Introduction to Multiple Intelligences

Θάλεια Χατζηγιάννογλου

By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to answer the following questions:

• What is intelligence?• What is the theory of Multiple Intelligences (M.I.)?• How can I use Gardner’s theory in my classroom?• What are the benefits and challenges of using

multiple intelligences?Now, let’s play a game

Reflect on:• What you already know about

intelligence. How do you know if someone is intelligent or not?

• Do you consider yourself to be intelligent? Why? What is your evidence for this?

Reflect on the following:• During your own education, how has your

"intelligence" been assessed?• How has this affected the educational opportunities

you have been given? • What judgments have people made about you that

have been affected by an assessment of your "intelligence"?

How did the “intelligence” issue start?• Alfred Binet was a French psychologist who invented

the first practical intelligence test, the Binet-Simon scale. His principal goal was to identify students who needed special help in coping with the school curriculum. Along with his collaborator Theodore Simon, Binet published revisions of his intelligence scale in 1908 and 1911, the last appearing just before his death.

OVERVIEW

Early 20th century thoughts implied an all or nothing approach…smart or not (2004).

VS

Gardner claims intelligence is not unitary rather multifaceted (2004).

Multiple Intelligences Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory first (MI) theory first proposed by Howard proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983.Gardner in 1983.

How did Gardner come to his M.I. idea?• He works at the Boston Veterans Medical Center• People who have experienced aphasia (a loss of

language) from brain damage can maintain their musical abilities, while others become disabled musically yet keep basic language skills (p.118).

What are the Intelligences?

Logico-Mathematical: the use of logical methods and to solve mathematical problems

Spatial: to use and manipulate space

Musical: the ability to create, perform, and appreciate music

Interpersonal: to understand others’ needs, intentions, and motivations

Intrapersonal: the ability to understand one’s own motivations and emotions

Naturalist: the ability to recognize, identify, classify objects

Linguistic: the ability to use language

Bodily-Kinesthetic: the ability to use one’s body

Gardner claims that individuals possess at least eight independent types of intelligence (2004).

Other intelligences• Existential Intelligence (cosmic smart): The ability to

be sensitive to, or have the capacity for, conceptualizing or tackling deeper or larger questions about human existence.

• In the Moral Intelligence of Children, Robert Coles (1997) notes that it is not enough for children to know right from wrong; they must act in the right way.

According to Gardner…The ability to solve a problem (in a real-life situation) or create a product that is valued in a society. “Creating a product” means transforming a blank canvas into a picture that evokes emotion, or it might mean forming and leading a productive team from a group that couldn’t agree on anything.

According to Gardner:

• All human beings possess all nine intelligences in varying amounts.

• Each person has a different intellectual composition. • We can improve education by addressing the multiple

intelligences of our students. • These intelligences are located in different areas of the

brain and can either work independently or together. • These intelligences may define the human species.

True or False?

• Everyone is intelligent in a different way. • People with strong linguistic intelligence are likely to enjoy

crossword puzzles. • Some intelligences are more important for academic success.• People with strong intra-personal intelligence enjoy going to

parties and socializing. • If you enjoy keeping budgets and family accounts, you

probably have mathematical intelligence. • Map reading is a characteristic of interpersonal intelligence.• You are displaying musical intelligence when you tap your

fingers or foot in rhythm with the music. • If you enjoy gardening and camping, it shows you have some

naturalist intelligence.