imagine this scenario: Khaled goes to inquire about his son's performance at school and receives a disappointing report from the math teacher, leaving him regretting his visit. On his way out, he encounters the art teacher, who insists on taking him to the art room to showcase stunning artworks created by his son, which won a major competition. If you were in Khaled's position, how would you judge your son? Would you consider him foolish or intelligent?
Upon returning home, Khaled finds his wife complaining about their eldest daughter, marveling at how she achieves top grades academically yet struggles with cooking and household tasks. The same question arises in your mind: how would you evaluate an academically successful daughter who fails at domestic duties? If you were in Khaled's shoes, would you deem your daughter foolish or intelligent?
For a long time, the prevailing belief about intelligence and stupidity was closely tied to academic performance in fundamental subjects such as reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Based on this performance, teachers and parents would assess students as intelligent or foolish. However, educators have come to understand that human intelligence is multifaceted. Moreover, they have discovered that each person possesses a unique type of intelligence that may differ from those around them.
Multiple Intelligences
The theory of multiple intelligences was first published at Harvard University in 1983 by the renowned psychologist Howard Gardner, who is a professor of cognition and education at the Graduate School of Education. He posits that human intelligence is not limited to just one type; rather, individuals have multiple intelligences that can be categorized into eight distinct types, including visual-spatial, linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligence. Gardner referred to these as "intellectual abilities" in his book Frames of Mind (1983). The theory emphasizes the various ways in which people learn and acquire knowledge, ranging from the use of letters, numbers, and images to music and social interaction. Gardner classified these intellectual abilities or multiple intelligences into the following eight categories:
- Visual-Spatial Intelligence
- Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence
- Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
- Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
- Musical Intelligence
- Interpersonal Intelligence
- Intrapersonal Intelligence
- Naturalistic Intelligence
Nature of Multiple Intelligences
Gardner concluded that each individual possesses eight different types of intelligence. These intelligences interact to shape a person's cognitive abilities and the way they process information most effectively. While these intelligences are distinct, they are interconnected, working together in countless combinations throughout our experiences and educational journeys.
Gardner concluded that each individual possesses eight distinct types of intelligence. These intelligences combine to form a person's cognitive potential and the way they process information most effectively. While these intelligences are separate, they are also interconnected, working together in countless combinations throughout our experiences and educational encounters.
Now, the question arises: does an individual with linguistic intelligence lack mathematical intelligence and other types? Gardner answers this by stating that we all possess these diverse intelligences, but they vary in activity and strength. They do not develop in the same way or at the same pace. However, the commonality among them is that all of these intelligences are capable of being developed and acquired through training and practice.
This brings to mind Khalid's earlier questions about the varied intelligences of his children in different tasks, leading to a new question: how can we possess these intelligences and still face difficulties in learning certain knowledge or skills? Gardner's response is that each person tends to be more comfortable and adaptable with two, three, or four of these intelligences while avoiding others. In other words, everyone has at least two or three dominant intelligences that they use to complete daily tasks, solve problems, and respond to various situations. For example, if a musical educational tool is presented to an individual who relies on linguistic intelligence to process new information but struggles with musical intelligence, they may feel isolated and disengaged from the activity, leading to the conclusion that the educational experience has failed. This indicates that the educational process is successful when the learner has access to teaching methods that align with the types of intelligence in which they excel.
The question arises: are there any tools or measures that can help individuals identify their dominant intelligences, thereby allowing them to easily select educational activities that suit these intelligences? Gardner considers intelligences to be intangible and unmeasurable, focusing instead on the potentials and intellectual abilities that may activate in educational situations and experiences. Our team at "Taalim" has made efforts to find contemporary measures for assessing these intelligences, but we have only come across a tool titled "Conner's Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire for Children" and a similar attempt, neither of which has an Arabic version. You can find this questionnaire in the important links at the end of the article.
To identify the intelligences one possesses, or those of the learners they supervise, individuals need to engage in various experiences and test multiple hypotheses. This may take a significant amount of time, but it will save much more time in the long run.
Types of Multiple Intelligences in Detail
• Visual-Spatial Intelligence
This intelligence refers to an individual's ability to accurately perceive and recreate the visual world, envision scenes, and organize and give meaning to objects in space. People with strong visual-spatial intelligence possess a robust visual memory that enables them to navigate directions, maps, diagrams, and images effectively.
Characteristics of individuals with visual-spatial intelligence include:
- Enjoyment of drawing, painting, and visual arts.
- Ease in recognizing different visual patterns.
- Proficiency in puzzles.
Educational activities suitable for visual-spatial intelligence:
- Taking photos for school projects or media activities.
- Creating diagrams and designing presentations, using symbols or colors to aid understanding of notes.
- Using clay to play or represent concepts.
- Taking notes through mind mapping.
- Using puppets to act out and reinforce concepts by connecting ideas with the puppets.
- Converting literary texts into illustrations or using computer programs.
- Utilizing virtual reality software.
• Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence
Individuals with linguistic-verbal intelligence are highly sensitive to the meanings of spoken and written words, their implications, and various functions of language. They excel at using and applying words effectively in writing and speaking, and they have a knack for storytelling and retaining information. This type of intelligence is the most common among the multiple intelligences.
Characteristics of individuals with linguistic-verbal intelligence include:
- Enjoyment of reading and writing.
- Ability to remember written and spoken information.
- Proficiency in explaining concepts clearly.
- Talent in storytelling across various formats.
Educational activities suitable for linguistic-verbal intelligence:
- Completing word puzzles such as crosswords.
- Engaging in word games like Scrabble or Boggle.
- Writing short stories and essays related to educational tasks.
- Contributing articles to school or workplace newspapers.
- Utilizing digital resources like e-libraries and blogging platforms.
- Participating in debates.
• Mathematical-Logical Intelligence
This type of intelligence is one of the most recognized forms of multiple intelligences, characterized by the ability to distinguish patterns and analyze problems logically. Individuals with this intelligence excel at working with numbers, abstract symbols, and relationships between them.
Characteristics of individuals with mathematical-logical intelligence include:
- Strong logical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Enjoyment of hands-on scientific experiments.
- Ability to solve complex equations.
Educational activities suitable for mathematical-logical intelligence:
- Playing mathematical games like dominoes, chess, or Monopoly.
- Searching for patterns and phenomena in study environments, outdoors, or at home.
- Conducting experiments to prove scientific concepts.
- Using software and applications for mathematics and science.
- Making comparisons.
• Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
This intelligence manifests in individuals who excel at understanding and using physical movement skillfully, along with performing physical tasks and activities. They also demonstrate good coordination between hand and eye movements.
Characteristics of individuals with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence include:
- Enjoyment of performing intricate hand movements.
- Good hand-eye coordination.
- Better memory when physically engaging in activities rather than just seeing or hearing them.
Educational activities suitable for bodily-kinesthetic intelligence:
- Performing skits or reenacting scenes from books or significant historical events.
- Using puzzles to represent characters, vocabulary words, animals, or other study subjects.
- Acting out concepts, such as creating a "planetary circle" around the student "sun," or lining up students appropriately to depict events in a historical timeline.
- Using blocks or Legos to represent concepts from lessons.
- Using electronic games to simulate movements interacting with computers.
• Musical Intelligence
As the name suggests, this type of intelligence is associated with music and the ability to distinguish between different sounds, tones, and rhythms. Individuals with musical intelligence have a talent for composition and musical performance. To emphasize the significance of this intelligence, consider asking kindergarten teachers: what if we excluded educational songs like the alphabet song from classrooms? The consensus would likely be on the importance of these educational tools and the difficulty in doing without them.
Characteristics of individuals with musical intelligence include:
- Ability to recall musical melodies.
- Ease in recognizing musical tones.
- Skill in distinguishing between similar tones and rhythms.
- Enjoyment of singing and playing musical instruments.
Educational activities suitable for musical intelligence:
- Using rhythm and rhymed words to memorize facts, concepts, and other information.
- Writing their own songs and music related to the educational task.
- Listening to music from different historical periods.
- Enjoying songs that teach concepts like the alphabet and parts of speech.
Interpersonal Intelligence
Interpersonal intelligence refers to an individual's ability to recognize and understand the moods, motivations, and emotions of others, as well as to comprehend and evaluate the feelings, desires, and intentions of those around them. It also encompasses the capacity to communicate and interact effectively with others.
Characteristics of individuals with interpersonal intelligence include:
- High energy in conversation and social interaction.
- Ability to engage and connect with people, empathizing with others and building positive relationships.
- Capacity to view issues from multiple perspectives.
Educational activities suitable for interpersonal intelligence:
- Collaborating in groups or pairs to design and complete projects.
- Conducting interviews with experts or knowledgeable individuals on a study topic (e.g., a veteran to learn about military science).
- Teaching younger students, friends, or classmates.
- Presenting puppet shows.
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Intrapersonal intelligence is characterized by individuals' ability to understand their own emotional states, feelings, and motivations. They enjoy introspection, analysis, daydreaming, and assessing their personal strengths while analyzing their relationships with others. A person with strong intrapersonal intelligence may be introverted and prefer working alone, possessing a clear awareness of their needs in various situations.
Characteristics of individuals with intrapersonal intelligence include:
- A tendency toward introversion and preference for individual educational tasks.
- Personalizing assignments and academic tasks.
Educational activities suitable for intrapersonal intelligence:
- Connecting lesson topics to their personal experiences.
- Writing personal reflections on the lesson topic.
- Composing essays from the perspective of historical figures and writing biographies as well.
- Setting future goals and planning ways to achieve them.
- Compiling and maintaining a portfolio of achievements throughout the year.
Naturalistic Intelligence
Individuals with naturalistic intelligence are those who are most attuned to nature and have a keen interest in caring for and exploring the environment. They tend to be more capable than others in observing and engaging with the natural world around them.
Characteristics of individuals with naturalistic intelligence include:
- A love for studying sciences, biology, and zoology.
- Enjoyment of camping and spending time in nature.
- Difficulty in engaging with tasks unrelated to nature.
Educational activities suitable for naturalistic intelligence:
- Participating in field trips and project-based learning.
- Connecting tasks to natural elements, such as flowers or rocks; for a writing lesson, have them write a poem about the sky, or in math, ask them to test the relationship between a palm tree's height and its shadow at noon.
- Caring for plants in school or university gardens.
- Sorting and classifying natural objects like leaves and rocks.
- Organizing or participating in clean-up efforts for gardens or playgrounds and recycling campaigns.
- Any activity that allows them to enjoy fresh air and interact with plants and animals will enhance their learning engagement.
Understanding the theory of multiple intelligences can effectively facilitate the learning process. You can apply this in education by identifying the intelligences at play and then selecting and designing tasks that enhance these intelligences. While preparing activities to address all the multiple intelligences may take time, start small! Choose an intelligence you don’t usually incorporate into your lessons and find a way to integrate it. With practice, you'll see this new type of intelligence flourish over time, so be patient with the results.
Another approach is to take a traditional task, like writing a report on a lesson, and look for new alternatives for that task—such as writing a song about the lesson, creating a concept map, or making a model with blocks. If you are a teacher or a parent, allow students to choose an alternative for the traditional task once in a while; you might be surprised by the outcomes!
