Chapter Thirteen: Other Applications of MI Theory

Chapter thirteen of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom explained three different ways of incorporating MI into classrooms: computer technology, cultural diversity, and career counseling. I have always been a person who believed that computers were for others who had strengths in mathematical/logical intelligences. However, this chapter shed a new perspective on computer technology, along with my experiences in practicum. Computers are intelligent-neutral mechanisms. There are so many intelligences that I can incorporate into computer technologies and activities. For example, the chapter reminded me that Word processing software calls forth from its users a certain level of linguistic intelligence. An example that I was able to correlate with computer technology being incorporated into MI based classrooms was my Comic Life presentation. Comic Life was a software on my computer that allowed me to incorporate my visual, artistic, and linguistic skills into my final presentation. It was also useful to see Figure 13.1 because it gave many suggestions for computer programs that encompassed every intelligence. Cultural diversity is another way of integrating multiple intelligences into the classroom. I do not want to force my students to memorize facts and repeat them back to me, because that is not what diverse cultures pass onto younger generations. They pass on important knowledge that can be used in the real world. As a teacher, I need to do the same to ensure the success of my students. The last and final component of integrating MI into the classrooms was career counseling. I also found this part of the chapter very useful because if my students are exposed to a variety of adults demonstrating real-life skills in all eight intelligences, then they will have a firm basis on which to launch a career once they leave school. I also have to remember that I can never attempt to match children's proclivities to specific careers; the students need to make that journey of self-discovery. However, the chapter gave helpful suggestions on how to assist my students in teaching them the multiplicity of intelligents required for each job.