AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MATHEMATICS TEACHING IN A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT DESIGNED ACCORDING TO THE THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

The aim of this study is to evaluate qualitatively the themes emerging from the application of activities designed according to The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. The activities were selected from the learning domains of 7th grade mathematics curriculum. This case study was conducted with two mathematics teachers from different schools and their 54 students and it lasted for a total of 51 hours. Interview and observation methods were used in order to collect data as well as student journals. After a content analysis of the interviews, codes and themes were derived with regard to the purpose of the study. Observations and student journals were presented by directly quoting the parts related with the themes derived from the interviews. As a result of this study, the activities carried out in environments designed according to The Theory of Multiple Intelligences were found to be effective in the context of the theme of "facilitating understanding and providing permanent learning". Since this kind of practices have the role of catalyzing in the displacement process of learning environments based on alternative learning theories by traditional learning environments, the frequent implementation of similar practices in different subject fields and at different levels should be implemented for the widespread use of student centered approaches.