Multiple Intelligence Theory and Learning
Introduction
Multiple intelligence theory was discovered in 1983 by educational professor in the university of Harvard University known as Dr. Howard Gardener. According to Dr. Howard, this theory is based on eight accounts of intelligence to show the limitation of the test for individuals’ intelligence level using I.Q tests. These eight categories of intelligence account for the wider view of human capability in children and adults. On the other hand, despite human intelligence in children and adult, another contributing factor to knowledge acquisition is the learning styles which mainly describe the numerous approaches a teacher or instructor uses in learning.
In this case, the learning styles are particular to an individual and involve the particular techniques of education that allows an individual to learn best. This idea of originated in the year 1970 by when it grew to be well known. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how multiple intelligence and learning styles enhance teaching and learning, how either can remain independent of each other and whether or not some cultures tend to evidence particular strengths.
There are eight forms of multiple intelligence linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, naturalistic intelligence (intelligence 2004). According to Dr. Gardener (2006), these forms of intelligence in humans display the most common forms of cognitive abilities which have weak correlations with each other even though the traditional forms of intelligence are using IQ tests displayed close relations. According to Multiple intelligence theory (Gardener 2006), humans are able to learn, perform understand and remember things in different ways.
It is through the eight forms of intelligences that humans are able to understand the world self-wise through the interpersonal theory, image-wise through the visual/spatial intelligence, music-wise through the musical and rhythmatic intelligence, people-wise through interpersonal intelligence, nature-wise through naturalist intelligence, logic-wise through the logical-mathematical intelligence, word-wise through the verbal-linguistic intelligence, and finally body-wise through the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (intelligence 2004).
The mostly used of these forms of intelligences especially in learning for school children is logical-mathematics intelligence and the linguistic-verbal intelligence (Gardener 2006). Mostly it is the difference in strengths and weaknesses in children or adults as displayed in these forms of intelligences that depict how an individual proceeds in learning. This theory is useful in predicting the child who learns first in logical computations to be brighter than one who learns the linguistics first as computations are a more difficult task (Gardener 2006).
For a child whose understanding of a concept in school takes much time to understand as compared to his fellow friends, three things may be expected. First, the child may be have the best understanding of the concept using a different approach, the child may turn out to be the best in a different field independent from logics and mathematics, and finally, the child’s approach may involve grasping of concepts even deeper than the facial meaning taught in class (Gardener 2006).
This detailed understanding of a concept or the excellence in a different field or even the use of a different learning technique may result to what the tutor or the parent may term as slowness or delayed learning (Gardener 2006). For the child who takes more time understanding the details, this can be a form of hiding from view the logic-wise intelligence of the child which in this case is greater than that of the student who easily and very fast grasp and commits to memory the little knowledge they learn (Gardener 2006). Memorization with children is to the largest extent viewed by the teacher and the students as working to their advantage but is disadvantageous as it is accompanied by the disadvantage of lack of comprehending the relevant details concerning the concepts grasped.
Mixed reactions have met this theory of multiple intelligence with experimental findings exposing even higher correlations among the form of intelligence than those cited out by Dr. Gardener (2006). On the contrary, most scholars have come to terms with Gardeners predications and they back up the practicality of his suggested approach especially in teaching. The first of Gardeners list of intelligence forms had seven elements and the eighth (which was naturalist intelligence) was just recently added in the year 1999.
In his research, he also discovered two forms of intelligence namely moral and existential intelligences which no substantial evidence was gathered to support and research is still underway. For the other forms of intelligence, Gardener (2006) used numerous criterions to classify them and provide evidence. These criteria include: in case of damages on the brain, the possibility of isolation by the brain, where a form of intelligence falls in the history of human evolution, vulnerability to encoding, how outstanding is progression in growth, in case of exceptional persons, do they exist, what evidence from both psychology and psychometric findings exist (intelligence 2004).
It is therefore important for one to know their learning style as this will help individual identify and develop strategies that will optimize the usefulness of the strengths and minimize or compensate for the weak points in learning. This is because in cases of intelligence differences in students, it is easy to identify a way to invoke and combined them to solve dissimilar problems, and advance in various ways (Gardener 2006).
In his findings, Gardener (2006) identified that such differences are mainly a stumbling block to the system of education. This is because the system generally assumes the all students learnt the numerous items in the syllabus with the same pace and manner. In addition, the system with its assumptions declares that all students must go through similar testing manner to identify the extent to which a certain concept is understood (Gardener 2006).
One of the most common biases in our education system, as well as most of the systems, is the use of the linguistic forms of directives and assessments. According to Gardener (2006), the efficiency of our education systems can only be achieved when controversial assumptions are put in place because students can learn from well numerous and well defined modes all of which have similar end results; driving the point home in a manner that best suits the students.
Additionally, Gardener argues that with the different approaches being used to teach the numerous academic disciplines as well as assess the students, it is possible to have the students and the society served better and with talents fully exploited (Gardener 2006). This is because the students would use the method that best suites their effective understanding of concepts and end up serving the society even better.
Another of Gardener’s observation on the current system of education is one that the system mainly focuses on logical-mathematical intelligence (Gardener 2006). This is because, most society regard people with visible logical knowledge with a higher esteem as compared to other forms of intelligence. On the contrary, Gardener recommends that even students or people with other gifts from the other forms of intelligence should also be equally attended as they also are a part of the world we continually live in. for instance, most of the houses we live in are designed by architects, during our free time some people like listening to music from a musician or an artist, we also value the current trends in what we wear as a result of a designer, when one visits a club, they are entertained by a dancer among others. This people for the longest time have remained in isolation yet they form part of the harmonious world we live in.
Due to the current system of education we have, Gardener noted that it was unfortunate that such gifts went unnoticed in school and students who have a gift like in singing are only recognized when singing comes in handy but during mathematics or other lessons failure to understand a concept by the student results to mockery or even being forwarded to the administration for punishment or further action (Gardener 2006). In addition, no reinforcement strategy is set aside by such a school to assist such a student or others like them. The system concentrates on just linguistics and mathematics and logics intelligence.
Some schools tend to isolate students with mathematical and linguistic slow learning as academic disabled or underachievers or even below average students (Gardener 2006). This is ironical and it is not in any way a form of solving the students’ problem since their outstanding learning and ways of thinking are assumed and ends up not being addressed by the adopted system of linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligence classroom. Such an education system is viewed as one that forces a bitter pill down the thoughts of some students while creating heaven on earth for some students.
The education system has these and other loopholes that Gardener feels are a threat to the novelty of the system’s effectiveness and he feels may compromise the deliverance of classroom concept and management (Armstrong 2009). In addition, Gardener feels most education systems still using the tradition forms of learning may overlook the talents of some students who may contribute to the society. The theory of multiple intelligence is here to solve such problems as these which are continually being experienced in the education systems of our country and elsewhere globally. This is viewed by Gardener as a proposition to major transformations in the education system.
This theory suggests that proper training for teachers on the manner with which to present their lessons is essential. One perspective adopted in such training is the incorporation of a variety of ways in the process of learning like the use of multimedia and technology, corporative learning, activities of art, trips in the fields, role play, and inner reflection among others (Gardener 2006). According to Gardener, these forms of approaches are the best as all forms of learning styles in multiple-intelligence are all incorporated and a student with more interpretation of images is more likely to grasp points in the multimedia and visual classroom multiple intelligence approaches.
Furthermore, the students are more likely to have a diversified way of gathering information which they can easily share in group discussions and sharing within the lesson. In addition, students who love music may compose a song to help them comprehend sequential points in a given topic or classroom lesson (Gardener 2006). This song can be taught to others and assist them in the memorization of the relevant concept which will serve as a way of recalling the details.
The greatest advantage of this theory of multiple intelligence is that most of the educators, teachers instructors and scholars have undivided attention on it throughout the country and most have adopted it for use in the classroom (Armstrong 2009). This has resulted to restructuring and redesigning of the former classroom management resulting to the incorporation of most, if not all students, in any given class and hence improved performance.
On the other hand, despite the knowledge and information on this new theory, most schools are still practicing the traditional methods of teaching where some student feel left out as the teacher and the students continue to mock them and label them with names that demoralize them (Gardener 2006). In addition, these traditional learning styles appear dry since the textbooks continually being used are boring and demotivate students from working harder and putting more efforts.
The major challenge associated with the multiple intelligence theory is on how to deliver the information about its importance and significance to the teaching styles adopted by the educators. In addition, the school administrators need also be informed on the need for change in the learning methods used to work with the students to facilitate the inclusion of all students in the learning process (Gardener 2006). This is because, all students in the school should have their unique learning modes identified and the opportunity to for harmonious leaning presented to them to make them enjoy learning and put more efforts to appreciate the benefits that come with it.
For this reason, the traditional education system is full of cramming and memorization as students look for the best and easiest way to pass the assessments of those subjects they have slow learning speeds (intelligence 2004). This has destroyed the face of education and the perspective of students towards learning and most of them feel it is only good if they wrote answers on small pieces of papers to work with during examinations as they can hardly recall anything from the classroom’s work or even worse, they never attended such lessons as the teacher and other students mocked them. As a result, the market is filled with half baked graduates and adults who work in fields they don’t fit in (Gardener 2006).
Apart from its great impact in the learning of children, the theory of multiple learning is one with strong insinuation in the adult education and development (Armstrong 2009). For instance, it is not unusual to find a person who is stuck in a work position that they feel is not making maximum use of the knowledge or intelligence they feel they have accumulated up to that far. For this reason, most people end up quitting jobs or even struggling to have a job within their intelligence in vain or with little success because the qualifications they have are suitable for the position they currently work in (Gardener 2006). This is because of the adapted directives and rules that have continually governed and remained in use in our education systems causing the interests and preferences of students to be buried under the system’s biased approach that forces all students to be good in some subjects while forfeiting others (intelligence 2004).
Take for instance, a highly musical individual who is stuck in a class like a mathematics teacher while they could have been more comfortable launching albums in music, or could be an entertainer (Gardener 2006). With the theory of multiple intelligences, adults are presented with a fresh perception on their lives. With this new perception an adult is made to examine their capabilities which they felt would work to the best of their lives during childhood, and which they can currently develop through their hobbies or through self development programs.
This includes the various ways by which education is delivered to the learners. The mostly involved are teaching methods or techniques that are specific to an individual and that allows an individual to be at the best position to learn (Pritchard, 2008). By specific to an individual, this simply means that the individual is given room to interact with the approach used, seize, and process information or respond to stimuli. In this right, the individual specific styles of learning were instigated in the 1970s.
The supporters of this learning styles suggests that it is best is a teacher first learns a students style of learning and adapt their teaching methods to best accommodate the various learning styles by their students. Like the multiple intelligence theory, much criticism has followed this proposal (intelligence 2004). The critics say that no evidence is directly associated with the advantages of the teacher first identifying a student’s learning style to the production of better results in education despite students and adults expressing what they prefer (Pritchard, 2008).
Despite the fact that the learning styles’ meshing hypothesis may appear invalid, this is not taken to imply that the students and adults do not have learning styles or preferences they feel are effective in contributing to their understanding (Pritchard, 2008). In addition, this does not mean that if other approaches are used to in learning the students will not learn better, all what it means is that adapting learning styles would result to favored treatment to a fraction of students in the classroom and this would lead to biased results (intelligence 2004).
Different scholars who studied learning based on different approaches discovered different learning styles (Pritchard, 2008). According to the learning model by David Kolb, the different learning styles include convergent learning involves theoretical conceptualization and dynamic experimentations to create ideas useful for applications that are practical and applying logics to solve problems (Pritchard, 2008). The divergent learning is inclined to tangible experience and insightful observations that makes the learner more imaginative and innovative by using diverse points of view to see things. Assimilative learning style deals with intact experience and insightful observation and creates individuals who can create abstract models (intelligence 2004). The last leaning style is the accommodative form of learning where concrete experience and active experimentation create individuals who are practice things and not just theorilizing them.
Other common learning styles applicable to most students include those of Fleming’s model: visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic learners (Pritchard, 2008). According to Fleming’s, most visual learners learn through sight like they require to see the teachers body and facial expressions, and think in form of images and their learning is best at the use of visual aids like diagrams, handouts or chart to properly understand the content of a given lesson (Pritchard, 2008). Such learners prefer sitting in the front seats in the classroom to avoid obstructions that may prevent them from seeing. In the classroom, such learners feel it best to take detailed notes.
Another group of learners by Flemings are the auditory learners who learn best when listening. Such learner enjoy verbal lessons, discussions, paying attention to what other people say, or talking about concepts over and over again (Pritchard, 2008). To such learners, the underlying elements of speech like tone, pitch, and speed among others play a major part in their understanding as they interpret them to get the underlying concepts and until written information is verbalized, it may have little or no meaning to them. In this regard, reading a textbook is only effective to them when done aloud or using a tape recorder which they can listen to on and on again (Armstrong 2009).
The third group of learners as classified by Fleming’s include the tactile or kinesthetic learners who learn through experience like movements, doings or touching. In doing something, this learners actively explore the world, experiments and projects especially in science projects (Pritchard, 2008). This kind of learners find it hard to sit down and remain calm for long and prefer reading in intervals where they would have time to stand stretch or stand and walk around just to have a feel of a different environment before resuming to their activity (intelligence 2004). Furthermore, the need to engage in a different activity or explore may distract their concentration and make understanding hard. These kinds of people are more associated with day dreaming and building castles in the air (Pritchard, 2008).
On the other hand, multiple intelligence is classified into eight categories. First is the visual spatial intelligence which deals with the capability to distinguish the visual. The learners with this form of intelligence think in the form of pictures and have an urge to establish mental images to sustain information. They have an inclination towards pictures, maps, videos and movies (Pritchard, 2008). Such learners have the skills to interpret and appreciate graphs and charts and have a good sense of direction, making visual descriptions and correlations. These learners are good in sketching and painting and have interests in careers like visual arts, architects, engineers, designs and mechanics among others. This form of intelligence results to learners of the same levels as the visual learners in the learning styles.
Another form of intelligence is the verbal or linguistic intelligence which focuses on the capacity of the learner to apply words and language. The learners with this form of intelligence have highly established auditory skills, and more often than not make good orators or elegant speakers. Their thinking is characterized by words and not mental images. They participate more in activities that require discussions, explanations, speaking, and comprehension of syntax and significance of words (Pritchard, 2008). In addition, they like activities that like argumentation and tend to convince people to take their standpoints, as well as analyzing the use of language. Most of the career perspectives include poetry, teaching, politics, translator, writers and journalists.
In addition is logical/mathematical intelligence revolves about the capacity of an individual to apply reason, logic and numbers (Gardener 2006). These learners link pieces of information to create patterns logically and numerically by application of conceptualized thinking. Some of their skills involved, solving problems, figuring out scattered or mixed up information and organizing it into classifications and categories, they also have the capability to work with theoretical information to establish relationships with each other, they can easily make progressions even in processes with entangled reasons, they get involved in controlled experiments and in times of natural happenings or events, they have the tendency to question and wonder, as well as perform complex mathematical problems requiring calculations among others. Some of the career possibilities for them include engineers, programmers in computer, researchers, mathematicians or auditors and accountants.
Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence is one where the learner is determined by the ability to make bodily movements and the skillful handling of objects (Armstrong 2009). These learners are characterized by their ability to articulate themselves in bodily movements as they are advantaged by their stability and perfect coordination between their eyes and the hands. As they move they interact with the space in their surrounding and this works in handy to recalling and processing information. Such learners are best in sports, bodily language, acting, using hands to make or build, and using their body for emotional expressions. The possible career paths are athletes, teachers in physical education lessons and activities or dancers, artisans and firefighters.
Musicians/rhythmic intelligence are evidenced in the capability of the learner to produce and appreciate music (Gardener 2006). First this learner is more auditory than visual. They listen to music in tapes or from singers in radios or theatres and appreciate. They even appreciated their own music. On quality with such learners is that they have a tendency to identify sounds, patterns or rhythms. When listening to music, these learners are quick to criticize it or appreciate. Furthermore, these learners have an increased sensitivity to sounds in their surroundings like the ringing of a bell, falling objects among others. Some of the skills associated with this form of intelligence include been acquainted with tonal patterns, composing music, figuring out the structure and rhythm in music among others. Likely future careers include musicians, singers, and composers and so on.
Interpersonal intelligence deals with the ability of a person to relate and understand others (Gardener 2006). Such learners use the point of view of other people to figure out their feelings and thinking. One distinctive quality with them is their ability to study the psychology of others and interpret how they feel, intend to do or motivations (Armstrong 2009). These learners can make well recognized organizers but tend to fall for manipulations. In addition, when in a group, they tend to maintain peace and promote cooperation (Gardener 2006).
This is done either verbally by words or none verbally using body language to initiate communication with others. Some of the skills with this people include dual-perspectiveness, attentiveness to other people’s empathy and partaking in their moods and feelings, they also offer counseling, and are quick to notice other peoples’ moods, and intentions, they are mainly called to promote peace to resolve conflicts, and establish positive relations with others. Suitable career paths include counselors, businesspersons and politicians.
Interpersonal intelligence includes the ability to self reflect and have the awareness of one’s inner state of being (Gardener 2006). Learners in this category tend to comprehend their inner feelings, relationship between them and other people and the strong point and weak points. Such learners are more skilled in identifying their strong and weak points, they also tend to reflect much on their inner feelings, dreams and desires (Armstrong 2009). They also concentrate much on assessing their patterns of thinking and reasoning with themselves. These people have a high possibility of being researchers, philosophers or theorists.
Lastly and the latest in establishment is the naturalist intelligence and revolves around the ability of a person to first identify and classify patterns in nature. This was mainly used by hunters and gatherers to discover flora and fauna edible to form their food (Gardener 2006). In our current world, this is more in the way we relate to our environment and the role of the surroundings to us. Learners with naturalistic intelligence are keen to weather patterns alterations or distinguish nuances between large numbers of like objects. Such learners have possibilities of being astrologists or meteorologists.
Traditionally, there was a separation between learning styles and intelligence. This is because, it was taken that all students could learn or do things from a levelheaded capacity of cognition. Such was also the case in assessing students to assist educators to place students with the same intelligence in the same class or the same academic level (Armstrong 2009). With this assumption, a Paris professor by the name of Alfred Binet established the Intelligence Quotient or IQ test to be used to analyze student’s intelligence. This test was not so much to the learning style comfortable to the best understanding of the child and was used to rank students as gifted or those in need of special education.
One of such tests included the Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT which analyzed student’s mathematic and grammatical abilities and their reading comprehension and vocabulary. One biased assumption on SAT was its ability to predict future performance of a student and this was used to dictate whether or not a child was gifted or not (Armstrong 2009). This was biased and up to date; the largest extent of American education system is dictated by the capability of the student to scores and not the child’s capability as is promoted in multiple intelligence.
We cannot separate multiple-intelligence from learning styles based on the fact that the learning styles used in class should not just be characterized by the traditional forms of teaching and assessments. Instead, classroom lessons must be transformed to incorporate alls forms of intelligence as outlined by Gardeners (Armstrong 2009). With multiple intelligence and learning styles, the main focus of education is shifted from focusing on student’s performance to the students’ potential and this is a realistic approach as compared to the approach of standardized tests for all students irregardless of their potential (Armstrong 2009).
Do particular cultures tend to evidence particular strengths?” To answer this question, its is important to understand that, the IQ test has been a significant part of human life and its adoption led to the establishment of societies like world intelligence society which is a non profit organization that support the manner of communication and interactions among members of high IQ societies across the world wide web (Fish, 2002). Some cultures are associated with having people with high IQ despite the association between race and culture remaining contentious. This is because no universal definition in the academic field exists on race or intelligence. The debates on the relationship between the two evolve mainly from the sociology, psychology, anthropology and biology fields.
From IQ tests performed on the US cultures, the African-Americans ranked lowest while the European-Americans were slightly above while the highest IQ was among Asian-American. This was later proved by Lynn a researcher who observed that the highest IQ was found among the communities of Eastern Asia including China, Japan, and Korea (Fish, 2002). They ranked with an average 105 followed closely by the Europeans with 100, the Eskimos with 91, Southern Asians with 87. The south Asians and North Africans have an average of 84 among others. Some factors included feeding habits and nutrition, brain size and education (Fish, 2002).
Reference
Armstrong, T., (2009). Multiple intelligence in Classroom. Rafael Lopez. United States of America: USA.
Fish, J., (2002). Race and Intelligence. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. United States of America: USA.
Gardener, H., (2006). Multiple intelligence. Basic Books. United States of America: USA.
Pritchard, A., (2008).Ways of Learning. Routeledge. New York: NY.
R.I.C., (2004). Multiple intelligence. R.I.C Publications. United States of America: USA.
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