Pondering Learning: Connecting Multiple Intelligences and Service-Learning

Service-learning, an instructional strategy for educators, has the potential to challenge students in diverse ways. It offers students experiential learning opportunities that are personally engaging, are educationally rigorous, require the direct application of knowledge and critical thinking skills, and transform both the community and the learner. Service-learning comprises a strong match with what are termed "brain compatible strategies" for the classroom, such as the Multiple Intelligences Theory. The theory of multiple intelligences provides a powerful framework for service-learning practitioners to use in implementing both the service and the learning dimensions of their pedagogy. This booklet addresses the connections between the two. The booklet is divided into the following sections: Introduction; Multiple Intelligences Theory (History and Background of Multiple Intelligences, Definitions of Eight Intelligences, Key Points in Multiple Intelligences Theory); The Elements of Service-Learning (Definition of Service-Learning); Service-Learning Working with Multiple Intelligences (Elementary School, Middle School, High School); The Eight Intelligences as Eight Paths to Service; and Conclusion. (ERIC)