MI chapter 12: MI Theory and Cognitive Skills

            In this chapter, Armstrong suggests that educators want to help their students develop thinking strategies. He then goes on to describe how MI theory can help in this area because it provides the students with the ability to make sense of their cognitive skills. The problem of memory comes up because many educators struggle with the problem of having their students not remembering information. MI theory can help these discouraged teachers because it allows students to relate things learned to a specific area of each of the intelligences, which makes it easy for the students to relate to and remember. As an educator in order to make this work in my class, I must help my students associate the material to the eight intelligences. Armstrong argues that students’ problem solving levels are less than exceptional and could use work. As an educator I need to use strategies like the ones listed in this chapter to help my students. One way of doing so is by having imagery to help the students picture the problems and the solutions. Once students can see these strategies they are more apt to pick which ones fit them best and then apply it to their life to help them improve their problem solving skills. Armstrong challenges teachers to enhance our students’ “multiple intelligences into higher levels of competence and understanding” (Pg. 167). Educators can do so by challenging the students’ beliefs and forcing them to take each of these over the edge to where they have to confront the contradictions to their own thinking. Through challenges brought forward in this chapter we educators are more apt to enhance our students’ cognitive thinking with MI theory.