Family Life: Multiple Intelligences

Your Child’s Learning Style

There is a classic tale about a school teacher who hired an old man to row him across a wide river in a small boat. The scholar asked the mariner whether the trip would be difficult. “I don’t know nothin' about it,” replied the old man. Noticing the boatman’s poor grammar, the intellectual asked him, “Haven’t you ever been to school?” “No,” replied the ancient seaman. “Well then, half your life has been wasted!” the school teacher retorted.

The two men climbed into the boat and began their journey. About halfway across, a storm came up and the boat began to toss violently. The crusty old sailor yelled to the scholar above the wind, “Do you know how to swim?” “No!” the teacher yelled back. “Well then,” yelled the old man, “in that case, your whole life has been wasted. We’re sinking!”

Culture Decides Who’s Disabled

This story suggests that a strength in one environment can be weakness in another. Similarly, a child labeled dyslexic, ADHD, hyperactive, or learning disabled in our society might excel in another non-Western culture.

“While our society favors linguistic, logical-mathematical, and intrapersonal abilities, other cultures put a very different emphasis on the seven varieties of intelligence. In the Anang society of Nigeria, for example, musical and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences are highly developed. By the age of five, the children of that society can sing hundreds of songs, play numerous percussion instruments, and perform dozens of complex dances. In Eskimo cultures, spatial intelligence is a major strength because Eskimos place a high survival value on noticing subtle differences in snow and ice surfaces…

A highly literate person from our culture with superior linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligence might be at a real disadvantage in a South Seas island society. Without good spatial or bodily-kinesthetic skills, their 'smarts' would be useless and they might even find themselves labeled ‘navigating disabled’ learners.” (Armstrong, 1987, pp. 17-18)

Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Prize-winning Harvard psychologist, Howard Gardner is the author of over twenty books including Frames of Mind―his most famous (1983). This ground-breaking work advanced his theory of multiple intelligences and has been widely hailed by educators. Gardner observed that linguistic and logical-mathematical abilities are highly valued by our schools. Children with natural talent in these areas usually do very well. However, children with poor verbal or logical skills often fail, even though they’re talented in one or more of the other major intelligences. Gardner’s model gives us a way of looking at the complete picture of a student’s potential so that these neglected abilities can be honored and developed as well.

It’s tempting to categorize your child into only one of the seven intelligence groups listed below. However, as you read through the descriptions of each type of intelligence, take what seems to apply to your child in all of these descriptions and add them together. This composite picture is what constitutes your child’s personal learning style.

Eight Intelligences Defined

1. Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)
Auditory ability; thinks in words; bookworm; tells jokes, rhymes, tongue twisters, and stories; remembers names easily; crossword puzzles, Scrabble, Anagrams; likes to write; an accurate speller.

2. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Number Smart)
Conceptual thinker; wonders about natural events; quickly computes arithmetic problems; enjoys computers, chemistry sets, and brain teasers; plays chess, checkers, and logical puzzles.

3. Visual-Spatial Intelligence (Art Smart)
Thinks in visual images and pictures, enjoys mazes, jigsaw puzzles; loves drawing, designing, art, inventing, daydreaming; reads maps, charts and diagrams easily.

4. Musical Intelligence (Music Smart)
Often sings, hums or whistles; loves to play musical instruments; listens to CD’s and radio; remembers melodies, sings in choirs; has good rhythm; recognizes when music is off-key, sensitive to environmental sounds like chirping birds.

5. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (Body Smart)
Graced with the skills of a dancer, actor, or mime; excels in competitive sports; moves, twitchs, taps and fidgets; hugs and touches when talking; sign language; fine motor skills like crafts, woodworking, and sewing.

6. Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart)
Understands people well; has a lot of friends; a leader among their peers; good organizer, communicator and mediator; loves group activities; empathizes well with others’ feelings.

7. Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self Smart)
Strong independent personality; blooms in isolation; aware of their inner feelings, dreams, and ideas; has strong opinions; likes being alone to pursue some personal interest, hobby or project; inner wisdom and intuitive ability.

8. Naturalist Intelligence (Nature Smart)
Classifies and identifies patterns in nature (plants and animals); notices clouds, rock formations; collects, sorts, and labels objects in the natural world, loves nature hikes, gardening, caring for pets, and wildlife protection.

I am indebted to the revised edition of In Their Own Way by Thomas Armstrong Ph.D. (2000) for this valuable information. Successive chapters in Armstrong’s book cover the formal test trap, “dysteachia,” bodywise (making learning physical), cultivating imagination, teaching with feeling (opening the heart to learning), patience (honoring your child’s learning rate), and much more.

Want More Information on How Children Learn?

In case you missed them, please see my previous posts, Our Gifts Color All We See and Do and How Your Child Learns Best. Published by Focus on the Family, The Way They Learn by Cynthia Tobias is another learning model that’s worth investigating. Thinking about homeschooling? This resource by Lisa Whelchel might help you make your decision.

Check Out These Homeschooling Moms!

• Lindafay, In the Midst of It (Middle East)
• Tammy, Family Doin's (Oregon, USA)
• Tara at Livesay Haiti Weblog (Haiti)

If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Cor 12: 17-20 ESV)

What combination of the eight intelligences best describe YOU?

Photos courtesy of carf, ajoythomas, and claudecf (Flickr)

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