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DOI: 10.1177/104515959700800413

1997 8: 28Adult LearningJanet Z. Brougher

Creating a Nourishing Learning Environment for Adults Using Multiple Intelligence Theory

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Creating Nourishing

Learning Environment for

Adults Using Multiple

Intelligence Theory

anet

2 Brougher

lie tables are strewn with stacks of

magazines, scissors, glue, poster

T

aper, markers, construction paper.

and crayons. Spring from Vivaldi's

f i Four Sixsons contributes to an atmosphere high-

ly

charged with the creative spirits of students working

to visually illustrate twelve concepts about how tlie

brain wo rk . The teacher nioves from group to group,

asking questions, probing ideas, teasing out greater

clarity. The students are enthusiastic and creatively

engaged in producing a product that will he used s

;I

springlmard for deeper discussions later in c l ~ .hese

are not students in an elementary cla~srooni,hese

are graduate students participating in

a

course using

the concepts of Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple

Intel igences.

Mult lple lntelllgence Theory

Multiple lntelligence Theory MI Theory) offers ;in

intriguing concept of i 11el ligence that providesa

promising theoretical framework for teaching both

children and adults. n his

1983

hook, Frumcs ?

Mnd

Gardner proposed that

all

humans are

born

with at least seven intelligences and, barring brain

damage, are capable of developing the competency

necessary to meet the intellectual demands of their

cultures. These intelligences are verbal/linguistic,

~nusical/rhyth~nic,ogical/matliematical, visual/

spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intra-

personal. According to MI theory, these intell igences

evolved for the purpose of solving problems and

fashioning products neces~aryor human survival.

In the following paragraphs, will give examples

of

liow have ;ipplied X I theory in my graduate edu-

cation cla~xses.

The VerbaYlinguistic intelligence

allows

humans to communicate highly complex ideas rela-

tively quickly coinpared to other fomis of cornmunica

tion. Reading and

essay

writing are standard u n i v e ~

fare. Ways to further nourish this intelligence i n c l i m

iounial writing, developing word games or puzzles

using the specific content's vocabulary. writing letters

to the editor

of

tlie

Itxal

paper, interviewing experts

i n

ispecific field, developing questionnaires, and giving

oral presentations.

As

an example, i n a claxs on the

evaluation

of

student learning, gave students

i

new

paper article in which the

Itral

results of a state-wide

standardiirxd test were published and compared schoo

by

school.

then ;Lskd students to work i n groups to

develop a letter to the editor. As moved from group

to group, heard insightfiil coiiinients about why the

newsp;yler article

was

particularly misleading

and

hurtful. also heard students discussing how they

should comniunicate. liow they should couch their

ideas, what word.. and style would make the most

impact.

As

students shared their carefully crafted let-

ters, it was clear that the concepts and ideas we had

bemi

studying were k i n g used with enthusiasni due

to their increased ability to tackle a problem that W;LS

current and genuine.

The LogicaYmathematical intelligence

enables

Iiuinans

to

;inalyix

and engage in higher

order thinking. Nearly

all

classrtxoom learning e x w

iences require students to use logical thought. n

addition to writing the usual ;inalytic

o r

synthesizing

papers

have

l i d

students analytpopular films.

8

dult

Learning

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songs, and works of art for content

specific themes and patterns. They have

stretched their reasoning abilities by crest-

ing videos, song lyrics, games, and graphic

illustrations demonstrating their under-

standing of professional issues. One specific

example was a group of students who

wrote, during class, a seriesof velses to a

popular versekhorus melody that explained

each of Erik Eriksons eight stages of psy-

cho-social development. Each stagescrisis

was incorporated into a verse for each stage

with the words of the chorus linking the

verses through a restatement of the underly-

ing theme of lifelong development. The

group that wrote the lyrics and performed

the song demonstrated a depth of under-

standing that would have been difficult to

elicit through class discussion. Additionally,

everyone in the class

was

intently focused on

this unusual class performance and was

able to experience the meaning of the con-

tent from an entirely different perspective.

TheMusidrhythmic intelligence

allows humans to communicate from the

soul.

Music can niodlfy mood, sharpen

focus of thought, and deepen insight. There

is music for birthing, sleeping, romancing,

worshipping, working, playing, politicking,

and dying; yet it is almost entirely absent in

adult classrooms. I use music

to

welcome

students

to

class and

for

shaping

focus

while

students are writing reflectively. When I

sense

a

group of students is unusually tired

or

stressed,

I

use music

to

energize, calm,

or

focus their thinking

so

learning can contin-

ue. Music with appropriate words is a novel

way to introduce a new topic

or

stimulate

discussion. After the Disney movie, The

ion

f ing first came

out, I

used the song Circle

of Life with several of niy classes

to

help

them reflect on why they were in class. I

provided each student with a copy of the

words and had them listen

to

the music.

Then,

as

the music played softly in the back-

ground,

I

asked them to write reflectively on

their current place in the circle of life and

how taking this course contributed to their

life goals. Students enjoyed the novelty of

hearing the music, and also became emo-

tionally connected to the course a.. a means

to achieving their own personal goals.

VisuaVSpatial intelligenceenables

students to learn through graphic images

such

as

pictures, diagrams

or

maps. Students

who have an especially strong visual/

spatial intelligence may be confused by the

constant flow of words in sentences and

paragraphs, but can understand

a

concept

more easily

if

it is graphically illustrated.

For

students who struggle with expressing

what they know in verbal presentations

or

written papers, the opportunity

to

express

their knowledge through diagrams or pic-

tures is a welcome relief. For students whose

verbal intelligence is well developed, the

necessity to produce

a

graphic image deep-

ens their understanding and broadens their

abilities to communicate. Tony Buzans,The

Mindmup Book

delineates a way

to

help

students organize and remember complex

ideas and relationships.

A

few simple rules

guide students

as

they begin the process of

using symbols, color, line, and selected

words to create a graphic illustration of the

concept, idea, or chapter in a book. While

I have experimented with several uses for

mindmapping, one use is especially effec-

tive: as an introduction to new material.

After students have had the opportunity to

read, I place them in small groups to devel-

op

mindmaps that explain the meaning

and relationships of the important concepts.

The products of their work are then used

as

a

basis

for

group discussion. The strength

of the tool is that they are actively engaged

in thinking their way through the nature

and meaning of the concepts.

The classroom implications of

Bodily

kinesthetic intelligence

highlight the

fact that some students think best when

their bodies are active. They understand

better when their bodies are involved in

hands-on application of a theory. One

student created

a

role play to demonstrate

the concept of photosynthesis. She demon-

strated the process using her classmates in

the graduate cl,dss, and tried it, successfully,

with the students i n her biology class. Other

students have demonstrated their under-

standing through creating and playing

physical activity games related to learning

theory. These games required the body to be

actively engaged in ways that helped develop

a physical connection to the concept. Stu-

dents often remarked about being able

to

remember something by some physical

action

or

where they stood in the room.

Most adult classrooms are not arranged

in ways to allow for much movement. In

order to accommodate for learning experi-

ences that involve movement,

I

have pushed

all of the furniture

to

the sides of the room

an d have had groups of students work out-

side

or

in a hall.

The Interpersonal intelligence

shapes humans as social beings. Our ability

to

accurately read, interpret, and respond

appropriately to the feelings and behavior of

others is especially important when living

and working in

a

pluralistic society.

For

most of the students I teach, learning is

greatly enhanced when they work in small

groups. Not only are the concepts more

readily understood, but their interactions

with each other have broadened their abili-

ties

to

people of diverse backgrounds and

experience.

Intrapersonal intelligence

allows

us

to make sense of

our

lives. Every time we

ask ourselves the question, What does this

mean to me? we are using

our

intraperson-

a1 intelligence. Writing reflectively while

listening to quiet music,

or

talung

a

ten-

minute walk while reflecting on a personal

vision, are both examples of ways to provide

students with opportunity for reflecting on

the personal importance of what they are

learning. Ordinary Miracles, a song from

the

CD, Barbra e Concert

is another

example of music which can be used to

stimulate personal reflection.

By

participating in an environment that

is nourishing for all the intelligences, adults

begin experiencing a richness and enjoy-

ment in learning they thought they had

out-

grown

or

in many cases never experienced.

I

have found that teaching adults can be

much more enjoyable and productive when

the classroom environment begins to resem-

ble an elementary classroom that is fully

engaged in the creativity and excitement of

learning.

March April

997

9

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