Teaching Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory as a Tool for Differentiation: Intelligence for Opening Doors Maura Sellars University of Newcastle, Australia The purpose of this paper is to examine the reactions, responses and results of 98 tertiary post graduate students when required to incorporate Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory into their plans to support the learning of primary aged students in classroom mathematics activities and to showcase the potential of this particular psychological framework in teaching and learning contexts. The paper discusses the challenges and complexities of teaching pre service primary teachers to implement Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory as a tool for effective differentiation. The students were post graduates studying to obtain a qualification to teach primary school curriculum area, including Mathematics. The context in which Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory was introduced was in the lectures and tutorials which focused on preparing the pre service teachers for teaching mathematics to students aged 5-12 years old. The challenges of teaching this cognitive theory include widening the perceptions of the tertiary students regarding the nature of intelligence, developing their understanding of effective learning in mathematics and encouraging them to investigate the potential of differentiated activities in this key learning area. The strategies and tools utilized as tutorial activities were not part of any formal research plan or intervention. The aim of the strategies and tasks was to engage students with Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory and afford them first hand experiences with the types of activities that they may useful in supporting student learning in the classroom, given the wide diversity of student cultures, experiences, competencies and learning preferences that are found in many Australian classrooms. The students themselves were diverse in many ways; not simply in their undergraduate backgrounds, but also nationality, educational experiences and competencies in the knowledge domain being taught and so provided a suitable cohort with which to implement these activities. The final grades for this course were better than previous years, with a large number of very high achievers. These results could have many explanations. Other responses, including individual feedback about the courses was positive. However, the activities and resources that these pre service teachers designed and planned for classroom implementation reflected a unique depth of understanding about how diverse student learning in mathematics is best supported and how mathematical thinking and logic can be fostered in students of all ages and competencies. Integrating a cognitive theory into content studies not only made a difference to the students’ learning, but it also served to demonstrate the potential of Gardner’s MI theory to support this positive outcome. As a result, the real importance of this case study is not to do with mathematics or any other curriculum domain. The true value of this experience relates to teaching. It is possible that this cognitive theory, in particular the development of students’ intrapersonal intelligence domains, may also prove significant in the teaching of Psychology itself, where deep knowledge, understanding and critical thinking are vital to student success and professional practice. In many ways, using psychology to teach psychology could be a very powerful pedagogical tool.