MI Chapter 3

            This chapter focuses on how to assess the intelligences of students. These can be hard to assess, as formal tests are usually not a good indicator and usually do not even include many of the intelligences. There are many ways that a teacher can infer the proclivities that students have for certain intelligences. The best tool a teacher has for this is observation. Simply by seeing which class activities students enjoy, what they do outside of class, and what they do to misbehave in class it is easy to get an idea of the student’s preferences.

            This chapter gave me examples of how I will be able to determine proclivities by observation by providing examples of what to look out for. I also thought it was interesting that the book encourages teachers to educate their students and parents about the multiple intelligence theory. Doing this would probably help the students see where their strengths lie and see that they have worth, even if the traditional classroom setting is not ideal.

            I think that the ideas expressed in this chapter will help me see the differences in my students. Once I see how different all of my students are, I will be even more likely to see the benefits of differentiated instruction. Being familiar with the different intelligences also helps me think of different methods to use in the classroom that will suit various needs. For example, knowing this theory helps me see how important it is to present information in a variety of ways. This could include reading assignments, slideshows, discussion, and hands on activities.