1. January - February 201456
Given the growing interest in theTheory of Multiple Intelligences,
ParentEdge is introducing a new series — Multiple Intelligences at
Home (Refer to the Cover Story in our very first issue on ‘TheTheory
of Multiple Intelligences’).This will feature a series of one-pagers on
the different intelligences, covering how you can recognise if your
child is strong in a particular intelligence and how this intelligence
can be used in learning.
A quick introduction to Multiple Intelligences: Howard Gardner,
professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard, first proposed
hisTheory of Multiple Intelligences in 1983 when he suggested
that intelligence could not be seen as single entity, but could rather
manifest in a number of different ways. So a person strong in one
kind of intelligence may not necessarily be equally skilled in another.
Gardner specified eight different intelligences, but he does caution
us against categorising people strictly — these are not water-tight
compartments and each person possesses a unique blend of these.
Multiple Intelligences should be used to empower and enrich
learning and not classify children into what they can or cannot do.
The Eight Intelligences
as suggested by Professor Gardner
Bodily-kinesthic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Logical-mathematical
Musical
Naturalistic
Verbal-linguistic
Visual-spatial
NEW
FEATURE
January - February 201456
Multiple Intelligences at Home

2. Logical-mathematical Intelligence
Contrary to popular belief, being
logical-mathematical intelligent does not
mean that your child is good at maths.
And conversely, being good at maths
does not indicate that he is strong in this
intelligence. It means much more than
that! One of the most valued intelligences
in our country, logical-mathematical
intelligence represents a strong ability to
think in a logical manner. Children who are
strong in this intelligence can compute,
analyse and figure out how things work,
establish cause and effect relationships in
situations, and solve problems that require
a logical approach.
How can you identify if your child is
logical-mathematical intelligent?
• He loves to solve problems involving
logic, including puzzles, teasers and
posers. He loves playing around with
them and will spend long periods of
time thinking through these problems.
• When unable to arrive at an answer, he
tries again and again until he figures
out the solution. If somebody offers to
help or to provide him with an answer,
he automatically rejects it and carries
on doing his own thinking.
• The maths that is taught in
schools today is very procedural;
a logical-mathematical intelligent
child uses different approaches to
solve math problems, and questions
the procedural method of finding
an answer.
• He finds patterns and relationships
in numbers everywhere he looks,
whether on the number plate of a
car or in a telephone number.
• He may lose marks on the ‘show your
working’ section of a test, because
he doesn’t solve a sum using the
prescribed step-by-step manner; he
calculates it mentally or uses his own
approach.
• Such a child questions everything
around him in order to see what
causes a particular effect. Even the
most random things like ‘why is the
rain falling in a particular direction?’
shows his ability to analyse.
Activities to hone this intelligence at
home
• Encourage your child to think
through the approach to arrive at
an answer — whether the answer is
correct or wrong does not matter, it is
the reasoning behind it that does.
• Go through answer sheets with him to
understand his logic and processes.
• Do not focus solely on the end result;
focus more on thinking how he can do
the same task in more than one way.
• Give him age-appropriate puzzles and
teasers to solve.
• Encourage him to analyse data around
him whenever possible.
• Take him shopping and ask him to
compare the prices of the different
items in your cart.
• Ask him to apply what he
learns in maths in school to real-life
situations at home that involve
numbers — paying bills,
estimating quantities, predicting
outcomes, balancing an account, etc.
• Read and discuss with him the
business and economic sections of
the newspaper, and explain unfamiliar
economic or financial concepts.
Using logical-mathematical intelligence
to enrich learning
A child who is logical-mathematical
intelligent has a strong capability to
understand relationships and logic, so use
this to teach him other subjects and also
enrich his learning. While this approach is
self-evident in maths and the sciences, you
can also use this tactic to explain the logic
and patterns in history and geography
as well. Once your logical-mathematical
intelligent child understands cause and
effect and patterns in the world around
him, he will not need to rely on rote
learning for subjects that are traditionally
learnt in this manner.
Effective learning strategies include:
• Analogies
• Analysis of cause and effect
• Charts and diagrams
• Comparison and contrast
• Data analysis
• Experimentation
• Strategy games
• Estimation and approximation
• Identifying patterns
• Problem-solving
• Sequencing
• Puzzles and brain teasers
• Reasoning
• Sorting, classifying and categorising
Career Matches
• Scientist
• Mathematician
• Attorney
• Doctor
• Accountant
• Bookkeeper
• Computer Programmer
• Researcher
• Financial Planner
With inputs from Ratnesh Mathur,
Co-Founder and Trainer,
Genie Kids, Bangalore
- Sakshi Bathija
57January - February 2014
Multiple Intelligences at Home