TEFL Lemont Indiana

In 1983, Doctor Joseph Gardner proposed a theory of learning that would forever alter what it means to be 'smart.' The traditional belief that intelligence was an inherited characteristic was challenged by Gardner who posited that perhaps intelligence was pluralistic and multifaceted. According to Gardner each person possesses nine forms of intelligence, with no two people sharing the exact same configuration. These nine Multiple Intelligences (MI) are discussed below as well as their implication and usage in the classroom. Before we discuss the characteristics of each type of intelligence it's important to note the ways in which Gardner's definition of intelligence varies from the traditional notion of “smartness.” For Gardner, intelligence is having a set of skills that allow a person to uncover knowledge, find or create solutions for problems, and create a valued and effective product or service. The first type of intelligence that Gardner mentions is Linguistic Intelligence. Involves the person's ability to learn and use language to achieve certain goals. This includes the ability to express oneself rhetorically or poetically as well as the use of language as a way to remember new information. The people Gardner credits with unusually high linguistic intelligence are writers, public speakers, lawyers and poets. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence is the next skill Gardner writes about. Scientists and mathematicians typically possess high levels of Logical-Mathematical intelligence. They use their capacity to analyze situations logically, perform difficult equations, and investigate issue scientifically, to benefit them in their daily lives. For those people who prefer notes to numbers, Musical Rhythmic Intelligence may be at work. This is an intelligence which involves skill in performing, composing, and appreciating musical compilations. People who are rank highly in Musical Intelligence are able to compose a recognize musical pitch, tone and rhythm. Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence is another skill Gardner highlighted. Gardner views mental and physical activity as directly related. He believed that people with this skill control the movements of the body with the precision of the mind and use it to solve problems and complete tasks. This skills overlaps somewhat with another form of Multiple Intelligence, Spatial Intelligence. Spatial Intelligence indicates the individuals' potential for recognizing and utilizing the patterns of both open and confined spaces. Naturalist Intelligence is a skill that would have been highly valuable to our evolutionary ancestors. It involves being sensitive to the features of the natural world as well as being able to discriminate among living things. Naturalist Intelligence can be seen in many farmers, botanist, or other people who work closely with the earth. In contrast, the people who prefer ponder the heavens than see the ground beneath them, are probably more likely to be high in Existential Intelligence. Existential Intelligence refers to one's ability to ask and contemplate questions about death, life, and ultimate truths. The last two forms of intelligence relate to how people interact with themselves and society. Interpersonal Intelligence is the ability to understand other people's feelings, intentions, motivations, and desires. It allows people to work effectively with one another and is particularly important for counselors, nurses, educators, and salespeople. Intrapersonal Intelligence looks at how a person is able to turn this understanding inward, toward themselves. Individual who test highly for Intrapersonal Intelligence have a good understanding of their own motivations, emotions, and urges. This “self-knowledge” can be used to realize one's strength, weaknesses and potential and act accordingly. Now that we've addressed the nine forms of MI let's see how these principles of skills and talents can be used to improve learning in a classroom setting. Educators who incorporate elements of MI in the classroom may quickly find that students become more active, involved learners. An MI based curriculum is always fun and varied and recognizes that different people learn in different ways. For example, students may be encourage to express themselves creatively in different ways (ex. dance, art, logic and word games, songs, cooking, model making, mock-trials, etc.) These varied and exciting tasks allow learners to explore their strengths and skills and uncover new abilities they may never have known they have. When students are given the opportunity to find out how they learn best they become agents in the learning process. Discovering the best ways in which they acquire knowledge and can express their skills promotes life-long, self-directed learning. For this reason, Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligence provides a valuable source of inspiration for all classroom activities.