Multiple Intelligences: What Does it Mean to be Smart?

Beneath the surface, kids are different from each other in fascinating ways. Each group of kids is a mix of different learning styles, family backgrounds, and intelligences. Intelligences?

In 1983, Howard Gardner's book Frames of Mind sparked discussion among educators on the topic of intelligence and opened up the traditional definition of intelligence to include aptitudes that we have not always valued in schools. His theory is called multiple intelligences. It is consistent with what most parents instinctively feel and good teachers have always recognized: that each kid is, indeed, special, with a unique mix of talents and interests, and an incredible capacity for learning and growth.

Our notions about intelligence have been largely influenced by the traditional concept of general intelligence, which takes just two types of aptitude into account: mathematical and linguistic. The I.Q. test was designed to measure these two aptitudes, and anyone who scores well in both has been thought to be very smart. But what about those kids who excel in other areas? What did the grade school teachers of Bo Jackson, Emily Dickinson, Miles Davis, Picasso, and Ghandi think of them? Did they consider these extraordinary individuals less smart than the stereotypical brains?

Gardner outlines eight intelligences:

linguistic intelligence
logical-mathematical intelligence
spatial intelligence
bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
musical intelligence
interpersonal intelligence (with others)
intrapersonal intelligence (knowing yourself)
naturalist intelligence

An increasing number of educators have been influenced by multiple intelligence theory. It has affected teaching, curriculum planning, and in a few rare cases, testing. At innovative schools like the New City School in St. Louis, teachers and administrators work together with parents to create a learning environment in which each of the eight intelligences is valued and nurtured in kids.

More on: Developing Gifts and Talents