Learning Style Inventory

  • Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence
Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence manifests itself in the ability to manipulate words for a variety of purposes: debate, persuasion, storytelling, poetry, prose, and instruction. People with high Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence often love to play with words and use such devices as puns, metaphors, similes, and the like. Very often people who favor this intelligence can read for hours at a time. Their auditory skills tend to be highly developed and they learn best when they can speak, listen, read, or write.

Classroom Activities:
Discussions, debates, journal writing, conferences, essays, stories, poems, storytelling, listening activities, reading

Occupations:
Teacher, religious leader, politician, attorney, writer, poet, journalist, novelist, editor

Hobbies:
Reading, letter/journal writing, word games like Scrabble

  • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence is the basis for the hard sciences and all types of mathematics. People who favor Logical-Mathematical Intelligence are generally rational: They are usually good at finding patterns, establishing cause-and-effect relationships, conducting controlled experiments, and sequencing. Generally, they think in terms of concepts and questions and love to put ideas to the test.

Classroom Activities:
Calculations, experiments, comparisons, number games, using evidence, formulating/testing hypotheses, deductive/inductive reasoning

Occupations:
Accountant, statistician, banker, economist, engineer, scientist, computer programmer, software developer

Hobbies:
Chess, computer games, detective games and movies

  • Spatial Intelligence
Spatial Intelligence involves a high capacity for perceiving, creating, and recreating pictures and images. People who are spatially intelligent are keenly perceptive of even slight visual details; can usually sketch out ideas with graphs, tables, or images; and are often able to convert words or impressions into mental images. Spatially intelligent people think in pictures and have a keen sense of location and direction.

Classroom Activities:
Concept maps, graphs, charts, art projects, metaphorical thinking, visualization, videos, slides, visual presentations

Occupations:
Artist, photographer, engineer, decorator, tour guide, scout, ranger

Hobbies:
Painting, drawing, photography, movies, games like Pictionary

  • Musical Intelligence
Musical Intelligence is the ability to produce melody and/or rhythm as well as to understand, appreciate, and form opinions about music. People who are able to sing on-key, keep tempo, analyze musical forms, or create musical expressions all exhibit musical intelligence. Musically intelligent people are sensitive to all types of nonverbal sound and the rhythms of everyday noise.

Classroom Activities:
Playing, singing, rapping, clapping, analyzing sounds/music

Occupations:
Songwriter, composer, musician, conductor, music critic

Hobbies:
Going to concerts, listening to CDs, playing an instrument, reading music reviews

  • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence is related to the physical self and the manipulation of one's own body. Those who are kinesthetically intelligent can generally handle objects or make precise bodily movements with relative ease. Their tactile sense is usually well developed, and they enjoy physical challenges and pursuits. These learners learn best by doing, moving, and acting things out.

Classroom Activities:
Role-playing, dancing, athletics, manipulatives, hands-on demonstrations, concept miming

Occupations:
Dancer, athlete, actor, surgeon, carpenter, mechanic, sculptor

Hobbies:
Sports, dance, theater, games like charades, model airplanes,crafts

  • Interpersonal Intelligence
Interpersonal Intelligence is at work in people who are naturally social. Interpersonally intelligent people work well with others and are quite sensitive to slight variations in people's moods, attitudes, and desires. Often, interpersonally intelligent people are friendly and outgoing. In all cases, those with this intelligence know how to gauge, identify with, and react to the temperaments of others. They are generally excellent team players and managers, and learn best when they can relate to other people.

Classroom Activities:
Community involvement projects, discussions, cooperative learning, team games, peer tutoring, conferences, social activities

Occupations:
Administrator, manager, consultant, teacher, therapist, psychologist, social worker

Hobbies:
Going to parties or out with friends, playing games like Life Stories and the Ungame, volunteering for a community outreach program

  • Intrapersonal Intelligence
Intrapersonal Intelligence is the ability to gain access to one's own feelings and emotional states, intrapersonally intelligent people usually choose to work on their own, as they use and trust their self-understanding to guide them. They are in touch with their inner feelings and are able to form realistic goals and conceptions of themselves.

Classroom Activities:
Student choice activities, journal writing, reflecting, self-evaluation, personal instruction, independent study, discussing feelings

Occupations:
Writer, novelist, poet, self-employed consultant or business owner

Hobbies:
Journal writing, assessing personal growth, reading, taking a walk

  • Naturalist Intelligence
Naturalist Intelligence is the eighth and most recent intelligence validated by Howard Gardner's research. This intelligence is found in those who are highly attuned to the natural world of plants and animals, as well as to natural geography and natural objects like rocks, clouds, and stars. People who have a high Naturalist Intelligence love to be outdoors and tend to notice patterns, features, and anomalies in the ecological settings they encounter. They are adept at using these patterns and features to classify and categorize natural objects and living things. Those with the naturalist intelligence show an appreciation for, and deep understanding of, the environment.

Classroom Activities:
Ecological field trips, environmental study, caring for plants and animals, outdoor work, pattern recognition

Occupations:
Ecologist, ranger, zoologist, botanist, veterinarian, hunter, scout

Hobbies:
Hiking, camping, fishing, birdwatching, rock climbing, caring for animals or plants, gardening

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