I love to read! I’ll read just about anything. Books, newspapers, magazines, junk mail. I read about how many oranges they squeezed into my bottle of OJ and where the oranges come from. I read graffiti, the sides of buses, fine print, advertisements, subtitles and comics.
My husband likes to move. One of my daughter’s makes music, the other likes structure. My son likes a chat. My mum likes to draw and create. My friend likes to be alone to think deeply. All of these are ways our brain consolidates information.
When learning, the input is received through our senses and then each of our brains consolidate the information in a unique way. We cycle through various areas of our brain, challenging, questioning, consolidating and integrating the new information with what we have already stored away in our grey matter.
This is music to the “stay at home schooling” parent or care givers ears. If we can identify for our kids, their top intelligences or consolidation methods, we can help them learn faster, retain more of the information and actually enjoy schooling.
The seven intelligences and suggestions on how to activate them in your learning at home.
Interpersonal – Learning that is done in consultation with others. Ask questions, have a chat with your parent or sibling about the new information you have just received. Try teaching the concept to someone else.
Kinaesthetic – Learning that is done with movement. Try listening while walking around or watching while bouncing on a fitball or fiddling with a fidget spinner. Think the information through while bouncing a ball against the wall, dancing or swimming. If possible, physically do what you are learning.
Intrapersonal – Learning quietly by yourself through deep thought. Take time out from the group chat and video lesson in silence to think it all through by yourself.
Logical/Mathematical – Learning by finding patterns and logical progressions of the information. Find patterns in what is being taught to you. Think things through in a logical fashion. Create flow charts so you can see the links.
Visual/Spatial – Learning by seeing or visualising the information. While listening – doodle on your paper. Use coloured pens, pictures and icons in your notes. Visualise what your teacher is talking about and link it to other information you already know.
Linguistic – Learning through using words and language. Take notes, imagine yourself writing or typing the words in your head as your teacher speaks. Watch videos with subtitles and read them. Link it to other languages you know. Stick up key words on your wall to read often. Read your textbook and notes.
Musical – Learning content while also listening to music. Have music on softly in the background – trial different types of music as some support learning and mental well-being while other types of music can be detrimental. Make sure your microphone is muted and hum, whistle or tap your pen in a rhythm while listening to the online lesson. Make jingles about what you are learning.
We all use each of these seven intelligences to consolidate each piece of new learning, but we will favour different ones in different orders. Which one stand out for you and for your kids?
Every time we think, new connections grow on and between our billions of brain cells. The more connections between our neurons, the faster our brains work. The more we connect new learning with what we already know, the faster we are able to understand and remember something new.
While you’ve been reading this, have you noticed yourself doing any of the things mentioned? Were you humming or tapping? Perhaps you were visualising your brain building connections? Noticing what you already do can help you to discover which are your top two intelligences. If you are not sure, try experimenting with them all and see what you find!
Some real life examples: Jessica Watson (Young Australian of the Year 2011) who sailed solo around the world at age 16 may have had Kinaesthetic and Intrapersonal as her top two. While sailing, her body was continually rocking and she was alone with only her own thoughts for 210 days. Not everybody could handle that!
Justin Bieber is a classic example of someone with the Musical intelligence. If you Google him, you will find videos of him at a very young age singing and making music. He may have driven his parents nuts, singing and tapping as a child, but it’s most likely how his brain best consolidates information.
No one else in the whole world thinks and learns quite like you do!
These examples show us that we can have great success in the areas we pursue no matter how our brains are wired. One type of intelligence is not better than another. Think about your kids and figure out the two they most enjoy from this list. Create opportunities for your children to incorporate all seven intelligences into their learning but create unique opportunities for each of your children to go after their top two. Watch and see their integration increase and their joy of learning explode!
If you are interested in reading more about the seven intelligences check out the book “The Gift in You” by Dr Caroline Leaf ©2009 Thomas Nelson Publishers. Google it and you can read part of it online for free.