Look at the title. What is the Multiple Intelligences Theory?
The
Learning Curve Blog
Multiple intelligences Theory
Who is the smartest person you
know? The student who always gets
top marks at school? Maybe it's the man
who can fix anything, the woman who is a surgeon,
or the boy who can have an interesting conversation with anyone, about
anything. 1 In fact, Dr Howard Gardner from Harvard University in the USA,
has developed a theory about this – the Multiple Intelligences (MI) Theory.
According to Dr Gardner, there are eight types of intelligence. 2 which is
your strongest intelligence? You can guess, but there is no official Ml test.
3 They're combined with what you're interested in, what you enjoy and
your general personality. This has caused some people to criticise Gardner's
theory – they prefer a way of testing intelligence that can be easily measured, like
IQ. But humans are complicated. 4 So, of course, the ways we think and
learn are complicated and different, too.
This is the reason why Gardner's theory is so important for teachers and
students. 5 Some students read and learn, some watch and learn, some do
and learn. There is no 'right' way or ‘wrong' way – it all depends on how your
brain processes information. The best thing to do is find what works for you. As
the Greek philosopher Socrates said, “To know yourself is the beginning of
wisdom.” If you can discover which type of intelligence you have, and work with
it, who knows? You could be the smartest person you know!
