Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner expanded the concept of intelligence to include areas such as music, spatial relations, and interpersonal knowledge in addition to mathematics and linguistic skills to be incorporated in school curricula. The seven intelligences very rarely operate independently and they complement each other as individuals develop skills or solve problems. The seven intelligences Gardner proposes are:
- Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
- Linguistic Intelligence
- Spatial Intelligence
- Musical Intelligence
- Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
- The Personal Intelligences, which includes Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Intelligence.
Teachers should think of all intelligences as equally important. In traditional education systems, a strong emphasis is placed on the development of verbal and mathematical intelligences. Gardner’s theory implies that educators should recognize and teach to a broader range of skills. Children need to be engaged when learning. By activating a wide assortment of intelligences, teaching to engage most or all of the intelligences can facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
All students come to the classroom with different skill levels and sets of developed intelligences. Therefore, each child will have his own unique set of strengths and weaknesses or learning style. When students are assessed, teachers must get an accurate overview of their strengths and weaknesses, which will allow teachers to better present the information being taught. Gardner’s theory claims that a better approach to assessment is to allow students to explain the material in their own ways using the different intelligences.
