MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.doc

Multiple Intelligence and Emotional IntelligenceUniversity professors David Miller Sadker and Myra Pollack Sadker gained a national reputation in the 1990s for their efforts to create more equitable and effective schools. In the following excerpt from their book Teachers, Schools, and Society (2003) aimed at future teachers the authors discuss recent attempts by Howard Gardner and Daniel Goleman to redefine and expand traditional concepts of intelligence. Because the authors are reporting research to an academic audience, they are careful to cite their sources in the text and to include complete publication information at the close of the reading.Learning style is not the only area undergoing demystification: our understanding of intelligence is also being reconstructed. The IQ score, developed early in the twentieth century, is supposed to be a measure of a persons innate intelligence, with a score of 100 defined as normal, or average. The higher the score, the brighter the person. Some of us grew up in communities where IQ was barely mentioned. In many cases this lack of knowledge might have been a blessing. Others of us grew up with “IQ enby,” in cmmunities where IQ scores were a big part of our cultrue. Since the score is considered a fixed, pernmanent measure of intellect, like a persons physical height, the scores engendered strong feelings. Friends who scored 150 or 160 or higher on an IQ test had a secret weapon, a mysteriously wonderful brain. We were impressed. But then our friend, the “genius,” was stumped trying to unpack and plug in a toaster oven or got hopelessly lost trying to follow the simplest driving directions. How could this person have such a high IQ? We may have been equally puzzled when another friend, who scored horribly lwo on an IQ test, went on to fame and riches (and promptly forgot that we were even their friends). What is this IQ score supposed to mean? Also puzzled by these contradictions was Harvard professor Howard Gardner. Concerned about the tradional assessment of intelligence, with such a heavy emphasis on language and mathematical-logical skills, he broadened the concept to define intelligence as “ the capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural settings”Gardner indentified eigtht kinds of intelligence, not all of which are commonly recognized in school settings, yet Gardner believes that his theory of multiple intelligences more accurately captures the diverse nature of human capability Consider Gardners eight intelligences. 1. Logical-mathematical. Skills related to mathematical manipulations and discerning and solving logical problems (related careers: scientist, mathematician)2. Linguistic. Sensitivity to the meanings, sounds and rhytems of words, as well as to the function of language as a whole (related careers: poet, jounalist, author)3. Body-kinesthetic. Ability ot excel physically and to handle objects skillfully (related careers: athlete, dancer, surgeon)4. Musical. Ability to produce pitch and rhythm, as well as to appriciate various forms of musical expression (related careers: musician, composer)5. Spacial. Ability to form a mental model of the spatial world and to maneuver and operate using that model (related careers: sculptor, navigator, engineer, painter)6. Interpersonal. Ability to analyze and respond to the motivations, moods and desires of other people (related careers: psychology, sales, teaching)7. Interpersonal. Knowledge of ones feelings, needs, strengths, and weaknesses; ability to use this knowledge to guide behavior (related benefit: accurate self-awareness)8. Naturalist. (Gardners most recently defined intelligence) Ability to discriminate among living things, to classify plants, animals and minerals; a sensitivity to the natural world (related careers: botanist, enviromentalist, chef, other science-and even consumers-related careers)Gardner and his colleagues continue to conduct research, and this list still growing. A possible ninth intelligence being explored by Gardner concerns existential intelligence, the human inclination to formulate fundamental questions about who we are, where we come from, why we die, and the like. Gardner believes that we have yet to discover many more intelligences. (Can you think of som?)The theory of multiple intelligience goes a long way in explaining why the quality of an individuals performance may vary greately in different activities, rather than reflect of a single standard of performance as indicated by an IQ score. Gardner also points out that what is considered intelligence may differ, depending on cultural values. Thus, in the Pacific Island, intellgigence is the ability to navigate among the islands. For many Muslims, the ability to memorize the Koran is a mark of intelligence. Intelligence in Balinese social life is demonstrated by physical grace. Gardners theory has sparked the imaginations of many educators, some of whom are redesigning their curricula to respond to differing student intelligences. Teachers are refining their approaches in response to such questions are (Armstrong 1994, pp.26-28):1. How can I use music to emphasize key points?2. How can I promote hand and bodily movements and experiences to enhance learning?3. How can I incorporate sharing and interpersonal interactions into my lessons?4. How can I encourage students to think more deeply about their feelings and memories?5. How can I use visual organizers and visual aids to promote understanding?6. How can I encourage students to classify and appreciate the world around them?As instruction undergoes re-examination, so does evaluation. The old pencil-and-paper tests used to assess linguistic, math, and logical intelligences seem much less approapriate for measuring these new areas indentifies by Gardner(1995, pp. 200-209). The portfolio approach is an example of a more comprehensive assessment, which includes students learning. Some schools ask students to assemble portfolios that reflect progress in Gardeners various intelligences. In other cases, rather than As and Bs or 80s 80s, schools are using descriptions to report students competence. In music, for example, such descriptions might include “The student often listens to music,” “She plays the piano with technical competence,” “She i