capacities; and to use such information effectively in regulating one’s own life Gardner, 1999. In other words, it is an ability to know who he or she is.
According to Campbell and Dickinson 1996: 196, 231, there are some characteristics possessed by people who have high degree of this intelligence
such as like to attempt to understand inner experience. They also like work individually.
c. Teaching English through Multiple Intelligences
Learning styles are the preferred ways in which individuals receive and process information. Many students will have diverse styles of learning. Gardner
as cited in Walter 2004: 111 states that “focusing and giving students time to nurture and develop their own intelligences results in students who are more apt to
discover their own strength, put more effort into improving their weak areas, and feel better about themselves”. It means that by providing a variety of styles or
intelligences, the students will learn in ways that are most meaningful or interesting to them.
Richard and Rogers claim the relation between Multiple Intelligences and language learning by stating:
“Multiple Intelligences proposals look at the language of an individual, including one or more second languages, not as an ‘added-on’ and somewhat peripheral skill but as
central to the whole life of the language learner and user. In this sense, language is held to be integrated with music, bodily activity, interpersonal relationship, and so on.
Language is not seen as limited to a ‘linguistics’ perspective but encompasses all aspect of communication”. 2001: 117
The statement convinces us that learning language can be done in many ways, not merely through linguistic activity. The eight aspects of multiple intelligences in
each person function together in unique ways. Intelligence is always interacting
with each other so that students can learn a language through their eight intelligences.
Learning English as a foreign language is not easy as learning the first language. Students or even teachers must face some problems in reducing the
difficulties. For teachers, understanding the students’ intelligences might help them to choose the appropriate method and materials in teaching-learning process.
In addition, it will help the students to follow the lesson easily. Hence, it is very important for teachers to take individual differences among students seriously. By
knowing the theory of Multiple Intelligences, teachers can better understand the learners since it emphasizes in the strength and weaknesses from a student.
Teachers need to know their roles to develop students’ intelligences and to create appropriate condition and situation to support the teaching-learning process
in the classroom. The teachers’ roles are: 1
To understand, master, and be committed to the Multiple Intelligences model.
2 To administer a Multiple Intelligences record on themselves based on their
experience. 3
To become curriculum developers, lesson designers and analysts, activity finders.
4 Not only to improve the second language abilities of their students but to
become major assistants to the overall development of students’ intelligences.
Linguistic: How to involve the students to listen,
speak, read, and write
Interpersonal: How to involve the students to
socialize with their friends
Logical-mathematical: How to introduce
numbers, logic, classification or
critical thought Naturalistic: How to
involve the nature or ecosystem in the
lesson Intrapersonal: How to
awaken the students’ imagination, personal
feeling or experience Musical: How to
involve music, sound, rhyme or
melody in the lesson
Spatial: How to use pictures, colours, at
or other visual tools
Bodily-kinesthetic: How to involve the
students to move or use their body
TOPIC
On the other hand, the students also need to see themselves engage in a process of personality development so they are able to be more successful students in
general.
d. How to Apply Multiple Intelligences in Classroom
