Learning Styles & Language Acquisition
Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory (MIT) (1983, 1999) provides new insight into pluralistic learning styles unique to each individual. Gardner's model outlines 9 different types of intelligences that interact to create each student's personal tools for understanding and giving meaning to information.
This theory is a move away from the traditional structure of teaching which assumes all learners are the same (Arnold & Fonseca, 2004). Gardner's research has shown than students make greater progress if the have a chance to explore a subject using a style that is consistent with their strengths. Mobile devices & m-learning allow educators to create new opportunities for students to connect to what they are learning and explore information through individual learning styles. What does this mean for the language learning classroom? This means that an MIT approach to language teaching can increase language proficiency by "tapping into the different talents of learners thus providing them with both greater desire and more effective tools to make progress in the language learning process" (Arnold & Fonseca, 2004). Explore M-Learning Possibilities>>
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Gardner's (1999) Multiple Intelligences are as follows:
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