Although many high school students tend to think and learn in non-traditional ways, American schools still base their instruction primarily on verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences. As a result, many students who are not strong in these traditional intelligences develop poor attitudes toward school, and their academic performance suffers.
According to psychologist Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, intelligences change with age and experience. Since our culture places so much importance on traditional intelligences, and since so many high school students have strengths in non-traditional intelligences, it makes sense to incorporate multiple intelligences into classroom instruction to provide experiences that will change students’ intelligences for the better. . .
This is not to say that the development of linguistic and analytical skills should be abandoned in favor of non-traditional educational approaches. Rather, traditional and non-traditional approaches must be combined to formulate a method of education that is best suited to the students who populate our classrooms. Multiple intelligences offer a balance that teaches students what they need to know to be successful in our society in a way that complements the unique abilities each individual possesses.
All students must have the opportunity to not only further develop their dominant intelligences, but they must also have the opportunity to develop their weaker intelligences. Students who are weak in verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences will certainly be at a disadvantage in a culture that places so much emphasis on traditional intelligences. However, despite their weaknesses, students who are given the opportunity to succeed using an intelligence in which they can excel demonstrate that they are capable of developing their verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences.
Because MI-based instruction is designed to target a mix of intelligences, students perceive the multiple intelligence classroom as a place where everyone can do something well, rather than a place where some students are “smart” and others are not. . MI focuses on students’ strengths and uses those strengths to develop areas of weakness. According to Jie-Qi Chen & Gardner, multiple intelligences can bridge the gap from an area of success to an area of difficulty because “a sense of success in one area can make the student more likely to engage in areas in which they feel less comfortable.” Since students are not made to feel like they are stupid because they don’t know something, there is a change in attitude that effectively removes the “block” that once prevented learning.
Instruction based on multiple intelligences is effective because it provides a comfort zone by allowing students to think in ways that are comfortable for them. It also helps them develop thought processes they don’t normally use by providing them with a positive environment in which they can experiment without feeling “intelligent.” Students who are strong in non-traditional intelligences are often made to feel that they are not up to par with the rest of their classmates. Instruction based on multiple intelligences gives all students the opportunities they need to succeed, and students who have succeeded are better equipped to attempt more challenging jobs.
In short, instruction based on multiple intelligences has the potential to eliminate (or at least reduce) the number of American students currently stumbling blindly through our education systems. These students can be given the opportunities they need to be successful in school while enhancing the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences they will require to be successful in our society.
References:
Chen, JQ and Gardner, H. (1997). Alternative evaluation from the perspective of multiple intelligences. In B. Torff (ed.), Multiple intelligences and assessment: a collection of articles, 27-54. Arlington Heights, IL: IRI/Skylight Training and Publications, Inc.
Gardner, H. (1983). Moods: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, H. (1995a). Multiple intelligences as a catalyst. English Review, 84(8), 16-18.
Gardner, H. (1995b). Reflections on multiple intelligences: myths and messages. Extended Academic ASAP [on-line database]. Original publication: Phi Delta Kappan, 77(3).
Teele, A. (1996). Redesign the education system to allow all students to succeed. NASSP Bulletin, (80) 583, 65-75.
