Learning the MI Way: The Effects on Students’ Learning of Using the Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Since the 1988 Education Reform Act, issues of curriculum differentiation, varied learning styles and teaching approaches relevant to the needs of individual pupils have maintained high priority on the education agenda. This article discusses the effects on pupils’ learning of using Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. It is based on explorations carried out in a project ‘using multiple intelligences in the classroom’, initiated by co‐ordinators Brenda Hopper, Val Chamberlain and Barbara Jack in the School of Education at Edge Hill College of Higher Education. The project aimed to focus equally on teachers’ individual professional development, and the learning experiences and development of the pupils involved, and was carried out with teachers in local primary and secondary schools, across a wide range of subjects.