The following is a collection of exciting tips for using multiple intelligence
teaching strategies in your classroom.
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• Students are sometimes absent during
Problem Solving Groupwork lessons.
They may be absent because they do not want to "perform" during presentations.
Let your students know up front that they will still have to complete the
original assignment if they are absent on presentation day. This usually deters
unnecessary absences. I do this rather than offer a different makeup assignment
like a report. I found that some students will opt for the makeup assignment,
not show up for the performance, and ruin the Problem Solving Groupwork product
for the remaining group members.
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• Invite a parent volunteer to help you with
Social Studies Skill Builders. Parents love coming into the classroom
to help, and it will make your job of checking answers a lot easier.
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• When students are absent for the presentations of
Problem Solving Groupwork performances, the group members missing a
group member have a rough time trying to pull off the performance. I inform
students up front as they are preparing the performance that they each need to
a) take on one of the group roles as well as b) be the "understudy" of one of
the other group roles. If one student is then absent for the performance, that
absent student's role is played by the understudy. This not only takes pressure
off students because they are then prepared for the "crisis" when a group
member is absent, but it also places peer pressure on students to come to class
and perform because students don't like having to play two roles.
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• When students are in groups for Response
Groups and Problem Solving Groupwork
assignments, they often need immediate feedback about their behavior when working
with one another. I give each group a small pile of playing cards held together
with a rubber band. These cards are placed in order with the number 10 card on top
and then the 9, the 8, and so on to the last card, the ace. These cards represent
the grade each group member will receive for a "group participation" grade at
the end of the period. (I justify this as an "interpersonal" intelligence grade.)
The 10 card represents a 100 percent, the 9 card is a 90 percent, and so on.
When a group is disruptive, if two members are goofing off, and so on, I just
quietly walk over to the group's table and silently remove the top card.
Wow! The group gets quiet, quickly reprimands the culprits, and/or quickly solves
the problem. The group members aren't too upset the first time, because the 9 card
still represents a 90 percent which is an “A” in my class. I have never had to take
more than three cards from a group. This quiet, visual reminder really helps my students to stay on task.
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• When students are presenting song-like or act-it-out type performances,
create an atmosphere similar to that of a concert or theater. Give students a big round
of applause when they come to the stage and, of course, a big round after. It really changes
the atmosphere in the room. Students seem more relaxed and the audience really seems to pay closer attention.
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• After Problem Solving Groupwork is completed and everyone is back in normal
seating I have students fill out a group evaluation form reflecting on how the group worked
together and any suggestions for future group work. Then I have them evaluate everyone in the group,
including themselves, based on a set of criteria that the students have seen prior to the first
group lesson. I find this an extremely successful tool as students are honest and pretty accurate
on the grade I would give them. For the students whose grade reflects a low evaluation they often
seek me out and ask me what they can improve. However, most of those students approach me with a
strategy to change their behavior or participate in the next group activity.
-- contributed by Toni Rosenbaum
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• After watching DVD clips from a Civil War film and exploring the topic via PowerPoint
presentations on the Civil War, my students engaged in a Civil War battle outside. The class
was divided into two groups, North and South. Students dressed in blue for the North and red
and grey for the South. The students then battled it out with water balloons. During our last
battle, my class used 8,000 water balloons. Of course the balloons need to be filled up a few
days before the battle and are stored in buckets. The driest team wins the war since they
suffered the fewest hits. The team that is the wettest “dies.” The next day the students wrote
letters to relatives describing their experience in our Civil War battle. They described what
the battle was like, providing details about the injuries and who they “killed” in battle.
This is a great activity if you live in a climate that is warm or hot. It’s a great hands-on
activity for kids and focuses on multiple intelligences. It is an activity the students will never forget!
-- contributed by Pablo Benitez
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