Cultivating Gardner
Sr. Carol Cimino, a Sister of St. Joseph of Rochester, New York, has been a teacher and administrator in all levels of Catholic education. Sr. Carol serves as a National Consultant for Wm. H. Sadlier and is co-director of the Catholic School Leadership Institute at Manhattan College.
Who can forget learning to sing the alphabet to the delight of an adult audience? "Now I know my ABC's, tell me what you think of me." Or remember the day you could ride a bike without the training wheels? Has it ever occurred to you that you learned these things in different ways? In 2003, the education community celebrated the staying power of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences with the 20th anniversary of his publication Frames of Mind. In the book, Gardner, a Harvard psychologist, posited the idea that we learn by way of many modalities, which he called intelligences.
These eight intelligences work together to create an individual's unique combination of intelligences and learning style. And since not every student learns the same way, it is important to build a curriculum that speaks to the multiple intelligences to best accommodate each learner in a classroom.
The enduring reliability and validation of this theory makes its use in the religion classroom very important. It calls upon the teacher of religion to utilize a menu of activities, instead of relying on one method. Below is the list of Gardner's eight intelligences and the abilities associate with each, along with some suggestions for using them to teach:
| Intelligence | Abilities | Teaching Suggestions |
| Verbal/linguistic | Learns languages, writing, reading, and speaking | Use stories, poems, word puzzles, riddles |
| Logical/mathematical | Solves problems logically, scientifically and mathematically | Use timelines, the Liturgical calendar |
| Musical | Creates, appreciates, and performs music, recognizing rhythm, tone, and pitch | Use sacred music, songs |
| Body/kinesthetic | Coordinates body movement; will learn best by doing | Use sacred gestures, liturgical dance, movement (e.g. Stations of the Cross |
| Visual/spatial | Recognizes patterns, appreciates images, color, and shapes | Use icons, pictures, statues |
| Environmental/natural | Recognizes and appreciates objects and events in the natural world | Create environments, prayer table, shrines |
| Interpersonal | Understands and communicates effectively with others | Use shared prayer, cooperative groups |
| Intrapersonal | Understands one's own feelings and motivations | Use reflection, imagination, meditation |
Certainly we are obliged to use the most effective pedagogical practices in the religion classroom. Planning for activities that reflect best practices captures the interests of all of our students, and will make a lasting impression on their experience of learning about their faith.