This week's activities stress the importance of Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and how it applies to groups. There are two sections to this activity. The first is done in class, and the second is done online.

In Class

Part A

  1. Form groups. Use any method or means to form your group of 3 or 4.
  2. Use page 5 of MPiE and identify the strengths of those in the group.
  3. Evaluate the strength of the group as a unit. Evaluate the group's weakness.
  4. Is the group more than simply the sum of its parts?

Part B

  1. Create new groups of 3 or 4.
  2. Use page 5 of MPiE as above and identify the strengths and weaknesses of your new group.
  3. Examine what strengths the second group has compared to the first group. Does anyone in the second group believe that both groups are similar?
  4. Does everyone believe that their first and second groups are quite different?
  5. How is the structure of cooperative groups important?
  6. After coming to know a group of students, is it advantageous to use Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences to set up cooperative groups in the classroom? Explain.

Online Activity

  1. Online activity: Search the web for ideas about Gardner's theories.
  2. Look particularly for ideas that show how Gardner's research has been used on practical ways in the classroom
  3. Report your findings to the class in week 3.