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Open to Interpretation: Multiple Intelligences Theory in Adult Literacy Education
by Silja Kallenbach & Julie Viens — 2004This paper discusses how adult literacy educators chose to apply multiple intelligences
(MI) theory. The findings fall into two categories of teachers’ interpretation, MI-inspired
instruction, and MI reflections. The resulting findings were that these
MI-inspired teaching approaches helped to reduce teacher directedness and increase
student control and initiative; to increase the authenticity of the learning experiences;
and to make learning meaningful or relevant to students. Having MI-based learning
choices made adult learners more confident about taking greater control of their own
learning, and it pushed teachers to allow that to happen. Choice-based activities were
instrumental in increasing the relevance and meaning of lessons and in reducing
teacher directedness. Understanding the link between students’ perceptions of their
abilities and their actual academic performance, AMI teachers set out to create oppor-tunities
for students to reflect about their strengths, weaknesses, and interests connec-ting
them to the MI framework. Our data suggest that this, and other forms of MI
reflections, prompted adult learners to see themselves as learners in a morepositive light
after identifying and reflecting on their own abilities. This was particularly the case when they were able to apply their abilities to successful learning strategies in the classroom.To view the full-text for this article you must be signed-in with the appropropriate membership. Please review your options below:
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- Silja Kallenbach
World Education, Inc.
E-mail Author
SILJA KALLENBACH is codirector of the Adult Multiple Intelligences
(AMI) Study for the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and
Literacy (NCSALL) at Harvard Graduate School of Education and is
coauthor of the research report Open to Interpretation: Multiple Intelligences in
Adult Education, published by NCSALL in 2002, and Multiple Intelligences in
Adult Education: A Sourcebook for Practitioners (in press) and is coeditor of
Multiple Intelligences in Practice, published by NCSALL in 2001.
- Julie Viens
Harvard Project Zero
E-mail Author
JULIE VIENS is codirector of the Adult Multiple Intelligences (AMI) Study
for the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
(NCSALL) at Harvard Graduate School of Education and is coauthor of the
research report Open to Interpretation: Multiple Intelligences in Adult Education,
published by NCSALL in 2002, and Multiple Intelligences in Adult Education:
A Sourcebook for Practitioners (in press) and is coeditor of Multiple Intelligences
in Practice, published by NCSALL in 2001.
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