THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES............................

The theory of multiple intelligences was proposed
by Howard Gardner in
1983 to analyze and better describe the concept of intelligence.
Gardner argues that the concept of intelligence as
traditionally defined in psychometrics
(IQ tests) mistakenly suggests that the wide variety of cognitive
abilities measured in a battery of tests used to assess general intelligence factor
are uncorrelated with each other, or at least only very weakly correlated. For
example, the theory predicts that a child who learns to multiply
easily is not likely to be generally more intelligent than a child who has more
difficulty on this task. The child who takes more time to master simple
multiplication 1) may best learn to multiply through a different approach, 2)
may excel in a field outside of mathematics, or 3) may even be looking at and
understand the multiplication process at a fundamentally deeper level. Such a
fundamentally deeper understanding can result in what looks like slowness and
can hide a mathematical intelligence potentially higher than that of a child
who quickly memorizes the multiplication table despite a less
detailed understanding of the process of multiplication.

The theory has been met with mixed responses. Empirical evidence reveals
high correlations between different tasks (rather than the zero correlations
which are predicted). Nevertheless many educationalists support the practical value of the
approaches suggested by the theory.

 

The multiple intelligences

Gardner has articulated eight
basic types of intelligence to date, without claiming that this is a complete
list. Gardner's original list included seven of these; in 1999 he added a
naturalist intelligence. He has also considered existential intelligence and
moral intelligence, but does not find sufficient evidence for these based upon
his articulated criteria which include:
 

• the potential for brain isolation by brain
       damage
• its place in evolutionary history,
  
• the presence of core operations,
  
• susceptibility to encoding (symbolic
       expression),
• a distinct developmental progression,
• the existence of idiot-savants, prodigies and
       other exceptional people,
• support from experimental psychology and
       psychometric findings.

The theory's eight currently
accepted intelligences are: (Ref: Educational Psychology, Robert Slavin.
2009, 117)

• Spatial
• Linguistic
• Logical-mathematical
• Bodily-kinesthetic
• Musical
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal
• Naturalistic