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Use the information provided on this site as an educational resource for determining your options and making your
own informed choices. It is not intended as medical advice or to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific illness.
Sensorize
Toys, Products, and Ideas
for Sensory Education
How Learning Works
The most basic instrument for learning is something called a neurodevelopmental function. Our own
minds and those of our children are like tool chests. They are filled with these delicate instruments for
learning and for applying what's learned.  We all know children have different personality types and
learning styles. To successfully teach each child, we need to consider who they are: their personal
interests, their strengths, their attention spans, and their individual temperaments. And, we need to make
learning FUN. To learn more about how to help a struggling child, see All Kinds of Minds and their
resources page. See our Education Page for the different schools and methods available today.

Multiple Intelligences:
The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education
at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too
limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human
potential in children and adults. These intelligences are:

  • Linguistic intelligence ("word smart"):
  • Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")
  • Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
  • Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")
  • Musical intelligence ("music smart")
  • Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
  • Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
  • Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")

A child's strength in a particular intelligence is evidenced in the specific way in which he or she processes
information.   Primarily linguistic children, for example, learn through words; logical-mathematical
children learn through logical patterns, numbers, and reasoning, spatial children, through pictures and
images, bodily-kinesthetic children, through tactile and bodily sensations; musical children, through
melody and rhythm; interpersonal children, through social interaction; intrapersonal children, through
introspection; and naturalist children, through nature experiences.
Here are some educational tools that can meet this broad range of learning abilities:

  • Linguistic intelligence: Books, tape recorders, typewriters, word processing software, label makers, printing sets,
    storytelling, talking books, writing materials, discussions, debates, and public speaking.
  • Logical-mathematical intelligence: Strategy games (chess, checkers, go), logic puzzles (Rubik's Cube), science
    kits, computer programming software, nature equipment, brain teasers, Cuisenaire rods, and detective games.
  • Spatial intelligence: Films, slides, videos, diagrams, charts, maps, art supplies, cameras, telescopes, graphic
    design software, three-dimensional building supplies (Legos, D-Stix), optical illusions, visualization activities, and
    drafting materials.
  • Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence:  Playgrounds, obstacle courses, hiking trails, swimming pools, gymnasiums,
    model-building kits, wood-carving sets, modeling clay animals, sports equipment, space to move, carpentry
    materials, machines, and costumes for drama.
  • Musical intelligence: Percussion instruments, metronomes, computerized sound systems, CDs and tapes,
    musical instruments (pianos, guitars, saxophones), the human voice, sounds of nature, and things to strum, tap,
    pluck, and blow into.
  • Interpersonal intelligence: Clubs, committees, afterschool programs, social events, cooperative learning,
    interactive software, Internet, group games and projects, discussions, simulations, competitive and
    noncompetitive sports, and peer teaching.
  • Intrapersonal intelligence:  Self-paced instruction, individualized projects, solo games and sports, forts, tree
    houses, lofts and other retreat spaces, diaries and journals, meditation, and self-esteem activities.
  • Naturalist intelligence: Aquariums, trips to the zoo, nature walks, gerbils and other small animals, ant farms,
    gardening, terrariums, and ecology projects.

Additionally, the Resource Area for Teaching (raft) in San Jose have over 400 online idea sheets which
include specific directions for classroom projects intended for hands on learning!  

There are a variety of teaching methods available.  Start exploring some you may not know much about yet
at TeacherVision-teaching methods.

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