The Multiple Intelligences Theory Developed By Howard Gardner

In “A Rounded Version: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences”, Howard Gardner illustrates how there are a variety of intelligences. Gardner starts off with an example how IQ tests may predict achievement in school but may not predict achievement in life. After finding out certain parts of the brain are responsible for certain functions, such as “Broca’s Area” which is responsible for sentence production, Gardner proposes the existence of multiple intelligences. Multiple studies later led him to propose seven distinct intelligences; Musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Each intelligence has certain classifications. According to Gardner’s classifications, I realized my intelligences are bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, and intrapersonal.

Gardner examined many subjects to decide upon the seven intelligences in his Multiple theories of Intelligence. Gardner finally concluded that intelligent behavior does not come from one single quality of the mind. He believed that different intelligences are generated from different metaphorical pools of mental energy, and that these pools enable people to solve problems or create products that are valued within one or more cultural settings. He came up with this concept from his experiences working with members of different populations where certain cognitive abilities are apparent even in the absence of basic abilities. For example, when an autistic person is a genius at math and lacks the ability to tie his shoes.

     A renowned professor of education and psychology at Harvard University, Howard Gardner has radically changed the way we look at intelligence. In 1983 Gardner published the first of two books that theorize that there are multiple intelligences. Gardner believes “that human cognitive competence is better described in terms of a set of abilities, talents, or mental skills, which we call “intelligence” (378). Gardner’s theory dismisses the idea that intelligence is a single attribute of the mind and suggests that there are different types of intelligences that account for different human

To meet my students’ needs, I will begin supporting them psychologically, academically and develop classes that appeal to a wide range of different bits of intelligence. I am going to develop assorted techniques to construct my lesson activities that allow students to relate to the subject matter in ways that fit their interests, learning styles and strengths. I have many students who show abilities in different areas of intellect consequently I will let them work in collaborative education groups, either merging diverse intelligence styles or gathering them, is going to be a successful strategy. Alternatively, I will let my learners express their strengths in several areas of intelligence, they will be able to feel comfortable and capable. I will take in consideration Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and I will get these types of intelligence involved in my lesson activities too, with the goal that each student can be encouraged to examine and celebrate their own skills, for example:

Traditionally, people have defined someone who is intelligent as an individual who can solve problems, use logic to answer questions, and think critically. But psychologist Howard Gardner has a much broader definition of intelligence. Compare the traditional idea about intelligence with Gardner's. How have his ideas changed the way we assess the strengths and weaknesses of people?

Charles Spearman’s theory (1904) also takes the psychometric approach that there is a general intelligence. Spearman maintains that intelligence is hereditary and an individual is born with their maximum mental ability. This suggests that intelligence cannot be changed or strengthened. The concept of ‘general intelligence’ suggests that an individual has an underlying intelligence, in which their performance in one type of cognitive task is often similar to their performance in another (Boundless 2013). Spearman demonstrated this through the correlations between tests, where individuals who performed well in one test, often performed well in others. This led Spearman to the conclusion that intelligence is defined as a single factor. However, critics refute Spearman’s conclusions, as they argue that one cannot reduce all factors of intelligence to an indefinable “g” (Neisser et al. 1996).

‘‘Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory can be used for curriculum development, planning instruction, selection of course activities, and related assessment strategies. Instruction which is designed to help students develop their strengths can also trigger their confidence to develop areas in which they are not as strong. Students’ multiple learning preferences can be addressed when instruction includes a range of meaningful and appropriate methods, activities, and assessments. Gardner’s early work in psychology and later in human cognition and human potential’ led to the development of the initial six intelligences. Today there are nine intelligences and the possibility of others may eventually expand the list. These intelligences (or competencies) relate to a person’s unique aptitude set of capabilities and ways they might prefer to demonstrate intellectual abilities’’ ( (Armstrong, T., 2010). Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner, the father of such a theory encour-ages educators to feel free to apply the theory and use it in the ESL and EFL environment.” 1 In his book “Frames of Mind” (New York, 1983, Basic Books) he proposed that intelligence falls into eight different areas.2 “My True Intelligence”3 is a quiz based on Gardner’s theory de-signed to find out where a student’s intelligence lies.

Howard Gardner introduced the theory Multiple Intelligence where he believes every person has the capacity to hold a unique set of “intelligences”. Growing up, I was taught that a person who was intelligent held a lot of knowledge. However, Gardner includes the importance of other capacities of intelligence. These intelligences include linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial-visual, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist talents. As teachers, it is crucial to let every child know they are special and hold a unique place in the world. Just because one student is not as good at solving mathematical problems than the other students, it does not mean he/she is less intelligent than the others. That

"Gardner's original Theory of Multiple Intelligences consists of three components, seven "intelligences," and eight supporting criteria of what comprises an "intelligence." The Three Components include: a definition of intelligence, a challenge to the notion of a general intelligence (g), and a challenge to the conviction that g can be reliably measured." (Helding,

I am going to provide real-world examples for three types of intelligence as theorized by Gardner: verbal/linguistic, body-kinesthetic (movement), and logical/mathematical. I'll explain why each example represents one of the types of intelligence and present argumentative critics that have been offered against Gardner's research.

Howard Gardner was a Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for almost thirty years as a codirector of Harvard’s Project Zero program. (Jacobus 619) The program was dedicated to improving education in school. While Gardner was determined to improve education, he earned many awards and recognition along the way. Some of the awards he earned were MacArthur Foundation Award in 1981 and Grawemeyer Award in Education in 1991 but his most recognized work was the Theory of Multiple Intelligence. In this theory he objects to the idea that we can measure intelligence with a standardized test. Gardner is more interested in the mastery of thinking and less of the mastery of tests. (Jacobus 620) He believes that

For Gardner, it is not a unitary whole that groups different specific capacities, but a net work of autonomous, relatively interrelated groups. For Howard Gardner, intelligence is a biopsychological information potential that can be activated in one or more cultural frameworks to solve problems or create product that have value for such frames

The theory of multiple intelligences was developed by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a critique of the standard psychological view of intellect: there is a single intelligence, adequately measured by IQ or other short answer tests. Instead, on the basis of evidence from disparate sources, the theory claims that human beings have a number of relatively discrete intellectual capacities. IQ tests assess linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence, and sometimes spatial intelligence; they are a reasonably good predictor of who will do well in school. This is because humans have several other significant intellectual capacities (Harvard University).

Howard Gardner recognizes that intelligence is more than the single logical-mathematical processing of stored facts that intelligence tests assess. He views intelligence as problem-solving, problem-creating, and problem-finding across a range of situations. There are a total of eight Multiple Intelligences: Logical-Mathematical, Linguistic, Musical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and lastly, Naturalist Intelligence. These Intelligences allow educators to carefully integrate several content areas within a specific curricula.