Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Laura Dickerson University of West Georgia CEPD 8102 All media used for educational purposes in compliance with Fair Use Copyright laws.

Project on Human Potential 1979, The Bernard van Leer Foundation of The Hague, Netherlands sponsored Harvard Graduate School of Education assessed scientific knowledge concerning human potential Howard Gardner, a psychologist, published Frames of Minds Study of human intellectual potentials based on psychological and biological research

Idea of Multiple Intelligences Scores on intelligence tests predicts ability to handle school subjects and their success in academic settings, it does not predict success in life. Intelligent behavior is not just for the academic setting but should be described in a variety of real-world contexts.

Gardner’s Criteria Universal rather than culture-specific Rooted in biology Identifiable core operation or set of operations Must be able to be coded into a symbol system. Hughes, Noppe, & Noppe

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence Unique ability to use one’s body effectively to : ◦ Communicate with others ◦ Express emotions ◦ Create products ◦ Solve problems

Existential Intelligence Appreciation of spirituality and questions about life Ability to explore humane existence in the universe

Interpersonal Intelligence Ability to notice details about other people Particularly moods, intentions, and motivations

Intrapersonal Intelligence Ability to understand one’s self Very perceptive about their own feelings and needs

Linguistic Intelligence Language is universally cultural Origins are biologically linked Use words effectively Better understanding of written and spoken words Likely to “invent” own language

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence Ability to work with numbers Ability to form and test hypothesis This is the ability usually measured by traditional intelligence tests

Musical Intelligence Universal skill valued in all cultures Seems to have biological origins Ability to play instruments and compose music, even at a young age

Naturalistic Intelligence Appreciation for nature Ability to categorize, classify, explain and connect things encountered in nature

Spatial Intelligence Ability to visualize objects from different angles Possess skills such as map reading controlled by the right hemisphere Visual artists or successful navigators often demonstrate this intelligence

Criticism of MI Theory Some view MI as an approach for educators (especially those who want to say intellectual abilities are equally distributed) to label every student “gifted” In supports of the MI Theory, it has opened a method to test minority students for admittance in gifted programs Gardner’s response is that individuals are claiming that intelligences are “talents”, he claims that these same individuals are qualifying only some intelligences as talents while others are still labeled as intelligences.

References Bawden, T. & Delisle, J.R. (2002). Au contraire: Point/counterpoint. Gifted Child Today, 25, Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. United States of America: BasicBooks. Hughes, F.P., Noppe, L.D., & Noppe, I.C. (1996). Child Development. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. McClellan, J. A. (2008). Identifying the multiple intelligences of your students. Journal of Adult Education, 37, Sarouphim, K.M. (2004). Discover in middle school: Identifying gifted minority students. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 15, Images retrieved from ml ml