Multiple Intelligences,Problem Solving,and Diversity in the General Classroom

Abstract

Classroom teaching strategies and curriculum based on the theory of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983), principles for differentiation to meet the needs of gifted students (Maker et) Nielson, 1996), and integration of culturally and linguistically appropriate content have been advocated for students with diverse learning needs, including gifted students and students learning English as a second language.

In this study of two teachers' classrooms, pre- and postassessments were used to compare teacher's level of implementation of the DISCOVER¹ approach on: problem-solving behaviors, number of students identified as gifted, problem solving by gender, and problem solving by students' language of preference. Significant relationships were found between level of implementation by teacher and positive changes in problem solving in Pablo® and math activities, mean math performance, and number of students identified as gifted on postassessment. The results indicate the value of the DISCOVER approach in general classrooms with a high proportion of Spanish-speaking or bilingual children.

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