Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory Paper

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence’s (MI theory) is a valuable resource for teachers, if they understood how they could apply this in the classroom (Snowman & McCown, 2012). In this class, there are multiple intelligences observed amongst the students; however, there is minimal differentiated instruction to allow the students the best opportunities for success. It is critical that teachers understand that their teaching methods may not be wrong, but they

Howard Gardner was best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. In his article entitled “A Rounded Version: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences,” Gardner explains the seven types of intelligences and what makes an individual “intelligent” in those areas. One of his definitions for intelligence is that it “entails the ability to solve problems or fashion products that are of consequence in a particular cultural setting or community” (Gardner 509). Schooling and education deal immensely on various types of problem solving, and a student’s ability to solve problems foreshadowed his/her future success (Gardner 507). With this in mind, one may come to the question of whether or not schooling and education best accommodates the seven

In “A Rounded Version: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences”, Howard Gardner illustrates how there are a variety of intelligences. Gardner starts off with an example how IQ tests may predict achievement in school but may not predict achievement in life. After finding out certain parts of the brain are responsible for certain functions, such as “Broca’s Area” which is responsible for sentence production, Gardner proposes the existence of multiple intelligences. Multiple studies later led him to propose seven distinct intelligences; Musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Each intelligence has certain classifications. According to Gardner’s classifications, I realized my intelligences are bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, and intrapersonal.

The researchers during the era of psychometrics and behaviorism believed that intelligence is single, inherit entity. In contrary to this notion an increasing number of researchers and psychologists now believed that individuals are born with and possess different levels of ability. The researcher can support their argument by the use of intelligence tests. Gardner (1993) expresses this view elegantly, stating that “there exist a multitude of intelligence, quite independent of each other, that each intelligence has its own strengths and constraints; that the mind is far from unencumbered at birth; and that it is unexpectedly difficult to teach things that go against naïve theories that challenge the natural lines of force within an intelligence and its matching domains.” Howard Gardner viewed intelligence as “the capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural settings.”(Gardner and Hatch, 1989)

‘‘Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory can be used for curriculum development, planning instruction, selection of course activities, and related assessment strategies. Instruction which is designed to help students develop their strengths can also trigger their confidence to develop areas in which they are not as strong. Students’ multiple learning preferences can be addressed when instruction includes a range of meaningful and appropriate methods, activities, and assessments. Gardner’s early work in psychology and later in human cognition and human potential’ led to the development of the initial six intelligences. Today there are nine intelligences and the possibility of others may eventually expand the list. These intelligences (or competencies) relate to a person’s unique aptitude set of capabilities and ways they might prefer to demonstrate intellectual abilities’’ ( (Armstrong, T., 2010). Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

     A renowned professor of education and psychology at Harvard University, Howard Gardner has radically changed the way we look at intelligence. In 1983 Gardner published the first of two books that theorize that there are multiple intelligences. Gardner believes “that human cognitive competence is better described in terms of a set of abilities, talents, or mental skills, which we call “intelligence” (378). Gardner’s theory dismisses the idea that intelligence is a single attribute of the mind and suggests that there are different types of intelligences that account for different human

Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence states intelligence is not unitary and there is no “general intelligence”. Multiple Intelligence involves linguistic, mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, naturalistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal abilities. Gardner’s theory is based on neuropsychological evidence and psychometric evidence.

Santrok (2014) lists Gardner’s eight intelligences and states that children have all of the intelligences however they have their own strengths and weaknesses. Whereas Sobel & Li (2013) describe each of the eight intelligences in detail, and rather than asserting that the intelligences are used by every individual, Sobel and Li state that Gardner focuses on “unusual development or lack of unusual development of given abilities” (Sobel & Li, 2013, p.18).

Howard Gardner was a Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for almost thirty years as a codirector of Harvard’s Project Zero program. (Jacobus 619) The program was dedicated to improving education in school. While Gardner was determined to improve education, he earned many awards and recognition along the way. Some of the awards he earned were MacArthur Foundation Award in 1981 and Grawemeyer Award in Education in 1991 but his most recognized work was the Theory of Multiple Intelligence. In this theory he objects to the idea that we can measure intelligence with a standardized test. Gardner is more interested in the mastery of thinking and less of the mastery of tests. (Jacobus 620) He believes that

A teacher could effectively respond to this circumstance through using different types of learning strategies for the student/s, such as through the guidance of Howard Gardner’s theory of eight multiple intelligences (1983;2003), in order to decipher the child’s strongest and weakest intelligences and using

This brings us to Howard Gardner who is the Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Boston, MA. Mr. Gardner’s educational philosophy is that there is a relationship between intelligences and how the person learns the information being taught. Gardner broke this down into eight separate intelligences: linguistic intelligence, musical intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and naturalist intelligence.

Howard Gardner recognizes that intelligence is more than the single logical-mathematical processing of stored facts that intelligence tests assess. He views intelligence as problem-solving, problem-creating, and problem-finding across a range of situations. There are a total of eight Multiple Intelligences: Logical-Mathematical, Linguistic, Musical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and lastly, Naturalist Intelligence. These Intelligences allow educators to carefully integrate several content areas within a specific curricula.

I first want to say that my perspective and answers are influenced by my belief in Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Intelligence and ability are not one linear scale. They are both complex.

The theory of multiple intelligences was developed by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a critique of the standard psychological view of intellect: there is a single intelligence, adequately measured by IQ or other short answer tests. Instead, on the basis of evidence from disparate sources, the theory claims that human beings have a number of relatively discrete intellectual capacities. IQ tests assess linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence, and sometimes spatial intelligence; they are a reasonably good predictor of who will do well in school. This is because humans have several other significant intellectual capacities (Harvard University).

Many theories exist around the world involving many different subjects. Some theories are in the science area while others are in the psychology area. One psychology theory that is used in education is the theory of Multiple Intelligences. The Multiple Intelligences Theory is a theory that shows the nine intelligences all individuals possess, with some individuals being more strong in some intelligences more than the others. Knowing the nine intelligences that exist, it is easier for educators to be able to teach students in the intelligence they are strongest in. The Multiple Intelligences Theory’s key points are that all individuals possess the nine intelligences, each intelligence can be improved with the right instruction, and the