One way to tell which kind of intelligence may be most prevalent within a student, is by watching what they do when they misbehave. How are they misbehaving? Are they talking too much? Won't take their headphones off? Can't sit still? These are all indicators of students returning to their natural state when they are bored or disinterested. They are returning to what is most comfortable for them, and teachers can use that information in order to better guide their lesson plans. The same sort of phenomenon often occurs if you give a class "choice time" in which varying activities are available, they are more likely to choose something they feel comfortable working with and enjoy doing over something they may struggle with or not understand.
It's a good idea to look back at a students school records to get an idea of what subject they show the most proclivity for. This is especially helpful if you work in a classroom where it is difficult to get away from a couple intelligences which the subject is most associated with, because if you can't see a student succeeding or enjoying something, you'll probably never know that that part of them exists. Talking to their other teachers and parents is helpful as well if you're trying especially hard to figure out what a child may be needing from you and your class. Something I found interesting was that it was suggested you look at a student's kindergarten records, as this is the time in which students are most likely to work with, and put on display, all of the intelligences equally. Then again, you could always just ask the student. After all, who spends more time with them than themselves?
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