Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has revolutionized the way we think about being smart. Written by Thomas Armstrong, an award-winning expert on the topic, You’re Smarter Than You Think introduces the theory, explains the different types of intelligences (like Word Smart, Self Smart, Body Smart), and helps kids identify their own learning strengths and use their special skills at school, at home, and in life. As kids read the book, they stop asking “How smart am I?” and start asking “How am I smart?”
As a thank you for all you do for kids, we’re giving a copy of You’re Smarter Than You Think: A Kid’s Guide to Multiple Intelligences to 5 lucky readers! This giveaway is now closed.
How to Enter: Leave a comment below telling us how you help young people do and be their best. This giveaway is now closed.
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Each comment counts as a separate entry. Entries must be received by midnight, May 30, 2014.
This giveaway is now closed.
The 5 winners will be contacted via email on or about June 3, 2014, and will need to respond within 72 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Winners must be U.S. residents, 18 years of age or older.
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All children are gifted
I would like to donate this book to a local school. Thanks!
I teach a gifted class and use multiple intelligence to generate a variety of choices for students on projects and assignments. We learn about growth mindsets and each of us has a unique learning profile.
As a coordinator of mental health services for a school district I have two levels of “young people”. I have children in K-8 and then I train/teach/supervise adults in counseling programs who provide direct services to students in K-8. I am an ongoing reinforcer of positivity and constantly remind them how good they are! I also help them own the difficult lessons when they are able to improve upon a skill and do so in a constructive, empathetic and caring way. A mistake is a miss-take, do it again a different way and you may learn and grow from it.
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Teaching kindergarten is one of the most important years of teaching, since that is where most students gain their foundation and base skills to learn for the rest of their life. I focus most on vocabulary since I have 20/25 ESOL kids. We need to spend more time on basic life skills like tying shoes, zipping coats, holding a pencil, etc. in the beginning of the year. My students have a wide range of intelligence and there is not always a way or time to serve them appropriately. I would love to learn about more ways to serve my unidentified Special Eduation students and my unidentified gifted students. I would also love to learn how to incorporate their skills into my class lessons so they can normally participate with the ‘general education’ students.
While teaching ESL kids I have found a special soft-spot for “special education” ESL students: they can be such a blessing! Although they are very challenging at times, I enjoy encouraging each of my students to work towards their very best potential, and not accept when people think “they just can’t get it”.
I encourage girls to think big and to think outside the box that so many people around them place them in.
As an Elementary School Counselor I have the opportunity to engage students in the classroom with guidance lessons, small groups, and individual counseling with a common theme that highlight student’s strengths that they are smart enough and strong enough to solve their own small problems. Potential that students have is immense and providing them with the encouragement and opportunity are keys to my role as School Counselor.
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As a former arts and crafts teacher I would encourage every student that there are many different ways to learn and each student learns at their own pace. Multiple intelligences allows students to not be in one box but rather to think and learn outside the box. Our world is truly a place of learning at every avenue students turn.
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I support them at my job by helping them get the tools they need to succeed.
As a school psychologist, I encourage the students with whom I work by establishing a good rapport and then commenting on their effort during test sessions. For many students, I use verbal and tangible reinforcers for positive behavior and effort. In the hallways, I enjoy greeting students with a smile, quick hug, or “high-five.”
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As a kindergarten teacher I recognize the good behavior and smart choices over the sad choices. I let my students know that we all make mistakes and I will tell them I even make mistakes but we can learn from those mistakes. If my students have a disagreement I will not try to solve the problem for them I will have both students talk it out and solve it in a nice way. I will apologize to my students if I make a mistake or accidently do something. I have found out with kindergarten age what you say or do will set an example for your students to copy. We have not had an elementary counselor in years and we are so excited to have one next year. I would love to have her see this especially since this will be her first year.
The products that are offered from Free Spirit give young people a clearer understanding of themselves, and of others. In fun and creative ways, they are able to become reflective and constructive in relation to themselves and others. The bonus is that in this process, I find myself doing the same. It’s all good.
I am a family therapist who works with tweens and teens. Most of my clients do not think they are smart or talented. I’d love to share this book with them.
I am an elementary school teacher. I expand my students view of themselves by helping them become engaged in community service projects with the local animal shelter. Through this they get to explore strengths not often encouraged through traditional academic settings.
Telling the students that we are all smart is a powerful affirmation.
I am a gifted education specialist and I love introducing my students to their multiple intelligences. I have the poster up in my room but I would love to be able to share your book with my students. Where do I find the “so you are gifted” webquest mentioned by Myers? I have my students create a coat of arms that reflects their intelligences.
I use the “so you are gifted” webquest to guide my kiddos on understanding themselves and to become proactivecbybtaking ownership in their learning process.
I TUTOR KIDS AFTER SCHOOL AND HELP WITH SCHOOL PROJECTS. KIDS ARE A BLESSING FROM GOD BECAUSE THEY LOOK FOR SOMEONE TO LOVE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEM. ALSO, WHEN THEY GET THEIR REPORT CARDS, THEY ARE SO EXCITED TO SHARE THEIR GRADES WITH ME. MY HUSBAND AND I WORK WITH CHILDREN IN OUR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM ALLOWS KIDS TO DISCOVER TALENTS AND SKILLS THEY DIDN’T KNOW THEY HAD. WE TAKE THEM ON EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS, VISIT THE SICK AND SHUT IN, PREPARE THANKS GIVING MEALS FOR THE COMMUNITY, LEARN LIFE SKILLS AND MUCH MORE. WE ARE THERE FOR THEM WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO STARTING COLLEGE TO.
I am an early childhood mental health consultant that goes to preschools and works with teachers and families to create child friendly environments and ensure that children are learning social emotional skills. I also help families get additional support and services for their children if they are struggling to succeed in preschool.
I help each student become their best through encouragement; they must believe they can do something in order to do it. They must believe they are indeed smarter than they think, that they can DO whatever it is they want to do.
As an Elementary School volunteer, I give kids my undivided attention and encourage them to try things they don’t think they can do…and help them recognize what they have accomplished.
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I teach my students that struggling to learn something is good. Suffering is not.
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In my capacity as a school librarian, I provide students with opportunities to build on their own knowledge and interests, learning and practicing real world skills and dispositions in critical and creative thinking, personal self-expression, and independent learning. I foster an environment that welcomes questioning, respects the individual, and is a safe space for all students.
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All school year I leave up the poster, “You’re Smarter Than You Think.” At the beginning of the school year, and many other times through our year, we discuss what it means to be “smart.” It is sad, because many kiddos don’t feel smart, because they may struggle in a certain area(s), such as math. I tell them that it is important to celebrate their strengths, and keep working on the areas that they don’t feel so strong in. I also remind them that we need all the different “smarts” (intelligences) to make our world work.
I am a humane educator and I help my own two kids and others think critically about animals, environment and how. To help the world we all share and live in.
Have read about Howard in my Humane Society University CHeS course
I’m a school social worker and I would love to have this book!
I have developed a Multiple Intelligences Lab that allows participants to try out the different intelligences through inquiry rather than just a quiz.
I like to focus on recognizing that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and there is always room for improvement. I let kids see my mistakes, I admit them, problem solve and figure out that it will turn out ok.
I am an educational therapist and work with a dyslexic boy. The therapy works to strengthen his weak areas and help him become an independent learner.
I encourage students to be independent learners who are aware of the world around them. I motivate them by making learning transparent through opportunities to find the relevancy of their learning and by presenting clear learning targets. I then provide a variety of learning activities that each student can access through their learning style.
I am a school counselor, mother, cousin and neighbor to many children. I work each day to help them see the positive attributes that they have that help them be successful in life.
As an educator in a STEM Lab, I facilitate hands on learning, allowing students to design and pursue their own unique projects that are of relevance and interest to them. I believe that this fosters a love of learning, which is the most effective way to support and encourage it.
I give students effective feedback.
As a speech-language pathologist and early educator for over 30 years, I have always thought each of my students to be a thinker and a learner regardless of his/her learning style or measured ability and worthy of my respect. It is I who must earn their trust and respect. I have structured therapy and support for the children and their families seeing the ‘whole’ child and using their strengths (strongest intelligence) and interests to support the skills they need to succeed.
I Follow on Facebook and Twitter. I run a SENG support group for Parents in Bangkok and am always trying to help with different ways of applying understanding or ideas to help children, or parents with their children. It is so important to share resources so that people can have access and not feel as helpless when they are struggling and wanting to help their children. I enjoy absorbing and sharing information 🙂
I wish all teachers owned this book! I first heard about Multiple Intelligences at a gifted conference. It’s true, we all have a place to shine and we NEED people who shine in all of the different areas of intelligence.
As a mother, foster parent, volunteer , I try to instill to all I encounter that by believing in themselves, anything is possible. Set the bar and start climbing….once you learn it, it is yours to keep.
I follow free spirit on twitter. I also teach grades 2/3 in a multiagency classroom in a school within a school for highly gifted students in Buffalo, MN. I teach my students how to cope with their affective gifted needs such as perfectionism, anxiety, learning styles, social/emotional stress, and moving forward by embracing and learning from failure. I would like to incorporate teaching my students about multiple intelligence and how their minds work. I also provide professional development for teachers on a variety of subjects. I think adding this book to my library would be beneficial to not only me, but my students, families, and fellow educators. Fingers crossed!
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As a school psychologist, I have served kids from birth to 21 and worked in public schools, native American tribes, private practice advocacy and within early childhood and early intervention. As a school psychologist, a large part of what I do is to identify disabilities in children. Through assessment, I have found that I enjoy doing strength based assessments because it focuses on the can do’s rather than the can’t or incapable of doing. Similarly, I have found that I have done a lot of this when working in family and child advocacy. Identifying strengths is empowering to a child and being able to present strengths to others that work with them allows them to see them in a different light and can shift their thinking to build the expectations that the children can do their best.
My goal is to bring the best in each child and help them succeed! The guide to Multitiple Intelligence is the tool I need.
I teach my 4th graders that it is not IF you are smart – but HOW you are smart! We do a survey so they can see which multiple intelligence they are strongest in. We then watch a slideshow and talk about how to use each of the multiple intelligences in school to help them be successful!
i counsel children and teens to believe in themselves, to always hope and never give up.
As a teacher it is very important to me that my students understand and acknowledge how they learn. If they know how they learn best, they can work on improving their other skill sets to help them when they are required to learn in a different way.
Every child is a gift and has gifts to share.
As a pediatrician, part of anticipatory guidance I look at a child’s talent and encourage the parents to bank on to the child’s strength and give them resources. The importance of nature and nurture are out in these visits. We give our kids praises!
I encourage my daughter & son and all children to embrace their unique gifts. If I see opportunities to help them explore and expand their interest I will help!
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I love Free Spirit resources. I’m like a kid looking through a catalog at Christmas when I get a new catalog. I have been very pleased with everything I have ordered from Free Spirit. I work with under privileged kids in a rural, economically challenged community. Free Spirit has helped me make a difference for these kids in areas such as self esteem, character education, bullying behaviors, manners, and lots more. Thank you Free Spirit.
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First, I get to know the child. What are their interests? I do this especially when choosing literature for instruction. I want them to be excited about learning. Connecting to their own relevant life experiences will help them expand and enrich their knowledge and understanding about themselves and the world.
I am a true believer of Rita F. Pierson’s quote “Every child deserves a champion–an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” I will be that champion for my students.
I work soley with the children of substance abusers who are in recovery and we I would like to have this book to help show my children that we were all endowed with gifts that make us valuable in the community in which we live. Many suffer from the mother’s drug addiction in more ways than we know and I am a child development specialist that would like to have a more positive impact on their future than ever imagined by unearthing the wealth of tools from within each child.
As a school counselor my job requires that I work with students to assist them with their emotional needs, scholastic needs, and everyday life needs. With every conversation I discuss their grades and their aspirations for college or their future. These conversations lead to some great insight into my students minds. They also lend a way for me to discuss their hidden talents whether is’s something that they may not be aware of or a talent that they are hiding because they may feel that others will not think is as cool as they do. These conversations lead to some great celebrations as well as opportunities for me to encourge them in their “smarts” and even find a club sponsor who can create a club where like minded students can gather and share their “smarts”
I use Gardner’s Multiple Intellegences in my 3-5 grade counseling groups. Especially with my special education population who always say “I’m not smart”. They walk away from group feeling like “I may not be strong in one area but boy am a smart in this area”. This book would only enhance the work I do with kids at my school.
I try to focus on student strengths instead of focusing on just what the student needs to work on.
I really enjoy the books that are in your catalogs. There are a lot of great resources!
As a learning specialist, I work with students and teachers to make sure that every child understands his/her own learning style. We discuss multiple intelligences regularly and have students assess their own strengths and regularly set goals so that each child can be their own personal best. I love this book and would love to replace it as I lent it to a staff member and now it is lost.
I teach my students that mistakes are opportunities to grow their brains. I also have students do most of their classwork with partners so that they have opportunities to be experts and help each other.
I’m a Special Education teacher for students with EBD. Every day is a challenge but rewarding at the same time.
As an LPC & a school counselor
I assist atudents in the front line pf emotional, social, academic, @ behavioral fire. I love my job and am grateful for every moment with them.
Following on Pinterest!
I’m a psychologist who has emphasized Gardner’s thoughts about multiple intelligences throughout my 2+ decade career. You aren’t your reading level, nor are you your IQ score
I try to help my two girls everyday to enjoy and maximize their natural strengths and to build up skills that will support them in areas of challenge. I already like freespirit on Facebook, and we enjoy and use lots of your books. They are such great, supportive resources for the whole family!
I continually encourage all students to look for and focus on their personal strengths.
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I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and I help young children do their best by encouraging them and helping them to improve their speech and language skills to better communicate with others. They will be their best with they experience confidence and success which I help promote through providing positive feedback and encouragement as the children develop skills which enhance their ability to communicate…every child is smart, and needs to know it!
I am a school counselor and do my best to make each student know that they are an important part of our school family.
I have four kids, three that I homeschool. Its not always easy, but I love spending time with them and helping them grow and learn. Right now, we know three of them have dyslexia and ADHD. It makes my job harder, but I realize how I can positively shape their experiences. I also tutor them on the side with a curriculum for dyslexia. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Focus on their strengths to address areas for growth! Build connections of encouragement and support =D
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I help young people by working hard to listen to, encourage, engage, and support them. I believe that all of my students are capable and bright, but that each has different strengths as well as areas for improvement. I want my students to succeed academically, personally, and socially, so I strive to instill perseverance, persistence, and determination in each of them.
I have been a Montessori educator for 41 years and have used many of your books during that time. I am currently the librarian at Near North Montessori School in Chicago and will share tehis volume with our 200 plus 9-14 year old students.
I help students find the books that interest them, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, real or fantasy. We discuss a lot that we all like different things.
I like to help the youth of my community by volunteering with sports programs, Boy Scouts & at my kids school.
Helping kids know they are smart on any level is important. Even a struggling student is smart in some area.
I love your books and how helpful they’ve been for my son with ADD and anxiety issues.
As the librarian in a college of education, I try to point our undergrad teacher candidates in positive directions for relating to their students using children’s books. I think Multiple Intelligences will dovetail wonderfully with the Common Core State Standards.
I do my best to listen, collaborate and help student’s to problem solve. Once we have identified what would help or work for the student, I then do my best to help to advocate for what they need to the other adults around them. All the while helping to empower the student’s to have their own voices heard in a positive and productive way.
I am a special education teacher. Many of my student’s think they are “stupid”, because they learn differently than most of their peers. I work hard to build their self esteem and teaching them that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. I know your books have been very helpful in teach students thing they need to learn in a way they they understand. Thanks for that!
I provide professional development and instructional coaching to teachers across my district. I am a big fan of teaching students how they are smart! This book is on a short list of books I want to add to my own professional library so that others may borrow it from me. I would love to win a free copy! 🙂
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As a class we celebrate our differences throughout the year. We construct positive comments quilt squares that are displayed during the school term and students take home with them at the end of term. This way they always have many positive comments from peers at home. Many parents say they are hanging in their child’s room when leaving to go to college!
As part of career education within the guidance curriculum, I teach middle school students about multiple intelligences. We also do many career inventories that ask about skills and interests that many students either don’t realize they have or have never thought they might be able to use as an adult in the workplace. I also try very hard to emphasize the positive with every student. I try and implement a ratio of 5 positive comments for every 1 redirection or correction. It was difficult at first, but has gotten easier with practice.
I have used several of your books with my son. The most I liked is “How to take the grrr out of anger.” What has helped him understand how to manage his tantrums in a positive way. Thanks for such excellent sources of education.
Love and listen to them!
I nurture the gifts and creativity of high school youth through critical reflection activities that help them to connect what they know about themselves and the world around them with new knowledge through educational activities, small group work, practical experiential activities that help them to apply their learning out in the real work and leadership opportunities where they can serve their schools, churches and communities. I use information about the multiple intelligences to facilitate the learning in these activities.
As a Title 1 teacher, I try to pre-teach vocabulary words and skills to my students so that they “know” the vocabulary when the teacher discusses , and feel smart.
I do an MI mini-test with every class and we discuss how each of us is smart in our own way.
I use books like this with students individually, in small gruops and in classroom instruction to help them gain the tools they need to be the most successful. Sometimes I use these with the adults as well 😉
Brehm teaches students how they learn, what their strengths are and how to apply those strengths to areas of challenge. They are smarter than they think!
I just recently found out through my 14 1/2 year old daughter counselor that her foundation of her math skills are extremely weak. I have been scratching my head wondering why she was having such a hard time in middle school math and now her high school math. She gets tutoring in school, and after-school. Now that she is in her first year of high school, she feels so defeated. She have always talked about becoming a language arts teacher, but a few weeks ago she started talking about not going into teaching now. Since learning that she feels this way, everyday especially the day of a test or quiz I will tell her to think happy thought before she leave for school, and I text her the same thing when she is at lunch. I try to give her encouraging words to get her through her day, and to make sure she eat something with a lot nutrition before she leave for school.
As a retired special needs teacher and grandmother I help young people by being an active listener, reflecting back to them what they say or seem to feel, and encouraging positive self esteem. I try to help them understand and cope with how school and life really work.
Everything I do in my 5th grade classes is laced with themes of respect and appreciation. In this world today, kids need to learn to work hard and persevere towards goals, and not take for granted what they have. Maintaining a respectful and appreciative attitude will take them so far in life,and hopefully propel them into a happy and productive life.
Having a positive word for each student every day does wonders!
I encourage them to do their best and be their best by giving them positive feedback and an upbeat outlook in life.
We here at LPOHS, an alternative high school, encourage good behavior, learning and literacy.
At risk youth are supported and loved and assisted with academics to realize their potential and their strengths. I would love a copy of the book!!!! Thank you!
I use MI to look at various characters in stories to help students reflect on their own strengths
I follow on Pinterest. As special education teachers, we are working to develop an art program and a music program to enable our kids to discover more of their talents.
I’m helping my school system implement the Schoolwide Enrichment Model in all 17 of our elementary schools. Through SEM, we’re using gifted pedagogy to find and nourish the strengths, talents, and interests of all our students.
I have already liked on Facebook. As a special education teacher, I try to help my kids to find out what their talents are, so that they can be successful and independent as adults.
Looks like a great resource
Positive mind set can make all the difference. “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” said the Little Engine who could!
Two colleagues and myself started a girls group at our high school. We talk about issues to help our young ladies feel safe and empowered. We meet every Friday with about 20 girls.
I use the Multiple Intelligences when I teach my 5th grade struggling readers about the brain and how people learn. I use a lot of multiple sensory techniques with my students so this is a perfect fit. I look forward to reading this book and sharing it with my students.
I teach college students that will work in the Early Childhood field and Multiple Intelligences is one way that we explore learning. Each student takes a quiz to help focus on their own Multiple Intelligence. Then we explore how to use Multiple Intelligences in the classroom as a teaching strategy.
This book makes me really excited. I help young people – my students and my biological children – be their best by challenging their minds, believing in them, helping them believe in themselves, and by building positive relationships.
I encourage my kids to always work hard and always be kind.
I teach my K-5 students that not everything in life is going to be easy and that as long as you try your best it’ll be okay! Some things will be challenging and they just need to do their best and be their best self in all situations.
I am a girl guide leader and I like to encourage children to have confidence to be themselves. I want to encourage them to be strong independent girls but also to be caring and understanding of their friends. I would love to receive this book as I can not believe how many children need more confidence in their abilities.
I teach students about the different ways to be smart and how these ways fit them. It is important for students to know their strengths so that they can build on them; and their weaknesses so that they can be aware of them and know that everyone has areas where they may not be “smart” but can improve.
In order to make sure that my students do their best, I try to have them reflect on their learning and how they did while they were learning in order to have them see what worked and what didn’t work. Talking to my students about confidence is another thing I do.
As a religious education instructor, I help children build their own relationship with God. I help them see their role in respecting and nurturing our environment and the people around them.
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Every child has a gift and a talent.
Love our new books
I focus on students’ strengths and interest and support their efforts to use those to access learning.
And followed on Pinterest 🙂
I have already liked Free Spirit on Facebook!
Pls enter me to win the book as I would love to have it!
I try to expect the best from every child.
😀 Thank you for the opportunity to win!
I teach my 5th grade students about Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. I think it is so important for students to understand that they are all SMART!!!…and have all the “smarts” – just in different amounts. I also tie the Multiple Intelligences (as I’m sure many counselors do) into career interests. I would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about Multiple Intelligences so that I can further deepen/broaden my guidance lessons and work with students.