complicating the picture even further is the need to identify effective classroom instruction styles that can meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act while also addressing these key challenges. The multiple intelligence theory provided by Gardner (1983) suggests that children employ a variety of intelligences in learning situations; he originally proposed that children learn through seven intelligences which are discussed further below.

The following review of the relevant literature provides an overview of the issues involved, a description of the Multiple Intelligence Approach, and how this technique can be applied to curricula designed to improve students' understanding of the people of Colonial America in general, with an emphasis on using these techniques in a third-grade classroom in particular. Review of the Relevant Literature Background and Overview.

Despite the increasing need for a more educated citizenry concerning the roots of their history and what their responsibilities as citizens are in a modern society, many elementary school students are not receiving an adequate education in the social studies. In fact, there remains a lack of consensus about which teaching technique provides superior results in the elementary classroom today. According to Haas and Laughlin (2001), teachers employ a wide range of instructional approaches that largely depend upon their goals and the topic being studied.

"The teachers reported using a variety of strategies in their teaching," the authors note. "The majority of the sample (65%) still taught in self-contained classrooms, and 47% reported teaching social studies as a stand-alone subject" (p. 122).

When teachers were asked how frequently they used textbooks, media, and computers, 81% reported using maps/globes/satellite images at least once each week with 67% indicating use of these geographic tools several times a week; fully 90% indicated using a textbook for instruction, 45% said they used the book no more than once per week and 8% used no textbook (Haas & Laughlin, 2001). Media resources were used in 67% of the elementary classrooms surveyed; however, the teachers reported using film or video less than one time per week.

In addition, less than 25% of the respondents used the available computers at least once a week, with many teachers reporting that the software programs available at the time of the survey did not correspond to the needs of their curriculum study units. Furthermore, a number of teachers listed several teaching resources that they use frequently, and a total of 50 different resources were identified (see the results of the survey in Table 1 below) (Haas & Laughlin, 2001).

A wide variety of written materials were the most frequently used of the teaching resources selected, while the use of pictures and other graphics was reported somewhat less frequently. The surveyed elementary school teachers also reported that the skills required to interpret various forms of visual information were regarded as being important when working with computer and Internet sources of information. "Geographic tools, specifically atlases and globes, likewise require additional skills for gathering and interpreting data and were among the more frequently used teaching resources.

Resources involving human interactions - such as guest speakers, interviews, living experiences, role playing, and personal experience - were used much less frequently" (Haas & Laughlin, 2001, p. 122). Table 1. Instructional Resources Typically Used in an Elementary School Social Studies Classroom. Instructional Resource Responses Atlas or maps 37 Trade books (literature) 34 Video, library/media center, news & film strips 33 Computers and internet 21 Textbooks 22 Magazines and newspapers 15 Simulations 11 Reference books 9 Teacher created materials 7 Cultural artifacts 5 Charts or posters 5 Primary documents 5 Globes 4 Hands on projects (varied) 3 Source: Haas & Laughlin, 2001, p. 122.

Taken together, these instructional resources represent an opportunity rather than a constraint if they are applied in a more effective manner; the studies to date suggest that the multiple intelligences approach to classroom instruction provides just such a method, and these concepts are discussed further below. Multiple Intelligence Approach. This alternative approach to the conception of intelligence was original proposed by Gardner (1983, 1991). By using the multiple intelligence approach to teaching (Gardner, 1991), classroom teachers can identify and facilitate their students' multiple talents in a variety of intellectual areas.

"Instead of simply imparting knowledge," though, "it is important for teachers to teach children how to think, so that children can learn to make use of information" (Rodd, 1999, p. 351). Indeed, in the Age of Information, helping young learners sort through the deluge of information and make sense of what is important and relevant has assumed a high degree of importance today. According to Gardner (1999), "It is important for students to understand, the achievement of understanding is challenging, and there are a variety of means that might aid students.

A generic approach would seem justifiable, since it is reasonable to approach a problem in terms of its fundamental constituents" (p. 166). The multiple intelligence approach is a combination of a product- and process-oriented view (Bialystok, 2001). This author reports that the multiple intelligence approach divides intelligence into seven domains that are relatively independent; these domains are based on a distinct set of processing operations that is implicated in each.

As a result, each module can be circumscribed and quantified, but at least some of the criteria for determining the modules are the mental processes that accompanying each; the seven domains are described as being "culturally meaningful activities," are: 1. Linguistic. This is the ability to use words correctly and comfortably, either orally or in writing, and to express meaning; 2. Logico-mathematical. This component is the ability to use numbers correctly and effectively; to think inductively or deductively; to categorize, classify, and to generalize; 3. Musical.

This is the ability to understand and use musical concepts in a perceptive or technical sense, and to develop an appreciation for music; 4. Spatial. This is the ability to understand, interpret, and model the visual world; e.g., to represent spatial information effectively; 5. Bodily/kinesthetic. This component refers to the ability of students to use physical means to represent their ideas and feelings; 6. Interpersonal. This term refers to the ability of students to relate to and understand other people, and to possess good social and leadership skills; 7. Intrapersonal.

Finally, this components is comprised of the ability of the student to use self-understanding and self-knowledge; to monitor the self; to be self-disciplined (Bialystok, 2001, p. 186; Adams, 2000, p. 86). Providing a comprehensive curriculum that satisfies all of these dimensions may appear to be a daunting endeavor, but Adams emphasizes that students will frequently have strength in one or more intelligences, which will provide a springboards for additional learning and will result in improved cognitive ability.

According to this author, "Each child may use a variety of these intelligences to learn mathematics concepts and skills, not just the logical-mathematical. The activity and lesson ideas presented in this article represent experiences from which all children can benefit, regardless of the intelligences they most favor" (p. 86). Consequently, elementary school teachers should not feel pressured to attempt to categorize students by intelligence, but only to provide for them a multitude of learning opportunities (Adams, 2000, p. 86).

According to Rodd (1999), "By using the multiple intelligence approach to teaching, teachers can identify and foster pupils' multiple talents in a variety of intellectual areas. Instead of simply imparting knowledge, it is important for teachers to teach children how to think, so that children can learn to make use of information" (p. 351). An application of these components to the instruction of Colonial American history lessons is provided below. Application of the Multiple Intelligence Approach. 1. Linguistic.

While the manner in which people in the West think may not have changed in substantive ways in the past few hundred years, their speech certainly has, and in fundamental ways. According to Brooks, during the colonial period, "America as a geographical as well as a political construct began to represent itself in terms of an appropriate/appropriated language" (p. 233).

The colonists even sought to encourage the development of an "American" version of English, quite distinct from that of the English themselves, in order to foster a sense of separation and independence. "Without a language difference," Brooks advises, "Americans would not have to force English to 'bear the burden' of lexically constructing a new political identity. Instead, they would force the English ideologists to bear the burden of their own vulnerable analogizing.

Eventually various words that the English used to describe their control of their colonies would be semantically undermined or debunked of their utility completely" (p. 234). The language of the American colonists was highly colorful but quite formal in style, and the presentation of a speech or a content analysis of primary sources would provide elementary school students with an opportunity to experience these fundamental differences for themselves, all with a view toward improving their understanding of what life in Colonial America was really like. 2. Logico-mathematical.

One of the most glaring differences between life in the 21st century and that of Colonial Americans involves logical reasoning and mathematical functions.

Today, even very young students are generally able to use sophisticated calculators and computers to help them with their reasoning and mathematical computations and enjoy the benefits of classroom instruction in these areas; by sharp contrast, many students of Colonial America were not provided with a formal education to begin with, and when they were, it was drastically different than that typically experienced by modern students (Kavenagh & Morris, 1973).

Therefore, an examination of what mathematical topics were viewed as important for Colonial American students would make a good starting point for this component of the multiple intelligences approach. 3. Musical. Keeping the multiple intelligence approach curriculum components relevant for students remains an important element in design. In this regard, Wicks (1997) suggests that, "If music is a resource that individuals use to articulate their cultural heritage, could students be better motivated if we placed the music that means the most to them at the core of their complex learning experiences?" (p. 460).

Perhaps more than any other component of the multiple intelligences approach to learning, the musical component represents a prime opportunity to communicate essential elements of the curriculum for young learners. For example, one elementary school teacher used this component of the multiple intelligences approach by teaching her students a song about Colonial America (Holland, 1997). Likewise, Jimmy Driftwood was a history teacher who used music in an highly effective way to help his students learn about American history.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services, "Mr. Driftwood wrote many songs, all for the sole purpose of helping his students learn about historical events" (Battle of New Orleans, 2005, p. 2).

One elementary school teacher reported that her students were able to learn and retain numbers better if they learned them by counting to music; however, there are other key advantages to this technique that readily lends itself to teaching young students about Colonial America: Teachers in all disciplines report that their students are more accepting of the people and practices of different cultures if they are introduced to the cultures' music and musicians.

The teachers also affirm that taking an interest in and respecting the music of students' heritages or the music that is most popular with students - rock, rap, hip-hop, and the like - significantly bolsters the students' pride and contributes to positive individual and group identities. (Wicks, 1997, p. 461) 4. Spatial. To help elementary school students gain a sense of the geographic considerations involved in the daily life and material cultural in Colonial America, photographs and Web sites of restored historical structures could be integrated into the curriculum.

For example, according to Field and Labbo (1999), elementary school teachers can help communicate this sense of spatial relationship to students' current locations by using an overhead of a map that shows the location of these historic structures to provide the students with a geographic context. These activities were shown to provide elementary school students with naturally occurring and authentic interdisciplinary connections that enabled them to use literacy skills and strategies to organize and communicate their findings in meaningful ways (Field & Labbo, 1999).

Accounts of individuals and events who may be of interest to students can also help to communicate a sense of the spatial considerations involved in historic events (Deutsch, 2000). 5. Bodily/kinesthetic. Although dancing would make an appropriate communicative device for this component of the multiple intelligence approach, the practice was largely prohibited or at least frowned upon in Colonial America (Bonomi, 1997). While this would make a good interpersonal point (see further discussion below), it does not provide an avenue for elementary school teachers.

Therefore, elementary classroom teachers could employ a reenactment of the daily lives of colonialists, with an emphasis on the gender differentiation that.