2. Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory

3. Who is Howard Gardner?  He is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is also an adjunct professor of psychology at Harvard University and of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and is the senior director of Harvard Project Zero, a research group dedicated to the study and improvement of education in the arts.  He has received multiple honors, including several honorary degrees, for his work in the field of education.  He is the author of over 20 books translated into 23 languages and has written hundreds of articles.  In the realm of education, he is best known for his “Theory of Multiple Intelligences”.

4.  Early in his career, Gardner viewed himself as a Piagetian; however, throughout his own studies, he came to believe that Piaget’s theories were “too narrow a notion of how the human mind works”.  In his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, published in 1983, Gardner proposed his theory “that people use at least seven relatively autonomous intellectual capacities - to approach problems and create products”. That “although they are not necessarily dependent on each other, these intelligences seldom operate in isolation. Every normal individual possesses varying degrees of each of these intelligences, but the ways in which intelligences combine and blend are as varied as the faces and the personalities of individuals”.  Later in his career, Gardner added his eighth intelligence, Naturalist, to his Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

5. Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Musical Intrapersonal (Self) Interpersonal (Others) Bodily-Kinesthetic Spatial Naturalist (added years later)

6. Linguistic  The ability to think in words and to use language to express meaning. Examples: authors, journalists, and speakers. Mathematical-Logical  The ability to carry out mathematical operations. Examples: scientists, engineers, and accountants. Spatial  The ability to think three-dimensionally. Examples: architects, artists, and sailors. Bodily-Kinesthetic  The ability to manipulate objects and be physically adept. Examples: surgeons, craftspeople, dancers, and athletes.

7. Musical  A sensitivity to pitch, melody, rhythm, and tone. Examples: composers, musicians, and music therapists. Intrapersonal  The ability to understand oneself and effectively direct one’s life. Examples: theologians and psychologists. Interpersonal  The ability to understand and effectively interact with others. Examples: successful teachers, and mental health professionals. Naturalist  The ability to observe patterns in nature and understand natural and human-made systems. Examples: farmers, botanists, ecologists, and landscapers.

8. “Multiple Intelligences Thrive in Smartville” Multiple Intelligences at Work in the Classroom

9. Criticisms of Gardner’s Theory  Is Gardner’s theory based more on his opinions than on scientific fact? A considerable amount of testing needs to be performed in order to support the theory that people in fact possess Gardner’s basic set of eight intelligences. Currently, there is no test designed to specifically measure this.  Do humans possess more intelligences than the eight that Gardner proposes? Is Gardner’s theory also limited regarding how the mind works, as he believed Piaget’s to be? If so, should it be revised to include numerous other specialized intelligences?  If classroom instruction is multiple intelligence based, will students be restricted to only those skills related to the eight intelligences that Gardner proposes?

10. Please take the quiz provided to see what intelligence(s) you are. Later, visit http://www.edutopia.o rg/multiple- intelligences-learn ing-styles-quiz, take the quiz, and compare your results! http://www.edutopia.o rg/multiple- intelligences-learn ing-styles-quiz How many of Gardner’s intelligences do I possess?

11. The End