Intelligence…..are you smart? What does it mean to be “intelligent” in our society? What abilities do schools value and promote? How do we measure intelligence?

Are they intelligent?

What is the theory of multiple intelligences? Dr. Howard Gardner, a professor of cognition and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, developed his theory of multiple intelligences twenty years ago. Simply put, Dr. Gardner posits that people employ several different types of intelligence, rather than one general type.

What is the theory of multiple intelligences? Howard Gardner’s theory proposes that people are not born with all of the intelligence they will ever have. - It says that intelligence can be learned throughout life. - It claims that everyone is intelligent in at least eight different ways and can develop each aspect of intelligence to an average level of competency. The theory of multiple intelligences argues against the idea that intelligence can be accurately measured with just an IQ test. If you look at the world around you and think about all the different kinds of things that people can do well, the idea of one kind of intelligence seems too simple – Howard Gardner

What is the theory of multiple intelligences? Brain damage studies. When people suffer brain damage as a result of an injury, one intelligence is often damaged. For example, if a person has damage to Broca's area (the left frontal lobe), linguistic intelligence may be greatly damaged. The individual may have great trouble reading, writing, and speaking, yet still be able to do math, dance, and sing. Gardner’s premise is that because a person can lose ability in one area while others are spared, there cannot simply be a single intelligence.  Exceptional individuals. In some people, we can see intelligences operating at high levels. Some individuals can calculate multidigit numbers in their heads or can play a musical composition after hearing it only once. Savants are people who demonstrate amazing abilities in one intelligence while other intelligences are very low. 

The eight intelligences are: The 8 intelligences included in Gardner’s theory are: The eight intelligences are: Linguistic - The word player Logical / Mathematical - The questioner Visual / Spatial - The visualiser Musical - The music lover Bodily / Kinaesthetic - The mover Interpersonal - The socialiser Intrapersonal - The loner Naturalistic - The nature lover (added by Gardner at a later date)  

Your turn We are going to complete a couple of surveys based on Multiple Intelligences to see where YOUR strengths lie Please keep track of your results!