I came across this –The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences, written by a professor Howard Gardner from the Harvard graduate School of education. He argues that the school system only recognises one of these.
There are 7 Intelligences which I will summarise and make it as short as possible
Verbal- Linguistic; People in this area learn best by taking notes, listening to lectures and reading. They tend to be good at reading, writing and memorising words and dates. School is relatively easy if you are strong in this intelligence.
Logical-mathematical;Those gifted in this intelligence, are good in maths. They are comfortable with numbers, numerical problems, logic and abstractions. Students with this intelligent do very well in traditional educational environments and often become “A” students. Many go on to be engineers, scientists, doctors, accountants.
Body – kinesthetic; These students are gifted physically. They learn better by moving around and doing. Professional athletes, dancers, actors, models, surgeons, fire fighters, soldiers, pilots, racer drivers and mechanics are often gifted with this intelligence.
Spatial; This intelligence is strong in art, visualization, design and solving puzzles. Students with this gift tend not to do well in traditional education environment They do better in schools that focus on art, design, colour and architecture. These students go on to become artists, interior designers, fashion designers and architects.
Musical; This intelligence is sensitive to music, rhythm, pitch, melody and timbre. This intelligence does not do well in traditional education setting. This student is better of in musical environments of learning such as schools of performing arts.
Intrapersonal; This intelligence is often called emotional intelligence. It deal with self refection and being introspective. It refers to having a deep understanding of oneself, knowing own strengths and weakness, what makes one unique, with the ability to handle reactions and emotions. This intelligence is crucial in high stress environments and is crucial for success in almost any field or profession.
Interpersonal; These people are communicators, usually popular and extroverts, displaying sensitivity to others’ moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations. Person gifted with this intelligence does well in school, especially in popularity contests such as running for student government. These people usually go into sales, politics, teaching and social work.
I grew up in a society that favoured one group of intelligence over the other. If one was not good in maths, or the science subjects, you were deemed , “dofo”, which means dull, or stupid. And sadly if one excelled in the not so popular intelligent group, you were still deemed as a dofo.
How ironic that all the above are listed as gifts and intelligence group. How empowering is it to know this.
Food for thought. Which one do you fall into, and more seriously how can you use this knowledge to help you go after your goals?
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