1983 marked the year when Howard Gardener’s influential theory of Multiple Intelligences was first published. Gardner states that individuals learn most effectively through one of his eight intelligences. The eight intelligences Gardner has proposed so far are: Linguistic. Mathematical/Logical, Naturalistic, Spatial, Bodily/Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal.
Each individual possesses all eight, Gardner theorizes, but most can truly excel in only one or two of them. Gardner’s research has since caused may professional educators to rethink. Their methods of instruction in order to increase student understanding. Many teachers agree that, “Most children may learn. Well with a [direct instruction] approach, but more children learn. Better with a [multiple intelligences] approach because it helps all children learn in the way they learn best” (Moran, Kornbaber, & Gardner, 2006).
Linguistic Intelligence is the ability to understand language and its nuances, and to distinguish the sounds, meanings, and rhythms of words. Teachers who focus on linguistics as their primary mode of instruction are generally successful, but may be ineffective at teaching a student with an auditory or a visual impairment.
This is only the most obvious gap in such a teacher’s ability to convey information. For example, if a teacher uses lecture and readings as a primary mode of instruction a student who has high spatial intelligence may have trouble understanding the material without pictures or graphics.
Mathematical/Logical Intelligence is the aptitude for recognizing logical and numerical patterns. Though many students are sufficiently capable of this, they may begin to question whether the material they are learning is applicable in real life. A teacher must go beyond showcasing numerical patters to explaining how these patters occur as a part of our daily lives. Even if the teacher is successful at this, they may find that a student with high bodily/kinesthetic intelligence is incapable of learning these patters without being able to manipulate a physical object, or using interpretive motion.
Naturalistic intelligence is the ability to categorize and distinguish plants, animals, and other natural elements. It is the aptitude for understanding and appreciating the relationship an individual has with the natural world. It could also be described as “environmental awareness”.
For a teacher to effectively teach a student high in this intelligence, he or she must be skilled at framing learning within larger, more big picture contexts. The teacher must understand how to show the interrelatedness of the knowledge being presented. A student high in this intelligence may not understand music or written language very well, but may understand a story told through nature.
Spatial intelligence is the capacity to think with images and to visualize abstract concepts. Pictures or videos are very effective methods for increasing understanding in students of this intelligence. When asked to show understanding of a concept through visual illustration or graphic design, these students excel. They may, however, have difficulty memorizing a list of helping verbs, or identifying gerunds in the context of sentences. If these situations were to be reframed in the context of a drawing or a picture, the student would be able to better retain the information.
Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence is the ability to have a fine level of control over bodily movements and to be able to skillfully manipulate physical objects. Students high in this intelligence learn well through watching demonstrations and replicating movements on their own.
