Articles
Multiple
Intelligences
By:
Connie S. Young, M.A.
Intelligence
Knowing
you are intelligent is a key to self-esteem. Breakthroughs in
understanding intelligence over the past twenty years suggest that we
have intelligences located in specific areas of our brain. Howard
Gardner, a neurophysiologist and the creator of the Multiple
Intelligences theory, helps all of us understand the way we think. By
knowing how we think, we can develop better tools for learning. What
may be most unique about this theory is that if we understand how we
think dominantly, we may learn better in areas that are a struggle for
us such as linguistic and logical/mathematical thinking.
Self-Esteem
To
understand and value each other, we need to understand that we think
differently. It is key to “feeling” smart. People may function
better when they are allowed to learn according to their dominant
thinking patterns. It is easier to work in an environment where you
are accepted as you are; and it is easier to communicate difficult
concepts when able to explain and communicate concepts in ways that we
communicate well (Young, 1996).
Application
If
you are a spatial thinker, you will most likely learn from what you
see. If you are a musical thinker, you will probably learn best by
attaching musical relationships to difficult materials. If you are
bodily/kinesthetic, you must touch, do, and move about to think
clearly.
For more
information on this fascinating way of understanding your mind and how
it functions, go to the following links on the Internet: Thomas
Armstrong, Project
Zero, or Howard
Gardner’s Home Page.
Source:
Young, C. S. (1996). Uncovering multiple intelligences: A spatial
perspective in the writing classroom. The Journal of Teaching
Writing, 15.2, 235-57.
