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Intelligences in Children
Intelligence
Quotient (IQ) Testing - where did it come from?
Two psychologists
named Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon created
the first Intelligence Scale in 1905.
The
French government had commissioned this test to
assess, which students would likely succeed or
fail in the French school system. In 1930, Lewis
Terman made revisions to this original assessment
and renamed it the Intelligence Test.
This was
the first time in history that an intelligence
quotient to measure a child's mental age against
their chronological age.
Through
the years, our school systems have come to rely
heavily on IQ and "standardized" testing, which
puts an inordinate amount of focus on verbal-linguistic
and math-logical intelligences, typically at the
expense of other intelligences. But, the question
remains, what is this Multiple Intelligence idea
all about?
The first exploration
into the theory of Multiple Intelligence was in
a book by author, Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983.
Dr. Gardner defined
intelligence as consisting of three components:
- Ability to create
an effective product or service that is valuable
to one's culture
- Set of skills
that enables an individual to solve problems encountered
in life
- Potential for
finding or creating solutions for problems, which
enables a person to acquire new knowledge
Dr. Gardner, who
has become a world-renowned authority on the topic
of MI, derived this theory based on extensive
brain research, as well as interviews, tests,
and research on hundreds of individuals. He studied
the cognitive abilities of people afflicted with
strokes and accident victims, as well as child
prodigies, autistic children and those with learning
disabilities.
His conclusions
became the foundation for his MI theory in that
intelligence is not one inborn fixed trait that
dominates all a student's skills or problem-solving
abilities, but rather each person has different
parts of their brains that may be more highly
developed than other parts.
While these different
parts of the brain are interconnected, they may
work independent or in concert to help a student
learn depending on the educational environment
and the child's preferred intelligences.
With this in mind,
Dr. Gardner identified eight different Intelligences
that every person would have, to varying degrees.
These intelligences are verbal/linguistic, math/logical,
spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal,
intrapersonal, and naturalist.
The
Eight Intelligences Explained
1)
Verbal-Linguistic
-
The Writer/Speaker Children with strong Verbal-Linguistic
intelligence will have a propensity to produce
language and sensitivity to the nuances, order
and rhythm of words. These students love to read,
write and tell stories. They have good memories
for names, places, dates and trivia. Professionals
with strong VL intelligence will be writers, public
speakers, teachers, and actors. Some historical
examples include Abraham Lincoln, T.S. Elliot
and Charlton Heston.
2)
Math-Logical - The Scientist
Children
with strong Math-Logical intelligence have the
ability to reason deductively and can recognize
and manipulate abstract patterns or relationships.
Students who have strong problem-solving and reasoning
skills will excel in this intelligence. Adults
with this intelligence will work as scientists,
mathematicians, computer programmers, lawyers
or accountants. Some historical examples include
Albert Einstein, Nicolae Tesla, Alexander Graham
Bell.
3)
Spatial - The Builder
Children
with Spatial intelligence have the ability to
create visual-spatial representations and can
transfer them mentally or concretely. Students
who exhibit this intelligence need a mental or
physical "picture" to understand the information
being presented. Professionals in this intelligence
are typically graphic artists, architects, cartographers
and sculptors. Some historical examples include
Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, and Bobby Fischer.
4)
Musical - The Composer
Children
with strong Musical intelligence have great sensitivity
to the rhythm of sounds (e.g. pitch, timbre, composition).
Students strong in this intelligence will enjoy
listening to music and may ultimately work as
singers, songwriters, composers, or even music
teachers. Some historical examples include Ludwig
van Beethoven, J.S. Bach, and Mozart.
5)
Bodily-Kinesthetic - The Athlete
Children
with strong Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence gravitate
towards athletics; however, they also may use
their bodies to solve problems, or convey ideas
and emotions. Students with BK intelligence will
be good at physical activities, have good hand-eye
coordination and may have a tendency to move around
a lot while expressing themselves. Professionals
using BK intelligence will include athletes, surgeons,
dancers and even inventors. Some historical examples
include Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Andre
Agassi.
6)
Interpersonal - The Peacemaker
Children
with strong Interpersonal intelligence work effectively
in a group and understand and recognize the goals,
motivations and intentions of others. Students
with this intelligence thrive in cooperative,
group work situations and are skilled at communicating,
mediating and negotiating. Professionals in this
intelligence may be teachers, therapists, and
salespeople. Some historical examples include
Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Ronald Reagan.
7)
Intrapersonal - The Philosopher
Children
who are strong in the Intrapersonal intelligence
have the ability to understand one's own emotions,
goals and motivations. These students have good
instincts about their strengths and abilities.
This intelligence will be highly developed in
professionals who work as philosophers, psychiatrists
or religious leaders. Some historical examples
include Eleanor Roosevelt and Sigmund Freud.
8)
Naturalist - The Earth Lover
Children
with strong focus in this intelligence will exhibit
an affinity for all things nature. These students
will enjoy and thrive when learning about nature
topics, such as flora and fauna. Some professions
with focus on this intelligence will include forest
rangers, botanists, farmers and biologists. Some
historical examples include Charles Darwin, John
Muir.
Please
remember, while we have outlined some of the specific
traits, professions and historical examples associated
with each intelligence type, everyone has some
level of proficiency in each and every intelligence,
and it behooves us, as parents, to learn how to
cultivate each of these intelligences in our children.
Misunderstood
Historical Figures
This
last section is meant to shine a little glimmer
of hope on all of us who may have not measured
up to every task presented in our lives. We hope
it helps bring into focus how despite the influence
of some naysayers early in their lives, some of
the most influential and historic people in the
world also suffered from their own misalignment
with the "status quo" of their times.
-
Albert Einstein was four years old before he could
speak and seven before he could read.
-
Beethoven's music teacher once said of him, "As
a composer, he is hopeless".
-
A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he
had "no good ideas".
-
Abraham Lincoln entered the Black Hawk War as
a captain and came out as a private.
-
Thomas Edison's teachers told him he was too stupid
to learn anything.
-
And last, but not least, Louisa May Alcott was
told by an editor that she would never write anything
that had popular appeal.
About
The Author: Think * Play * Create Peter Petracco
runs WonderBrains, an educational toystore based
on the principles of the Multiple Intelligence
Theory. He also contributes to WonderWaves, a
monthly newsletter full of educational tidbits
and guidance on educational toy shopping. Visit
the WonderBrains website at http://www.wonderbrains.com
Visitors
who read this article also read these:
-
What
is the Theory of Multiple Intelligences?
-
Homeschooler's
Intelligence Quotient is an Irrelevant Quotient?
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