Finding Student Strengths: Storytelling and Multiple Intelligences
As an arts integration teacher, I often use storytelling as a teaching tool and have recognized that when I demonstrate various methods of telling a story, I use at least one of Howard Gardner’s eight multiple intelligences.
Gardner defines an intelligence as the ability to solve a problem or create a product in a naturalistic setting; In other words, according to Gardner, the question is not whether someone is smart, the question is how someone is smart. To answer this question, Gardner states that we all have eight intelligences, although some of us are more dominant in some than in others. From this, I assumed that every time I diversify my storytelling methods, I am essentially giving my students the opportunity to show me new abilities and strengths.
Below are eight methods I’ve used to teach storytelling with examples of how each connects to one of Gardner’s eight intelligences.
1. Traditional Word-Only Storytelling: Students tell a story based on their personal experience, poems, songs, or other form of writing. The words act as the centerpiece. This approach interacts with Gardner’s verbal-linguistic intelligence, ultimately increasing students’ opportunities to show effective use of words and phrases.
2. Movement Stories: Students tell stories in narrative form; however, the movements and gestures are seamlessly integrated into the story. This method highlights Gardner’s bodily-kinesthetic intelligence as it allows students to demonstrate their abilities through the interplay of words and body movements.
3. Picture Prompts: Students look at pictures and tell a story based on visual prompts. According to Gardner, this method reflects visuospatial intelligence. This technique encourages students to use visual images, not only to start thinking about the story, but also to elaborate on the evolution of the story.
4. Music Enhanced Stories: Students tell a story accompanied by background music to set the tone or improve mood. This format allows music to help facilitate the student’s ability to tell the story, exemplifying Gardner’s musical-rhythmic intelligence.
5. Journal or Diary Stories: Students tell a story based on personal feelings, ideas, and thoughts from journal or journal entries. The restructuring of these inputs invites students to think about the content introspectively, therefore, this process aligns with Gardner’s intrapersonal intelligence.
6. Group stories: Students tell a story as a group. When placing students in groups to create a story, students must work cooperatively and collaboratively; As a result, this method demonstrates Gardner’s interpersonal intelligence.
7. Fauna and Flora Stories: Students tell a story that they have told before, but anecdotes related to nature should be incorporated. Since this approach forces students to be more sensitive to their natural surroundings, it exhibits Gardner’s naturalistic intelligence.
8. Object Connections: Students build on an existing story related to an inanimate object. This method requires students not only to use prior knowledge, but also to make logical inferences. Since students are showing their ability to establish patterns of logical reasoning, this practice fits well with Gardner’s logical-mathematical intelligence.
I can’t believe how these eight storytelling methods have made such a difference in the way I view my students’ intelligences; Plus, my students say they love the challenge of showing off their skills and abilities in more ways than one.
