Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner's Eight Intelligences

The theory of multiple intelligences challenges the idea of a single IQ, where human beings have one central "computer" where intelligence is housed. Howard Gardner, the Harvard professor who originally proposed the theory, says that there are multiple types of human intelligence, each representing different ways of processing information:

• Verbal-linguistic intelligence refers to an individual's ability to analyze information and produce work that involves oral and written language, such as speeches, books, and emails.

• Logical-mathematical intelligence describes the ability to develop equations and proofs, make calculations, and solve abstract problems.

• Visual-spatial intelligence allows people to comprehend maps and other types of graphical information.

• Musical intelligence enables individuals to produce and make meaning of different types of sound.

• Naturalistic intelligence refers to the ability to identify and distinguish among different types of plants, animals, and weather formations found in the natural world.

• Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails using one's own body to create products or solve problems.

• Interpersonal intelligence reflects an ability to recognize and understand other people's moods, desires, motivations, and intentions.

• Intrapersonal intelligence refers to people's ability to recognize and assess those same characteristics within themselves.

The Difference Between Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles

One common misconception about multiple intelligences is that it means the same thing as learning styles. Instead, multiple intelligences represents different intellectual abilities. Learning styles, according to Howard Gardner, are the ways in which an individual approaches a range of tasks. They have been categorized in a number of different ways -- visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, impulsive and reflective, right brain and left brain, etc. Gardner argues that the idea of learning styles does not contain clear criteria for how one would define a learning style, where the style comes, and how it can be recognized and assessed. He phrases the idea of learning styles as "a hypothesis of how an individual approaches a range of materials."

Everyone has all eight types of the intelligences listed above at varying levels of aptitude -- perhaps even more that are still undiscovered -- and all learning experiences do not have to relate to a person's strongest area of intelligence. For example, if someone is skilled at learning new languages, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they prefer to learn through lectures. Someone with high visual-spatial intelligence, such as a skilled painter, may still benefit from using rhymes to remember information. Learning is fluid and complex, and it’s important to avoid labeling students as one type of learner. As Gardner states, "When one has a thorough understanding of a topic, one can typically think of it in several ways."

So Why Are You Sharing This With Me?

I'm sharing this with all of you because this is something that I have been passionate about for a long time (it's what I did my Master's thesis on). Being able to identify not just the preferred learning style of your scholar(s), but which intelligence your scholar(s) uses will help you to better create lessons that cater to your scholar even more. But, please note, that learning style and the Multiple Intelligences are directly related to each other. I've included two different ways to determine your scholar(s) strength intelligence. One is using a paper and pencil and the other is online. For the online quiz, those of you with little ones will need to reword some of the questions because they won't make sense to them; the quiz was written for scholars in grades 4-12, but can be used for scholars K-3 as well if you help them out.