(Intelligence: logical/mathematical)
Step 6—Ask students to identify the tree in the painting.
(Intelligence: naturalist)
Step 7—Reflection: Ask students if they have learned anything about how to look
at a picture. Ask them if they have learned anything new about the target
language.
(Intelligence: intrapersonal)Of course, not every intelligence has to be present in every lesson plan. The point is
that, typically, linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences are most prized in
schools. In language classrooms, without any special attention, it is likely that
verbal/linguistic intelligence and interpersonal intelligence will be regularly activated.
The challenge for teachers who wish to honor the diversity of intelligences among
their students is how to activate the other intelligences and enable each student to
reach his or her full potential, while not losing sight of the teachers’ purpose, which is
to teach language.
More recently, Gardner (2007) has developed a related theory, focused on cognitive
abilities that individuals need to develop in order to be successful in a changing
world. Gardner proposes five minds, ways of thinking and acting in the world, which
students need to develop. Of the five minds, three focus on intellectual development
and two minds on character development.
1 The Disciplinary Mind is the first of the intellectual minds, in which students master
a traditional body of information, such as important historical developments in a
particular country or countries.
2 The second mind that deals with intellectual development is the Synthesizing Mind,
where the focus shifts to bringing together, organizing, understanding, and
articulating information from various disciplines in a unified and coherent whole.
An example is comparing literature in Spanish, Arabic, and English to learn how
the history of people speaking these languages has shaped literary styles.
3 The third mind is the Creating Mind, where students are encouraged to come up
with new ideas, original solutions to problems, and creative questions. This could
include creative writing or original historical or political analysis. We might
consider use of the Creating Mind as an example of ‘thinking outside the box’,
thinking in an unusual way.
The two minds focusing on character or moral development are the RespectfulMind and the Ethical Mind.
4 A well-developed Respectful Mind is reflected by an awareness of, appreciation for,
and openness to the differences and individuality of others. This would naturally
include fostering tolerance for people from other cultural backgrounds, religions,