Do you consider traditional tests to be effective? For centuries, these tests were utilized to assess our capabilities as students. But is it a good standard for our intelligence? If it is, then that means intelligence is centralized and revolves around our capabilities for logic, memorization, and problem-solving. Howard Gardner rejected this notion by developing his Multiple Intelligences Theory, which stated that intellect should be recognized as a pluralistic concept. In his model, the human intellect is shown to be composed of several intelligence types, which is a perspective that revolutionized learning and education.
The widespread acceptance of Multiple Intelligences Theory indicates that traditional tests are not capable of fully capturing a person’s potential. Oftentimes, they end up ignoring the types of intelligence that are deemed to be less important to societal functions. Nevertheless, they are still being used for their reputation as a good predictor of academic success. Despite its influences, the theory is still not currently being utilized at a systemic level. So if you are interested in knowing how you can personally apply your knowledge of the topic for your education and development, then you are in the right place. Prepare yourself as we deepen your understanding of Multiple Intelligences Theory.
Origin and Creator
To fully understand the complexities of Multiple Intelligences Theory, we should first see how it came to be since it is influenced by the studies before it.
As mentioned earlier, the theory was created by American psychologist Howard Gardner. Before he invented it, Gardner’s studies commonly focused on cognitive development. This is highlighted by his involvement with Harvard University’s Project Zero which analyzed the progression of creative and artistic skills in children.
The project started in 1967, and soon after, by 1972, he would be given the leadership role of co-director. His experiences with Project Zero, which was initiated a whole decade before he created the theory, would be a major influence in many of his studies that were conducted after.
So how exactly did Gardner conclude that our intelligence can be divided into different categories? During his time at Project Zero, he was allowed to work with brain-damaged patients frequently. In a recent interview with him, Gardner recalled his interest in the differences between the mentally impaired patients he worked with.
Some of the patients were physically active despite losing their linguistic abilities. In other cases, people who were gifted in music were not even capable of writing a coherent sentence. Even though all of them were impaired in some way, his patients still managed to excel in at least one other thing.
These observations accumulated and slowly removed his belief in singular intelligence. During this, he was offered by the dean of his graduate school to co-direct another project about human potential in which he will be writing about his experiences with brain-damaged patients. This material, which was supposed to be for another project, became the basis of his infamous 1983 book titled “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences”.
The book is what introduced us to the concept of multiple intelligences. After being published, the theory was met with mixed reception between educators and psychologists. Educators embraced the idea as it provided them with more approaches that would allow them to teach students better. However, psychologists argue that his theory lacks empirical evidence.
Such criticisms are still rampant these days, with recent studies even referring to the Multiple Intelligences Theory as a neuromyth. Critics also emphasize the misuse of multiple intelligences as a factor in the development of teaching strategies. They believe that the theory, being a neuromyth, should be rejected in educational settings as it draws attention away from evidence-based strategies.
At the time of its publication, the theory only involved seven types of intelligence. These were linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence. He considered these seven to be a better representation of the human cognitive capacity over the singular intelligence model.
Gardner himself later proposed an eighth type, which was naturalistic intelligence, in 1995. This was officially considered to be a type of intelligence in 1999 after his book “Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences of the 21st Century” was published. Despite newer propositions from other researchers, this was the last type added to the list.
The Different Types of Intelligences
Is it not weird that there have only been eight types discovered? Are these the definitive benchmarks of human potential? The answer to that is no and even Gardner himself in the interview above said so. Now you may be wondering why there are no new ones yet. Well, that is because intelligence types must pass a criteria.
Written down in “Frames of Mind” were eight criteria or signs that intelligence should exhibit. These eight were:
- Potential isolation by brain damage
- The existence of idiot savants, prodigies, and other exceptional individuals
- An identifiable core operation or set of operations.
- A distinctive developmental history, along with a definable set of expert “end-state” performances
- Evolutionary history and evolutionary plausibility
- Support from experimental psychological tasks
- Support from psychometric findings
- Susceptibility to encoding in a symbol system.
As you can see, most of the criteria seem to have self-explanatory names, and that is because they do. These criteria were Gardner’s way of “delimiting the concept of intelligence” and fulfilling them is the only method to add a new type of intelligence. As for the more recent recommended intelligence types, they normally fail to meet at least one of these.
Finally, we can move on toward the reveal of established intelligence types. Similar to the criteria, these types are also self-explanatory. However, to aid your understanding of them, we shall include a small description to better distinguish each of them. Listed out, the currently accepted types of intelligences are:
- Linguistic Intelligence
- Your ability to express yourself through words and language.
- Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
- Your ability to solve problems and perform arithmetic’s.
- Spatial Intelligence
- Your ability to picture an environment on a proper scale.
- Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
- Your ability to move and conduct physically demanding tasks.
- Musical Intelligence
- Your ability to recognize rhythm, pitch, melody, and harmony.
- Interpersonal Intelligence
- Your ability to understand and communicate with others.
- Intrapersonal Intelligence
- Your ability to understand yourself and reflect on your actions.
- Naturalistic Intelligence
- Your ability to identify patterns in nature.
Each of these types is supposed to represent the different ways that we process the information that we receive. We are not supposed to have all of the intelligence we eventually will have by birth. Instead, it is something we develop and improve as we live through our lives. At some point, we will be bound to accept that there simply are things we cannot do as well as others will.
Not all of these can be captured by the traditional exams we normally take in school. Unfortunately, those are geared more toward assessing our Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical Intelligence as those two are considered to be the most important academically. Nonetheless, they still take some form in the education system through classes.
For example, most, if not all, schools offer music classes nowadays in the form of electives. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is highlighted in sporting events, while Spatial intelligence is exhibited in art classes. Many schools attempt to promote leadership as a beneficial trait to students, which in itself is a form of Interpersonal intelligence. Mental health programs promote Intrapersonal intelligence and life science classes enhance Naturalistic intelligence.
Implications for Education and Personal Development
Now we move on to what you have been waiting for, the role of multiple intelligence in education and personal development. To be honest, its role and effectiveness mostly depend on how a person utilizes it. Luckily, we can sort this out by looking into real-life situations and learning from them.
The most obvious benefit of multiple intelligences in education is in the role of educators. The existence of the concept allows them to categorize activities and implement them depending on what type of intelligence their students excel at. For instance, one class may prefer presentations and creating infographics. In contrast, another class may be more willing to participate if the teacher involves them in hands-on activities.
The integration of such teaching strategies is currently being tested by researchers to improve the legitimacy of multiple intelligences in teaching. In a recent study involving 102 students, researchers observed various classes that implemented different methods of multiple intelligences integration.
Their results showed that classes that managed to successfully implement multiple intelligences-based strategies positively influenced students in terms of scientific development and learning of noble values. This is a demonstration that multiple intelligences also impact a student’s character formation aside from just their educational progress.
Moving past the educational system, multiple intelligence is also a beneficial tool for employers. As established earlier, Multiple Intelligences Theory allows you to identify the things at which you are strong. This awareness gives you a chance to improve your work-related processes, making you a better worker overall.
In 2021, researchers supported this idea through a study involving 314 Science Park employees. These employees were subjected to a 16-week experimental teaching research influenced by multiple intelligences concepts. Specifically, the curriculum designed for the study focused on intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence.
After the duration, the data gathered revealed that multiple intelligences improve both learning motivation and achievement. Once again, traditional teaching is displayed to be inferior to multiple intelligences-based strategies. This is because the latter provides more flexibility in regard to what the information to be learned is about.
This observation should be more effectively utilized in high-skill-based industries. Companies could invest more and train their employees through multiple intelligences to give hands-on learning and practical experience that they otherwise would not receive in traditional training methods. Their investment pays off in the form of a better workforce.
Lastly, multiple intelligences are a tool that you can use to identify what career you will be best in. Knowing the type of intelligence you have is key to planning as it will define what type of work your skills are suited to. Of course, guidance from your seniors will still be important. But at least you took the initiative on what profession you will have down the line.
A recent study endorsed several ways to improve your career planning through multiple intelligences. According to them, you should prioritize your communication in class, community, and family as this will help you explore and prepare for the responsibility you will bear once you are a working member of society.
It was also suggested that you focus on one thing instead of trying everything. Thinning out your resources and mental capacity will not give you the advantages you could gain if you just understood the focal point of the industry you want to get into. Most of the time, jobs have requirements for you to meet just to have a chance to apply. Using your time to make sure you meet these requirements puts you in a better position once hiring starts.
Conclusion
If you still find traditional exams to be useful, then good for you as there is no problem with that. On the other hand, if you find those exams to be tedious and unnecessary, it is okay to feel that way too. Do not be discouraged if your talents cannot be properly acknowledged by the system you are in. The important thing is you are aware of them yourself.
Multiple Intelligences Theory is a concept that you can apply to improve both your education and personal development. With it, you can enhance your learning habits and identify the most appropriate career for your skills. Remember though that you are not restricted by only your best traits, so still try to diversify, and continue improving your other intelligence types.
Being a college student is something everyone goes through, and not all of us will have the same experience. Identifying your strengths in terms of intelligence is only one of the many ways for you to improve said experience. Knowing your niche in this sense is something that will benefit you beyond just school, it will also be of use to you once you graduate and start your career.
