Multiplicity of Intelligences
I become uncomfortable with the dogma of intelligences when we get blanket statements such as "there are six types of intelligences." I worry about this limiting out definitions of intelligence as much as the notion that there is ONE type of intelligence. Certainly, there are students who are more adept at online forum posts than in-class discussion... but they're still, in a way, socially interacting. So what type of intelligence is on display there?
I wonder if it would be better to simply consider our students ALL intelligent.
When I think about reflective thinking, I never forget to think about myself. That is, what types of road blocks to accessing student intelligences am I unknowingly throwing up? What can I do to allow easier access to student intelligences.
The danger in this idea of six different intelligences is that, of course, some of these seem more valuable in the eyes of broader society. Students with a certain label on his or her intelligence may feel somewhat slighted, etc., and therefore be less willing to display that type of intelligence, or be more likely to slight that intelligence in favor of other, more socially valued ones, rather than intertwine them all.
Dan,
You raise a good point and this is why after over 30 years of research on cognitive processing and intelligence categories I am amazed at how little we know about how humans process new information. Howard Gardner has identified nine intelligence categories up from six and his work continues. My own research has resulted in the identification of eight categories of workplace personalities and cognitive interaction in the workplace through these personalities. This type of research is ongoing and I firmly believe that it will never be finished. So the important thing is to continually look for ways to get our content across while our students are internalizing it for use later on.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
