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
