Adult Learning

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Creating a Nourishing Learning Environment for Adults Using Multiple Intelligence Theory
Janet Z. Brougher
Adult Learning 1997 8: 28
DOI: 10.1177/104515959700800413
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Creating A Nourishing
Learning Environment for
Adults Using Multiple
Intelligence Theory

Janet 2. Brougher

lie tables are strewn with stacks of

magazines, scissors, glue, poster
paper, markers, construction paper.
and crayons. "Spring" from Vivaldi's
f i e Four Sixsons contributes to an atmosphere highly charged with the creative spirits of students working
to visually illustrate twelve concepts about how tlie
brain work. The teacher nioves from group to group,
asking questions, probing ideas, teasing out greater
clarity. The students are enthusiastic and creatively
engaged in producing a product that will he used ; s ;I
springlmard for deeper discussions later in c l ~These
.
are not students in an elementary cla~srooni,these
are graduate students participating in a course using
the concepts of Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple
IntelI igences.
Multlple lntelllgence Theory

Multiple lntelligence Theory (MI Theory) offers ;in

intriguing concept of i 11tel ligence that provides a
promising theoretical framework for teaching both
children and adults. In his 1983 hook, Frumcs ?/
Mnd, Gardner proposed that all humans are born
with at least seven intelligences and, barring brain
damage, are capable of developing the competency
necessary to meet the intellectual demands of their
cultures. These intelligences are verbal/linguistic,
~nusical/rhyth~nic,
logical/matliematical, visual/
spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. According to MI theory, these intelligences
evolved for the purpose of solving problems and
fashioning products neces~aryfor human survival.
In the following paragraphs, I will give examples
28 A Adult Learning
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of liow I have ;ipplied XI1 theory in my graduate education cla~xses.

The VerbaYlinguistic intelligence allows
humans to communicate highly complex ideas relatively quickly coinpared to other fomis of cornmunication. Reading and essay writing are standard u n i v e ~ s h
fare. Ways to further nourish this intelligence i n c l i m
iounial writing, developing word games or puzzles
using the specific content's vocabulary. writing letters
to the editor of tlie Itxal paper, interviewingexperts in
;ispecific field, developing questionnaires, and giving
oral presentations. As an example, in a claxs on the
evaluation of student learning, I gave students ;inewspaper article in which the Itral results of a state-wide
standardiirxd test were published and compared school
by school. I then ;Lskd students to work in groups to
develop a letter to the editor. As I moved from group
to group, I heard insightfiil coiiinients about why the
newsp;yler article was particularly misleading and
hurtful. I also heard students discussing how they
should comniunicate. liow they should couch their
ideas, what word.. and style would make the most
impact. As students shared their carefully crafted letters, it was clear that the concepts and ideas we had
bemi studying were k i n g used with enthusiasni due
to their increased ability to tackle a problem that W;LS
current and genuine.
The LogicaYmathematical intelligence
enables Iiuinans to ;inalyixand engage in higher
order thinking. Nearly all classrtxoom learning e x w
iences require students to use logical thought. In
addition to writing the usual ;inalytic or synthesizing
papers, I have l i d students analyt popular films.

songs, and works of art for content specific themes and patterns. They have
stretched their reasoning abilities by cresting videos, song lyrics, games, and graphic
illustrations demonstrating their understanding of professional issues. One specific
example was a group of students who
wrote, during class, a series of velses to a
popular versekhorus melody that explained
each of Erik Eriksonseight stages of psycho-social development. Each stagescrisis
was incorporated into a verse for each stage
with the words of the chorus linking the
verses through a restatement of the underlying theme of lifelong development. The
group that wrote the lyrics and performed
the song demonstrated a depth of understanding that would have been difficult to
elicit through class discussion. Additionally,
everyone in the class was intently focused on
this unusual class performance and was
able to experience the meaning of the content from an entirely different perspective.
The Musidrhythmic intelligence
allows humans to communicate from the
soul. Music can niodlfy mood, sharpen
focus of thought, and deepen insight. There
is music for birthing, sleeping, romancing,
worshipping, working, playing, politicking,
and dying; yet it is almost entirely absent in
adult classrooms. I use music to welcome
students to class and for shaping focus while
students are writing reflectively. When I
sense a group of students is unusually tired
or stressed, I use music to energize, calm, or
focus their thinking so learning can continue. Music with appropriate words is a novel
way to introduce a new topic or stimulate
discussion. After the Disney movie, The Lion
fing, first came out, I used the song Circle
of Life with several of niy classes to help
them reflect on why they were in class. I
provided each student with a copy of the
words and had them listen to the music.
Then, as the music played softly in the background, I asked them to write reflectively on
their current place in the circle of life and
how taking this course contributed to their
life goals. Students enjoyed the novelty of
hearing the music, and also became emotionally connected to the course a.. a means
to achieving their own personal goals.

VisuaVSpatial intelligence enables

students to learn through graphic images
such as pictures, diagrams or maps. Students
who have an especially strong visual/
spatial intelligence may be confused by the
constant flow of words in sentences and
paragraphs, but can understand a concept
more easily if it is graphically illustrated.
For students who struggle with expressing
what they know in verbal presentations or
written papers, the opportunity to express
their knowledge through diagrams or pictures is a welcome relief. For students whose
verbal intelligence is well developed, the
necessity to produce a graphic image deepens their understanding and broadens their
abilities to communicate. Tony Buzans, The
Mindmup Book, delineates a way to help
students organize and remember complex
ideas and relationships. A few simple rules
guide students as they begin the process of
using symbols, color, line, and selected
words to create a graphic illustration of the
concept, idea, or chapter in a book. While
I have experimented with several uses for
mindmapping, one use is especially effective: as an introduction to new material.
After students have had the opportunity to
read, I place them in small groups to develop mindmaps that explain the meaning
and relationships of the important concepts.
The products of their work are then used as
a basis for group discussion. The strength
of the tool is that they are actively engaged
in thinking their way through the nature
and meaning of the concepts.
The classroom implications of Bodilykinesthetic intelligence highlight the
fact that some students think best when
their bodies are active. They understand
better when their bodies are involved in
hands-on application of a theory. One
student created a role play to demonstrate
the concept of photosynthesis. She demonstrated the process using her classmates in
the graduate cl,dss, and tried it, successfully,
with the students in her biology class. Other
students have demonstrated their understanding through creating and playing
physical activity games related to learning
theory. These games required the body to be
actively engaged in ways that helped develop

a physical connection to the concept. Students often remarked about being able to
remember something by some physical
action or where they stood in the room.
Most adult classrooms are not arranged
in ways to allow for much movement. In
order to accommodate for learning experiences that involve movement, I have pushed
all of the furniture to the sides of the room
and have had groups of students work outside or in a hall.
The Interpersonal intelligence
shapes humans as social beings. Our ability
to accurately read, interpret, and respond
appropriately to the feelings and behavior of
others is especially important when living
and working in a pluralistic society. For
most of the students I teach, learning is
greatly enhanced when they work in small
groups. Not only are the concepts more
readily understood, but their interactions
with each other have broadened their abilities to people of diverse backgrounds and
experience.
Intrapersonal intelligence allows
us to make sense of our lives. Every time we
ask ourselves the question, What does this
mean to me? we are using our intrapersona1 intelligence. Writing reflectively while
listening to quiet music, or talung a tenminute walk while reflecting on a personal
vision, are both examples of ways to provide
students with opportunity for reflecting on
the personal importance of what they are
learning. Ordinary Miracles, a song from
the CD, Barbra: Be Concert, is another
example of music which can be used to
stimulate personal reflection.
By participating in an environment that
is nourishing for all the intelligences, adults
begin experiencing a richness and enjoyment in learning they thought they had outgrown or in many cases never experienced. I
have found that teaching adults can be
much more enjoyable and productive when
the classroom environment begins to resemble an elementary classroom that is fully
engaged in the creativity and excitement of
learning. A

March/April 1997
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