Intelligence is a multiple phenomenon occurring in different parts of the brain/mind/body system.
Intelligence is not a static reality that is fixed at birth. It is a dynamic, ever-changing, growing reality throughout one's life.
Although eight intelligences have been identified to date, there are probably many more. There are also many ways of being intelligent within and between intelligences.
Virtually everyone has the capacity to develop all of the intelligences to a reasonably high level of performance if provided with the appropriate opportunities, resources and encouragement.
Persons possessing extremely high levels of functioning in one or more of the intelligences are called gifted. Some persons (such as those who are developmentally disabled or brain injured) lack all but the rudimentary aspects of the intelligences. Most people fall somewhere between these extremes - being highly developed in some intelligences, modestly developed in others and relatively underdeveloped in the remainder.
While the intellect is pluralistic, at some level it is one. When faced with a problem to solve or a project to accomplish, all of the intelligences work together in a well-orchestrated, integrated way.
Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence
This is the intelligence of words, or the ability to use the core operations of
language with clarity. By communicating through reading, writing, listening and
speaking, the significant component of this intelligence are employed. More
important, the use of this intelligence helps link prior knowledge and
understanding to new information and explains how the linkage occurs.
Verbal linguistic intelligence helps students produce and refine language use in many formats. The ability to form and recognize words and their patterns by sight, sound, and, for some, touch is a start. The techniques of language, such as metaphor, hyperbole, symbol, and grammar, are next. These are enriched with meaning by abstract reasoning, conceptual patterns, feeling, tone structure, and an expanding vocabulary across the curriculum. Those who combine sound and sense in unique patterns to express themselves reach the peak of language development.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Is the intelligence of numbers and reasoning, or the ability to use inductive
and deductive reasoning, solve abstract problems, and understand the complex
relationships of interrelated concepts, ideas and things.
This intelligence includes the skills of classifying, predicting, prioritizing, formulating scientific hypotheses, and understanding cause-effect relationships. Reasoning skills apply to a broad array of areas and include logical thinking in science, social studied, literature, and other areas such as word processing, learning a foreign language, building a model, using the Internet, and learning a sequence of musical notation.
Young children develop this intelligence as they work with concrete manipulative and grasp the concept of one-to-one relationships and numeration concepts. As they advance from concrete to representational ideas in the form of symbolic language, working equations and formulas they learn about abstraction through the world of logic.
Visual-Spatial Intelligence
This Is the intelligence of pictures and images, or the capacity to perceive the
visual world accurately and be able to recreate one's visual experience. It
involves the ability to see form, colour, shape, and texture in the "mind's eye"
and to transfer these to concrete representations in art forms.
This intelligence begins with the sharpening of the sensory-motor perceptions. The eye discriminates colour shape, form, texture, depth, dimension, and relationships. As the intelligence develops, hand-eye coordination and small muscle control enable the individual to reproduce the perceived shapes and colours in a variety of media. The painter, sculptor, architect, gardener, cartographer, drafter, and graphic designer all transfer images in their minds to the new object they are creating or improving. In this way, visual perceptions are mixed with prior knowledge, experience, emotions, and images to create a new vision for others to experience.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
This is the intelligence of the body and hands. It involves the use of one's
whole body to express ideas and feelings (e.g. as an actor, a mime, an athlete,
or a dancer) and facility in using one's hands to produce and transform things
(e.g. as a craftsperson, sculptor, mechanic, or surgeon).
This intelligence requires specific physical skills such as coordination, balance, dexterity, strength, flexibility, and speed as well as proprioceptive, tactile, and haptic capabilities.
Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence
This is the intelligence of tone, rhythm and timbre. It starts with the degree
of sensitivity one has to patterns of sounds and the ability to respond
emotionally. This intelligence grows as students increase their sophistication
when hearing and listening to music. It further develops as students create more
complex and subtle variations of musical patterns, develop a signing voice,
learn to play a musical instrument, and advance to complex compositions.
Interpersonal
Intelligence
This is the intelligence of social understanding, or the ability to understand
and relate to others. Those exhibiting this intelligence notice and distinguish
moods, temperaments, motivations, and intentions.
This intelligence includes the capacity to understand and positively interact with other people. Interpersonal intelligence involves verbal and non-verbal communication skills, collaborative skills, conflict management, and consensus building skills. The intelligence is strong in the ability to trust, respect, led, and motivate others to the achievement of a mutually beneficial goal. Empathy for feelings, fears, anticipations, and beliefs of others, the willingness to listen without judgment, and the desire to help others raise their level of performance are all critical traits of those with strong interpersonal intelligence.
Intrapersonal Intelligence
This is the intelligence of self-knowledge, or the ability to know oneself and
assume responsibility for one's life and learning. The individual with a strong
intrapersonal intelligence is able to understand his or her range of emotions
and draw on them to think, to reflect, and to complete self-assessments, the
need for such introspection makes this intelligence the most private.
Naturalist Intelligence
This is the intelligence of nature and springs from an individual's ability to
recognize species of plants and animals in the environment and to create
taxonomies that classify the different sub-species. Young children who can
distinguish different types of flowers, name different types of animals, or even
arrange such items as shoes, cars, or designer clothes into common categories
and budding naturalists.
The connection to naturalist intelligence is obvious in botany and zoology, while individuals who work in organic chemistry, entomology, medicine, photography, civil engineering, and a host of other fields must develop their naturalist intelligence.
Gardner argues that there is both a biological and cultural basis for the multiple intelligences. Neurobiological research indicates that learning is an outcome of the modifications in the synaptic connections between cells. Primary elements of different types of learning are found in particular areas of the brain where corresponding transformations have occurred. Thus, various types of learning results in synaptic connections in different areas of the brain. For example, injury to the Broca's area of the brain will result in the loss of one's ability to verbally communicate using proper syntax. Nevertheless, this injury will not remove the patient's understanding of correct grammar and word usage.
In addition to biology, Gardner (1983) argues that culture also plays a large role in the development of the intelligences. All societies value different types of intelligences. The cultural value placed upon the ability to perform certain tasks provides the motivation to become skilled in those areas. Thus, while particular intelligences might be highly evolved in many people of one culture, those same intelligences might not be as developed in the individuals of another.
Accepting Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences has several implications for teachers in terms of classroom instruction. The theory states that all seven intelligences are needed to productively function in society. Teachers, therefore, should think of all intelligences as equally important. This is in great contrast to traditional education systems which typically place a strong emphasis on the development and use of verbal and mathematical intelligences. Thus, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences implies that educators should recognize and teach to a broader range of talents and skills.
Another implication is that teachers should structure the presentation of material in a style which engages most or all of the intelligences.
This kind of presentation not only excites students about learning, but it also allows a teacher to reinforce the same material in a variety of ways. By activating a wide assortment of intelligences, teaching in this manner can facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject material.
Everyone is born possessing the eight intelligences. Nevertheless, all students will come into the classroom with different sets of developed intelligences. This means that each child will have his own unique set of intellectual strengths and weaknesses. These sets determine how easy (or difficult) it is for a student to learn information when it is presented in a particular manner. This is commonly referred to as a learning style. Many learning styles can be found within one classroom. Therefore, it is impossible, as well as impractical, for a teacher to accommodate every lesson to all of the learning styles found within the classroom. Nevertheless the teacher can show students how to use their more developed intelligences to assist in the understanding of a subject which normally employs their weaker intelligences.
ADDITIONAL READING
Blythe, T., & Gardner H. (1990). A school for all Intelligences. Educational Leadership. 47(7), 33-37.
Fogarty, R., & Stoehr, J. (1995). Integrating curricula with multiple intelligences. Teams, themes, and threads. K-college. Palatine, IL: IRI Skylight Publishing Inc. (ED 383 435)
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind. New York: Basic Books Inc.
Gardner, H. (1991) The unschooled mind: how children think and how schools should teach. New York: Basic Books Inc.
Gardner, H., & Hatch, T. (1989). Multiple intelligences go to school: Educational implications of the theory of multiple intelligences. Educational Researcher, 18(8), 4-9.
Kornhaber, M., & Gardner, H. (1993, March). Varieties of excellence: identifying and assessing children's talents. A series on authentic assessment and accountability. New York: Columbia University, Teachers College, National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching. (ED 363 396)
Lazear, David. (1999). Eightn ways of teaching: The artistry of teaching with multiple intelligences. Palatine, IL: IRI Skylight Publishing Inc.
Lazear, David (1992). Teaching for Multiple Intelligences. Fastback 342 Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappan Educational Foundation. (ED 356 227) (highly recommended) [abstract]
Martin, W.C. (1995, March). Assessing multiple intelligences. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Conference on Educational Assessment, Ponce, PR. (ED 385 368)