Multiple Intelligences
Some college material may be difficult to master because of the way it’s presented and how you’re expected to act upon and process it. But if you don’t get it all, please don’t label yourself as dumb. College is hard! And a lot of the ways that children and adults learn best are not always addressed by teachers and educational systems, which tend to value math and language skills above others. But the good news is that more and more educators recognize these variations and use different approaches in their curriculum.
The idea behind Multiple Intelligences theory is that it’s not how intelligent you are but how you are intelligent. Developed by Howard Gardner, PhD., the MI Theory proposes that people are smart in many ways and that intelligence can’t simply be measured by IQ scores.
Take a look at the eight Multiple Intelligence types and you’ll begin to recognize yourself. It’s likely that you may have overlapping types, and keep in mind that the career possibilities go far beyond the suggestions below. People who are…
- Logico-mathematical think conceptually and are strong in logic and math, with potential careers in science, research, technology, accounting, and engineering.
- Linguistic-Verbal are expressive in spoken and written communication, with potential careers in teaching, government or politics, sales, theater, and fields for writers and editors.
- Bodily-kinesthetic are physically expressive and coordinated, with potential careers in athletics, dance, and theatre.
- Visual-Spatial have good visual recognition, with potential careers in art, design, architecture, construction, invention, and crafts.
- Musical have sensitivity and/or ability in music, with potential careers in performance, composition, sound production, conducting, and music criticism.
- Interpersonal are intuitive about other people’s temperaments, moods, and intentions, with potential careers in politics, teaching, therapy, religion, medicine, and organizational leadership.
- Intrapersonal are aware and sensitive to their own thoughts, feelings, and abilities, with potential careers in creative written or artistic expression, counseling, and spiritual professions.
- Naturalistic relate deeply to the natural world, see patterns and make connections within the plant and animal world, enjoy being in outdoors, with potential careers in forestry, horticulture, environmental science, zoology or veterinary science, and astronomy.
So how do our friends rack up? Arturo has a lot of mathematical smarts and is somewhat musical. Maggie is linguistically smart, with bodily-kinesthetic intuitions. And Clarissa has naturalistic intelligence with a strong visual bend. All three, to varying degrees, are interpersonal in nature.
To learn more, check this Multiple Intelligences site, take the test, and understand how your distinctive smarts can work to your advantage.
References:
La Farge, Phyllis. “7 Keys to Learning.” Parents. February 1994.
Wilson, Leslie Owen. Eighth Intelligence: Naturalistic Intelligence. 1998
Felder, Richard. Learning Styles.