The Multiple Intelligences Theory


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Over the past fifty years a number of brain researchers have stated that human beings probably use less than 1% of their brain's potential. This assertion has served as a catalyst for researchers from every profession and academic discipline to join in the exploration of the human mind and how it works. The subsequent astonishing discoveries have called into question traditional notions about learning and human potential, and have transformed almost all of our previous definitions of intelligence. 

In 1981, Dr. Roger Sperry received a Nobel Peace Prize for his research into the different ways the left and right hemispheres of the brain process information. In the left hemisphere processing is more linear and sequential, while the right brain's processing tends to be more simultaneous and creative. These two modalities are brought together in a new area of research known as "whole brain" processing. In addition, Dr. Paul MacLean completed a research study that suggests that within our one brain there are three separate brains that come from our earlier development as a species. As humans developed, and the need for more involved levels of thinking and mental processes were required, the brain simply grew new layers, each more complex than its predecessor. This "triune brain" operates as a unified whole. 

Other researchers have challenged the long-standing belief that intelligence is a fixed, static entity. In the past it was thought that intelligence was fixed at birth and could be objectively measured through intelligence tests and reduced to a single number or "IQ" score. The IQ then, would reveal what an individual's intelligence capabilities were. Present day brain-mind researchers now feel that intelligence is a more flexible phenomenon; that in fact it is a capability that can be enhanced and amplified throughout one's life. One such researcher, cognitive psychologist Howard Gardner, agrees that our culture has defined intelligence too narrowly. In his 1983 book Frames of Mind, he set forth his theory of "multiple intelligences" (MI theory), postulating that there are many forms of intelligence many ways by which we know, understand, and learn about our world. 

Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences is gaining increasing respect from both the scientific community and the public at large. It is a particularly powerful model because it is supported by solid evidence from brain research, psychological testing, experiments with animals, developmental work with young children, descriptive accounts of exceptional ability, and cross-cultural studies. Furthermore, Gardner established specific requirements that each intelligence had to meet in order to be included in his theory, thus distinguishing them from what are commonly known as talents or aptitudes. Several of these "tests" are described below: 

  • Each intelligence is capable of being symbolized. (Every intelligence has its own symbol or notationat system - words, letters, numbers, musical notes, gestures, graphic language, etc.) 
  • Each intelligence has its own developmental history. (Each intelligence emerges at a certain point in childhood, has its own time of peaking during one's lifetime, and its own pattern of either gradual or rapid decline as a person ages.) 
  • Each intelligence is vulnerable to impairment through injury to specific areas of the brain. (Gardner argues for the existence of seven relatively autonomous brain systems. His studies with victims of brain injuries have shown that brain lesions seemed to have selectively impaired one intelligence while leaving all the other intelligences intact.) 
  • Each intelligence has its own culturally valued endstates. (The MI theory declares that intelligent behavior can best be viewed by looking at civilization's highest accomplishments in each of the seven areas. It also celebrates the diversity of ways in which different cultures show intelligent behaviors. Not all cultures so highly value the Western "ideal" of intelligence - the verbal and logical ones!) 

In studying the MI theory, and in attempting to transfer the theory to practice, it is important to remember several keypoints of the model. They are as follows: 

  • Each person possesses all seven Intelligences. MI is a theory of cognitive functioning and it proposes that each person has capacities in all seven intelligences. However, the intelligences function together in ways unique to each person. Most of us are highly developed in some intelligences, modestly developed in others, and rather underdeveloped in the rest. 
  • Most people can develop each intelligence to an adequate level of competency. Gardner suggests that virtually everyone has the capacity to develop all seven intelligences to a reasonably high level of performance if given the appropriate encouragement, enrichment, and instruction.
  • Intelligences usually work together in complex ways. Intelligences are always interacting with each other. For example, to cook a meal, one must read the recipe (linguistic), possibly double the ingredients (logical/mathematicaI), handle the tools and appliances (body/kinesthetic), and develop a meal that satisfies all family members (interpersonal).
  • There are many ways to be intelligent within each category. There is no standard set of attributes that one must have to be intelligent in a specific area. For example, a person may not be able to read, yet be highly linguistic because he can tell a terrific story or has a large oral vocabulary. MI theory emphasizes the variety of ways in which people show their abilities within intelligences as well as between intelligences. 

Clearly, Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences has extensive implications for educators. It explains scientifically what classroom teachers have known for decades - that all children have strengths, but not always in areas typically measured by traditional standardized tests. Now we have been provided with a foundation upon which to identify and develop a broad spectrum of abilities in each child. Efforts are underway to change the art of teaching, cuniculum content, and assessment tools so that students can learn and demonstrate their learning in different ways. Educators such as Thomas Armstrong, David Lazear, and Bruce Campbell have published works to aid teachers in transferring the MI theory to daily, practical use in the classroom. We must take advantage of this expertise. We know that all students deserve opportunities to work from their strengths, to enhance their areas of weakness, and to discover what they most enjoy. Let's give all children a chance to shine in some area of their lives!