Appendix A
Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory
Summary of Intelligences
Everyone possess the ability to use language. Some learners struggle to master even their own mother-toungue when needing to express themselves. Others havethe ability to master not only their mother toungue, but also the language of other people, to an extraordinary extent. Even deaf people will begin to develop their own unique language when they are not offered an alternative. A person's ability to construct and comprehend language may vary, but everyone has that basic ability.
When Yehudi Menuhin was three he heard a symphony performed for the first time. He begged for and received a violin and by the time he was ten, he was performing internationally. There are many other brilliant examples of people in whom musicla intelligence was acutely developed - Mozart, Beethoven etc. Music came naturally to them. There are many examples of autistic and hearing-impaired children who have achieved very well in the musical field. Everyone has a unique musical ability, but some people express themselves most easily musically.
Body / Kinaesthetic Intelligence
Each person possesses a certain control of his or her movements, balance, agility and grace. Outstanding athletes have a natural sense of how their body should act and react in demanding physical situations. Some people may be able to express themselves better in movement than in other ways.
Logical / Mathematical Intelligence
This is one of the traditional intelligences that every one acknowledges. It represents our ability to mentally process logical problems and equations. It often does not require any ability to express things verbally. Often, people who have high logical-mathematical abilities are able to process logical questions quickly as well.
This is most commonly demonstrated when we recognise shapes and images in three dimensions. Our ability to read maps falls into this category as well.
People are social beings and will develop more readily when they are in the company of others. This ability to interact with others, understand them, and interpret their behavior is not well developed in some people who appear to be shy, introverted or even anti-social.
This is similar to interpersonal intelligence, but refers to our ability to understand our "self." It allows us to know what feelings we have, and why we feel that way. A strong intrapersonal intelligence can lead to self-esteem, self-enhancement, and a strength of character that can be used to solve internal problems.
This is the most recently added intelligence to Gardner's Theory. It refers to a person's ability to identify and classify patterns in nature. During our prehistory, hunter-gatherers would rely on naturalist intelligence to identify what plants and animals were edible, as well as which were not. Today some people express this with a strong awareness and commitment to the environment as well as sensitivity towards environmental factors such as weather.
Copyright (C) Nikana - January 2000
