A brief discussion about the theory of Multiple Intelligence propounded by Howard Earl Gardner.

2.  Born on July 11, 1943.
 He is an American
developmental psychologist
and Professor at Harvard
University.
 He first outlined his theory in his 1983 book Frames
of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

3.  Gardner defines intelligence as “the ability to
solve problems, or to fashion products, that
are valued in one or more cultural or
community settings”
 “Intelligence is a bio-psychological potential
to process information that can be activated
in a cultural setting to solve problems or
create products that are of value in a
culture.”

4.  The capacity to create solutions to life’s
problems.
 The ability to acquire new knowledge to
gather understanding on a topic.
 A skill set that is useful to the community,
whether it be a product or a service.

5.  People spoke about the concept of intelligence
so often and classified people as either ‘dull’ or
‘bright’.
 Gardner says that we are ALL smart in
different ways.

6.  It is not singular but plural.
 All humans have all nine unique
intelligences, potentially more which have yet
to be researched.
 Everyone possesses all nine intelligences in
various amounts.
 Each individual is made up of a unique
combination of all nine intelligences.

7.  These intelligences are uniquely arranged in
each individual’s brain and may or may not work
collaboratively together.
 Students can experience greater success if
learning tasks were directly related to their
developed intelligences.
 Intelligences can be developed or weakened,
ignored or strengthened with practice.

8.  1983-7 Types
 1998-8 Types
 2000-9 Types
 Existential
Intelligence (Last
added)

9.  Meaning: Verbal/linguistic intelligence
involves sensitivity to spoken and written
language, the ability to learn languages, and
the capacity to use language to accomplish
certain goals (Gardner, 1999:37).
 Peoples who have high degree of this
intelligence are Poets, lawyers, public
speakers and writers.

10. Characteristics:
 Good at remembering written and spoken
information
 Enjoys reading and writing
 Good at debating or giving persuasive
speeches
 Able to explain things well
 Often uses humor when telling stories

11.  Meaning:
It entails the ability to reason either
deductively or inductively, recognize and
manipulate abstract patterns and
relationships (White et al.,1995:181). It is
applied to those who investigate issues
scientifically(Gardner, 1999:42).

12. Characteristics:
 Excellent problem-solving skills
 Enjoys thinking about abstract ideas
 Likes conducting scientific experiments
 Good at solving complex computations
People: scientists, mathematicians, philosophers,
logicians, computer programmers and
accountants.

13. Meaning: It involves the capacity to understand
oneself: (i.e. one’s own desires, fears, and
capacities). It also involves using such
information effectively in regulating one’s
own life (Gardner, 1999:43).
People: independent learners, self-paced
learners, and great thinkers and decision-
makers.

14. Characteristics:
 Good at communicating verbally
 Skilled at nonverbal communication
 Sees situations from different perspectives
 Creates positive relationships with others
 Good at resolving conflict in groups

15.  Meaning: It denotes a person’s capacity to
understand other people (i.e. their intentions,
motivations, desires, hidden goals, etc.) and
consequently to work effectively with others
(Gardner, 1999:43).

16. Characteristics:
 Communicate well verbally
 Are skilled at non-verbal communication
 See situations from different perspectives
 Create positive relationships with others
 Resolve conflicts in group settings
Example: Psychologist • Philosopher • Counselor •
Salesperson • Politician

17.  Meaning: It entails the potential of using
one’s whole body or parts of the body (like
the hand or the mouth) to solve problems or
fashion products (Gardner, 1999:42).
In other words, it involves using the body to
solve problems, create products, and convey
ideas or emotions (White, 1995:181).

18. Characteristics:
 People with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence:
 Are skilled at dancing and sports
 Enjoy creating things with his or her hands
 Have excellent physical coordination
 Remember by doing, rather than hearing or
seeing
People: dancers, actors, athletes,

19.  Meaning: It is the ability to create visual-
spatial representations of the world and
transfer those representations either
mentally, or concretely. It features the
potential to recognize and manipulate the
patterns of wide space as well as the
patterns of more confined areas (Gardner,
1999:43).

20. Characteristics:
 Are good at putting puzzles together
 Interpret pictures, graphs, and charts well
 Enjoy drawing, painting, and the visual arts
 Recognize patterns easily
Example: navigators, pilots, sculptures, sailors,
engineers, painters and all those people who
are concerned with drawing, designing, sailing
and recognizing space.

21.  Meaning: It entails skill in performance,
composition, and appreciation of musical patterns
(Gardner, 1999:42).
Characteristics:
 Enjoy singing and playing musical instruments
 Recognize musical patterns and tones easily
 Remember songs and melodies
 Have a rich understanding of musical structure,
rhythm, and notes
Musician, Composer, Singer, Music teacher

22.  Meaning: individuals who are high in this
type of intelligence are more in tune with
nature and are often interested in nurturing,
exploring the environment, and learning
about other species. These individuals are
said to be highly aware of even subtle
changes to their environments.

23. Characteristics:
 Interested in subjects such as botany,
biology, and zoology
 May enjoy camping, gardening, hiking, and
exploring the outdoors
 Doesn’t enjoy learning unfamiliar topics that
have no connection to nature
Example: Biologist, Gardener, Farmer etc.

24.  Meaning: The ability to be able to have deep
discussions about the meaning of life and
human existence is known as existential
intelligence. People with this intelligence are
sensitive but can rationally address difficult
questions, for example, how we got here and
why everyone eventually dies?
 People: Philosopher, Religious Person.

25.  “Anything that is worth teaching can be presented in many different
ways. These multiple ways can make use of our multiple
intelligences.“
 MI Theory as a Tool to Achieve More Success: The great majority of
the classrooms are characterized by the existence of scholastic
winners and losers. MI Theory is important here because it teaches
us that all the kids are smart, and that they differ only in the way in
which they are smart. Thus, all children have potential and using MI
increases the opportunities for students to learn an succeed, giving
adults more ways to grow professionally and personally (Hoerr,
2000:x).

26.  MI Makes Learning More Enjoyable: Students learn
better if they like what they are learning and enjoy
it. It is hard for students to learn without interest.
When students do not like what they learn, they feel
bored and tired even if they are able to learn well
and succeed in the final exam. Therefore, it is better
to create an enjoyable classroom atmosphere in
which students like what they learn and enjoy it.
Using MI Theory in the classroom can help teachers
to create such an encouraging atmosphere.

27.  MI Cares for Individual Differences in Learning: All
students are different. No two persons are exactly
the same even the identical twins. Even the same
person is different from one period to another or
from one situation to another in many ways.
Difference is the rule and stability is the exception.
This is applied to students while they are learning in
the classroom. Therefore, MI Theory is greatly
required so as to deal with the different students
who have different minds.

28.  Gardner’s theory has come under criticism from
both psychologists and educators. These critics
argue that Gardner’s definition of intelligence is too
broad and that his eight different "intelligences"
simply represent talents, personality traits, and
abilities. Gardner’s theory also suffers from a lack of
supporting empirical research.
 Despite this, the theory of multiple intelligences
enjoys considerable popularity with educators.
Many teachers utilize multiple intelligences in their
teaching philosophies and work to integrate
Gardner’s theory into the classroom.