Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Deborah Kelly

November 7, 2006

Identification and Assessment of Gifted Learners

Old School

• In the heyday of the psychometric and behaviorist eras, it was generally believed that intelligence was a single entity that was inherited; and that human beings - initially a blank slate - could be trained to learn anything, provided that it was presented in an appropriate way.

“New” school

• Nowadays, an increasing number of researchers believe precisely the opposite; that there exists a multitude of intelligences, quite independent of each other; that each intelligence has its own strengths and constraints; that the mind is far from unencumbered at birth.

Gardner’s Paradigm Shift

• One of the main impetuses for this movement has been Howard Gardner's work. He has questioned the idea that intelligence is a single entity, that it results from a single factor, and that it can be measured simply via IQ tests.

Multiple Intelligence Theory

Howard Gardner, Ph.D., is the founding father of the Multiple Intelligences Theory. Formerly a Senior Co-Director of Harvard University's Project Zero (where he worked with Eric Erickson and Jerome Bruner, Howard Gardner's proposed his theory of multiple intelligences in his 1983 book, Frames of Mind.

Gardner’s Interest

• When asked in an interview how he started thinking about multiple intelligences, Gardner replied that, "the most important influence was actually learning about brain damage and what could happen to people when they had strokes. When a person has a stroke, a certain part of the brain gets injured, and that injury can tell you what that part of the brain does. Individuals who lose their musical abilities can still talk. People who lose their linguistic ability still might be able to sing.

Gardner’s Interest (cont’d)

• “That understanding not only brought me into the whole world of brain study, but it was really the seed that led ultimately to the theory of multiple intelligences. As long as you can lose one ability while others are spared, you cannot just have a single intelligence. You have to have several intelligences”.

Pluralistic View of Intelligence

• Gardner's pluralistic view of intelligence suggests that all people possess at least eight different intelligences that operate in varying degrees depending upon each individual. The seven primary intelligences identified by Gardner include linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence.

Pluralistic View (cont’d)

• The eighth, naturalistic intelligence, was not part of Gardner's original framework but was added in 1996 to include those who excel in the realm of natural science.

• The ninth, existential intelligence, was also not part of original framework, but has come to gain acceptance by those who embrace the MI theory.

Linguistic Intelligence

• Refers to an individual's capacity to use language effectively as a means of expression and communication through the written or spoken word (Examples: poets, writers, orators, and comedians. Some famous examples include: Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman).

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

Refers to an individual's ability to recognize relationships and patterns between concepts and things, to think logically, to calculate numbers, and to solve problems scientifically and systematically. (Examples: mathematicians, economists, lawyers and scientists. Some famous examples include: Albert Einstein and John Dewey).

Visual-Spatial Intelligence

• Refers to the capability to think in images and orient oneself spatially. In addition, spatially intelligent people are able to graphically represent their visual and spatial ideas (Examples: artists, decorators, architects, pilots, sailors, surveyors, inventors, and guides. Some famous examples include: Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Leonardo DaVinci).

Musical Intelligence

• Refers to the capacity to appreciate a variety of musical forms as well as being able to use music as a vehicle of expression. Musically intelligent people are perceptive to elements of rhythm, melody, and pitch (Examples: singers, musicians, and composers. Some famous examples include: Mozart, Julie Andrews, Andrea Boccelli and Leonard Bernstein).

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

• Refers to the capacity of using one's own body skillfully as a means of expression or to work with one's body to create or manipulate objects (Examples: dancers, actors, athletes, sculptors, surgeons, mechanics, and craftspeople. Some famous examples include: Michael Jordan, Julia Roberts, and Mikhail Baryshnikov).

Interpersonal (Social) Intelligence

• Refers to the capacity to appropriately and effectively communicate with and respond to other people. The ability to work cooperatively with others and understand their feelings (Examples: sales people, politicians, religious leaders, talk show hosts, etc. Some famous examples include: Bill Clinton, Ghandi, Oprah Winfrey).

Intrapersonal Intelligence

• Refers to the capacity to accurately know one's self, including knowledge of one's own strengths, motivations, goals, and feelings. To be capable of self-reflection and to be introverted and contemplative are also traits held by persons with Intrapersonal intelligence. (Examples: entrepreneurs, therapists, philosophers, etc. Some famous examples include: Freud, Bill Gates, and Plato).

Naturalistic Intelligence

• Refers to the ability to identify and classify the components that make up our environment. This intelligence would have been especially apt during the evolution of the human race in individuals who served as hunters, gatherers, and farmers. (Examples: botanists, farmers, etc. A famous example includes: Charles Darwin

Existentialist Intelligence

• Gardner’s definition for this intelligence is to exhibit the proclivity to pose and ponder questions about life, death and ultimate realities. (Examples: Aristotle, Confucius, Einstein, Emerson, Plato, Socrates). Less information available about this since it doesn’t fit into traditional school settings.

Implications for Educators

• Prior to his proposal, schools were predominantly emphasizing two of the eight intelligences cited by Gardner - the Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical. If we consider the traditional teaching styles practiced in the classroom and the tests that are given to measure the knowledge gained by an individual student, it is clear that those students who are naturally strong in the Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical intelligences will perform well on standardized tests.

Implications

• The fervor with which educators embraced his premise that we have multiple intelligences surprised even Gardner himself. “It obviously spoke to some sense that people had that kids weren't all the same and that the tests we had only skimmed the surface about the differences among kids.”

How it looks in the classroom…

MI Reflections• Uses MI theory as a basis to reflect on and

identify students' strengths and preferences. Bridging Students' Areas of Strengths to Areas

of Challenge• Creates a "bridge" from students' MI strengths to

appropriate learning strategies. • Emphasizes using students' particular strengths to

assist in areas of particular difficulty

How it looks…

Entry/Exit Points• Provide a range of MI-informed "entry points" into

a topic and "exit points" for students to demonstrate their learning.

• Emphasize using students' identified strengths to develop entry and exit points.

Projects• Develop project-based curriculum using MI theory

as a framework. • Emphasize authentic problems and activities.

Handout

• Provides an overview of why authentic assessment is useful when considering strengths and weaknesses students possess in light of MI theory

• MI Inventory for Teachers – may also take an on-line “quickie” version of this

• MI Inventory for Students• Suggested activities and assessments for each of

the areas of MI