MI Chapter 4

The fourth chapter of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom gives ways for teachers to introduce the idea of multiple intelligences in the classroom. It explains that it is a very simple concept, probably the easiest of all of the intelligence theories, to understand, as it is not overly technical in it's word use or full of confusing acronyms. Because of this, it can be effectively explain to children in 1st grade, and well understood by older children. Understanding the theory is important as research suggests that children benefit greatly from learning about and reflecting on their own learning processes. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses also gives them the ability to be their own advocates when they find themselves in new learning environments.
Knowing their intelligences is really important for these reasons, obviously, as students that know themselves and their learning styles can help teachers understand what they need in a learning environment. But, for me, the biggest issue of a student not understanding this concept is that, in their experience, their strengths may have been overlooked, or not celebrated as intelligence. The book says that the younger the grade levels, the more hands shoot up when a question is posed as to who believes they are intelligent. As somebody that wants to teacher secondary children, I think this really sad, as every student should understand that they are intelligent in their way, and that they are always capable of growing in whatever area that they want to. I believe that knowing this will give students confidence and aid in their success.