Intrapersonal Instruction in Social Studies

Students with intrapersonal intelligence are inward thinkers, working best when left to using their own thought process to direct their learning. This attribute makes them strong researchers, who can weave their other skills and talents into self-motivated presentations. They lack the ability to share their information, however, which makes blogging a strong tool to motivate the intrapersonal thinker (McCoog, 2007).

Social Studies classrooms are often mired in facts. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? When was it written? What did it say? How was it received? People. Dates. Artifacts. Events. Any journalist can tell you that there is a key concept missing in conceptualizing this particular portion of American history: Why? When answering this question, students need more than a textbook. They need to examine motivation, contextualize and apply critical thought to the facts.

The intrapersonal thinker likes to get into the weeds, so to speak. Writing and researching uses an innate ability to self-motivate, while having a public forum to get feedback allows introverts to have interpersonal interactions and learn from others, even if that is not a particular strength. The open-ended format of a social studies blog can also allow room for creativity in how students can express themselves.

A blog can be more than a forum to post essays. Students can use a blog to create or showcase a multimedia presentation, including videos, pictures and music. Students who are strong in other types of intelligences can use a blog to seek out material that helps them learn in ways particular to them.

This project is also versatile in how it can be used in class. Students may keep a blog for an entire semester, writing about the events that were talked about in class--which can allow it to be used as an assessment tool. Another idea would be to have the students write the blog from the point of view of a historical figure and respond to questions and issues of the time. The entries could also be geared towards a particular era, event or issue, allowing students to use it as an in-depth research journal.


References

McCoog, I. J. (2007). Integrated instruction: Multiple intelligences and technology. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81(1), 25-28.