Before taking the Multiple Intelligences Test, I figured my learning would associate

mostly with language, as a lot of my own personal learning in the past years as an adult comes

mostly from reading, stories, storytelling, and even writing. I wasn’t surprised by the fact that

this was one of the top “intelligences” on my list. However, I was shocked that musical topped

the list. I do enjoy music, rhythmic patterns, and even a vague knowledge of playing instruments,

but this did take me by surprise.

As a teacher, I have tried to differentiate my lessons to cater to the students’ individual

learning styles and try to connect their abilities to the concepts we cover in class (Woolfolk 128).

My test reinforced my notion that math would be toward the bottom of the overall ranking - it

was last by a significant margin - but it also was something that I have been working on to add

into classes in a more meaningful and fun manner. Gardner stated in his theory that, “any

discipline, skill, or concept should be taught in several appropriate ways” (Woolfolk 128). My

own teaching of math during this past year as a 5th-grade teacher meant I wanted to understand

math in new and different ways in order to keep myself entertained. My thinking was if I was not

having fun in the learning process, why would a student?

I used this as a motivator to include at least three methods of learning into each math

lesson we studied. For example, while learning the multiplication of decimals I incorporated the

use of the box method, the use of base 10 blocks, and a traditional method. This idea allowed me

to approach math in a more time-consuming manner, yet also ways that helped me understand it

more thoroughly, making it interesting to me and my students. This was also accompanied by a

group project that infused math with the learning of an animal of the students’ choosing and the

amount of food it consumed over the course of a month at the local zoo. This project

incorporated math, social, and nature intelligences without trying very hard.
 Preference in learning is differentiated for everyone. Knowing my own preference is

going to help me better understand myself, how to approach my own lessons and ways in which I

can help others see the concepts in new and, hopefully, more interesting ways. My own learning

comes from a place of language, nature, and even music (apparently), but that does not mean I

don’t need to be aware of the fact that not everyone in my class is going to connect with their

learning in the same ways. I need to continue my own learning, adjust my teaching plans, and

broaden the scope of how I teach and to who I teach. From here on out, I will begin my lesson

planning focusing on what falls at the bottom of my list and work my way back. This way, I will

try to find ways that are fun to me that focus on concepts I do not traditionally consider to be

entertaining. If I can do this, I know I can connect more fully with the students in my class.