Many educators embrace MI because it respects the role of the teacher. MI allows educators to know their students, to identify the ways they learn, and to be creative in creating curriculum and assessment tools. MI can be a powerful tool in helping students learn skills and acquire understandings. For MI to make a difference in students' learning, it should be used regularly and integrated into the school day, not viewed as an extra or a special occurrence. MI can be used with a variety of instructional strategies, such as lectures, learning centers, projects and exhibitions, and as part of cooperative learning activities. Teachers can use MI to help students learn and students can use it to show what they have learned. A single teacher can use MI in the classroom, or it can be a part of schoolwide endeavors. No matter who uses MI, it should be entwined in the culture.

Dispelling MI Myths

The flexibility of implementing MI presents some drawbacks. Because MI is not a set curriculum, because each educator or group of educators can fashion an approach that fits the particular context, the idea of MI is vulnerable to misinterpretation and misapplication. Before suggesting some promising ways to integrate MI into a school's program, I'd like to alert you to some potential trouble spots.