Methodologies of Gardners' Research

The theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) was the product of surveyed information Howard Gardner and his colleagues collected from a wide selection of literature. Information was processed from developmental data, psychometric findings, and descriptions of special populations. The populations included prodigies, gifted, brain damaged patients, idiots savants, normal children, normal adults, experts in different lines of work, and individuals from different cultures (Gardner, 1983, p.9). His goal was to find the best way to describe or define the domains of cognition and symbolization. Gardner’s preference for concluding his case was to use evidence from the biological factors of the nervous system found in readings of neurobiology.

The conclusion from his research is that intelligence can be found and isolated. It appears as a single intelligence because of its harmonious nature, but looking closer with the proper intent, it is possible to visualize discreet intelligences cooperating in a very organized way.

A New Definition for Intelligence

The research and conclusion allowed Gardner to redefine the term intelligence from the concept of one intelligence to that of many intelligences. Intelligence was first thought of as a “single, general capacity that every human possesses to a greater or lesser extent; and that, however defined, it can be measured by standardized verbal instruments, such as short answer, paper-and-pencil tests”. However, Gardeners’ definition states that what he…”calls an intelligence…is an ability to solve problems or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings”(Gardner, 1993, p. x). In this revised definition there is no mention of the source of intelligence or its testability. The revision contains a foundation of biological and anthropological evidence. In other words, he insisted that intelligence relies on a neurological system, intelligence evolves over time, and intelligence is comparable among cultures.

Gardner’s Motivation for MI Research

The research by Gardner was propelled, in part, by the weaknesses of several movements prior to his publication of Frames of Mind. The movements had roots in IQ, Piagetian, and information processing approaches. Their premise required acceptance of primarily logical or linguistic problem solving without including biology, creativity, or socialization factors. Gardner did not want to discard the work of Piaget, it simply needed an addendum that was sensitive to the “possibility of similarity in linguistics with the symbol systems that are associated with musical, bodily, spatial, and personal symbol systems”(Gardner, 1983, p. 24).

Implications

In a nutshell the above phrase sums up the theme of the Multiple Intelligence Theory. It is a simplistic explanation, but one non-the-less that has the potential to cause much stir in educational circles. Schools try to develop a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence in students. Gardner's Theory acknowledges that not all students are verbally or mathematically gifted and many children have an expertise in other areas, such as music or spatial relations. Approaching and assessing learning like this allows a broader range of students to successfully participate in learning. There are three principles in regards to the implications this theory has on Learning, Instruction, and Assessment.

Learning

1. Individuals should be encouraged to use their preferred intelligences in learning. Notice the pluralistic use of intelligence since many individuals have more than one strength.

Think about your standards for measuring someone's intelligence. Most people believe the answer is rooted in a person's ability to solve problems and possess and utilize strong critical thinking and reasoning skills. Because of this, students are expected to learn a uniform set of ideas in a specific way to be considered smart. They are expected to memorize names and dates in history and mathematical and scientific principles and then demonstrate their knowledge of these strands of information in a standardized test. This is considered fractured learning and fails to take into account each person's dominant intelligence.

We are all born possessing each intelligence but we bring to the classroom a different set of developed intelligences. Each of us has the ability to activate all of the intelligences, but they may be developed within each of us to various degrees. These sets that are brought to the learning environment determine how easy or difficult it is for someone to learn information presented in a particular manner. This is the individual's learning style.

In order for MI to be applied to learning, the educator has to be aware and willing to construct the learning environment to fully develop each individual's strongest intelligence. Furthermore, the educator needs to assist the learner in understanding and applying this intelligence to further develop the others in order to effectively learn the subject matter being presented. It is not practical to assume that a teacher can adapt every lesson to all learning styles in the classroom. However, with imagination and creativity many lessons can be adapted to incorporate Gardner's theory, enabling the students to fully comprehend the lesson on hand.

Instruction

2. Instructional activities should appeal to different forms of intelligence.

Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory has several implications for teachers in terms of instruction. It states that all the intelligences need to be present to function productively in society. Teachers need to think of all the intelligences as equally important and not just concentrate on the verbal/linguistic and logical/mathematical intelligences. Multiple Intelligence's theory implies that teachers need to recognize all the intelligences in the classroom and teach to the broader range that exists.

While textbooks give a helpful organization to a topic presented in the classroom, the trend today is to not use a single textbook approach to teaching. Book oriented classrooms typically gear the instruction toward the verbal/linguistic and logical/mathematical intelligences. Teachers should use an approach in which several subject areas are integrated using a central theme, called thematics.

Thematic units utilize a multidisciplinary approach that is used effectively in the middle and upper grades because it is at this time in the learner's life that there are specific social studies, math, and science concepts that should be mastered. Multiple Intelligence implies that the information presented needs to be structured in a style, which engages as many intelligences as possible.

For example, when teaching about the country of Puerto Rico, students can study maps (visual/spatial), organize a play about important events in history (bodily/kinesthetic), study and sing ethnic songs (musical/rhythmic), read a novel (verbal linguistic), obtain an electronic pen pal to correspond with (interpersonal) and study the country's currency (mathematical/logical). While this example doesn't list every intelligence, it does demonstrate how the Multiple Intelligence theory can be applied by teachers to strengthen each student's strongest intelligence and to further develop the others. This enables the student to use a stronger intelligence to understand a subject. The student may not have understood if he was required to employ a weaker intelligence.

3. Assessment of learning should measure multiple forms of intelligence.

The educational system stresses the importance of developing mathematical and linguistic intelligences and many times it is the only measurement for student success. Multiple Intelligence proponents state that students who possess a high musical and kinesthetic intelligence may not do well on such standardized tests such as the Stanford-Binet and the SAT. Therefore these students may be considered less capable in school and penalized in their educational opportunities. Two examples are by not participating in gifted programs or being denied entrance to the school of their choice.

Multiple Intelligence states that students should be judged by what they can do, not by what they cannot do. This means they should not be assessed in a uniform approach. Teachers need to prepare an intelligence profile for each student. A student should have to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter but not by the traditional exam-only approach. They should be permitted to explain it in their own way or method. Some alternative methods of assessing students may include student portfolios, independent projects, research project, web page design and student journals and individual evaluation by the teacher.