Multiple Intelligences

For this visit I found a school in Vancouver, Washington called Gardner School! I stayed in Portland, Oregon and drove about 30 minutes through the cities and onto a beautiful country road that lead to the school which is located on 5 acres of land.  When I arrived there were several buildings and I wasn't sure where to go.  A beautiful house was home to the Principal and administrative offices. The main building housed the 3 year old, 4 year old, kindergarten and 1st and 2nd grades classrooms; a large gymnasium; a well stocked music room along with an art classroom; and a classroom dedicated to Spanish instruction.  There were two modular classrooms where the 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 and Science classrooms were located.  The grounds themselves contained several interesting areas: a pond or wetland area, a large open area, a playground set, a large garden with a compost pile, a little house and a large pile of dirt!  I was told that the pile of dirt was extremely popular.

It's been interesting to experience the different cultures of each of the centers.  This school reflects the west coast culture and had a very laid back feel to it.  I was given permission to visit anywhere and with everyone!  Everyone was very welcoming and interested in learning about what I was doing.  I tried to ask all my questions, but really spent a lot of time just absorbing my surroundings.  I was struck by several things during this visit, but especially how beautifully it touched upon every multiple intelligence!! 
For the linguistic learner - lots of writing, reading books and opportunities to share due to the small class sizes
For the logical mathematical learners - a special classroom for science experiences and lots of opportunities for math.  I observed in the kindergarten classroom a lot during my visit and was impressed with the level of math these children were doing.  Word problems! 
For the spatial learners - an ART room!  But in addition to that many opportunities within the classroom also.
Bodily - kinesthetic learners - I already mentioned the playground equipment, the large grassy areas and the dirt pile and the gymnasium!  The classroom I observed in was also putting on a play for their "culminating event"
Musical learners - an awesome, well-equipped music room.  Eat your heart out when you see this picture.  Also a lot of singing was happening in the classrooms.

Interpersonal learners -  the children all greeted me and introduced themselves.  Whenever any children or teachers from other rooms entered, they also spoke and were greeted.  The children in the kindergarten room where allowed to work in groups for EVERYTHING-math time, snack time, etc.  

Intrapersonal learners - I was witness to the personal journals that each of the children maintain in the kindergarten room!  Children were included in all levels of planning for their culminating event - including evaluating how the dramatic play they were doing should be organized.  They were allowed to choose throughout the time I observed - even what math problems they worked on.

Naturalist learners - Being a naturalist learner myself, I was in heaven!  The outdoor opportunities were abundant and my favorite picture is of the boots lined up - these children are allowed and encouraged to explore their environment.

Every classroom had some type of animal or insect in it, bird feeders hung all around and I even spied a hummingbird during my visit.  The science room located by the wetlands would provide many outdoor adventures for the children.  Another one of my favorites was the telescope pointed out to the nearby field! 

So it was ALL there!  I was struck by the focus on all the strengths for EVERYONE!  Although you might be strong in your Logical-Mathematical intelligence, you were asked to learn about and grow in all of your intelligences.  I happened to have the opportunity to speak with a parent whose son was extremely gifted and they had enrolled their daughter in Gardner School.  She was spoke of how well-rounded her daughter's education was and how they were teaching to ALL of her intelligences, not just the ones she was strong in.  She liked that idea and so did I. 

I was also struck by the similarities in their approach with the project approach.  They do three in-depth studies a year, two in alignment with the rest of the school and one of their own choosing.  They also had the buddy system like Bank Street - I think this would be especially effective here though because as I stated, they are all studying the same topics through most of the year. 

The "culminating event" is done by the entire school.  This, like the project approach, provides the parents with documentation of their learning and the children (interpersonal) can also focus on what they've learned through the project.   This class had done a Russian version of "Caps for Sale" and then compared it to the original version of Caps for Sale and also a Chinese version brought in by a parents.  And then each student provided an area containing representing all the work they'd done in the class such as this one

Each child is asked to self identify their "SMARTS" as they are referred to at the younger ages.  There is a chart in each classroom such as this!  The teacher said they are 95% correct when they identify their smarts! Can we adults say the same thing?

Another awesome visit!  Thank you so much Gardner School!!