Concept of multiple intelligences Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Concept of multiple intelligences - Assignment Example Gardener however emphasizes that there might be more forms of intelligence apart from these eight. There have been speculations of the possibility of existence of an experiential intelligence or spiritual intelligence or the ability to reflect on the big questions about life’s meaning. This idea of separate abilities by Gardener is based on evidence that in the instance of brain damage, the functioning of just one area, for instance language, is affected or interfered with and not the functioning of other areas. Another point of proof is the fact that a person may perform extremely well in any one of these eight areas but have no noteworthy abilities in the other seven. Gardener argues that intelligence refers to the ability to resolve problems and also make outcomes and products that are of value to a culture. There have been various values placed on these eight intelligences in different periods of history and cultures. In cultures with more emphasis on technology, mathemati cal and verbal intelligences are crucial while in cultures that are farming-oriented, a naturalist intelligence is important. Additionally, Gardener is of the opinion that the foundation of intelligence is biological in nature (Gardener, 1998). However, he does not refute that a general ability exists, but poses the question of how useful it is in accounting for various human achievements. Though the multiple intelligence theory by Gardener has been adopted by many educators, it has not been widely accepted in the scientific community. Some critics argue that a number of the intelligences are not at all new. Separate spatial and verbal abilities have been discovered by many researchers. Additionally, correlations among the abilities and the eight intelligences are not autonomous in nature. Spatial and logical-mathematical intelligences have a high correlation (Hoy & Hoy, 2009). Effective Uses of Multiple Intelligences The multiple intelligence view is advantageous since it amplifies individuals’ mode of thinking about different abilities and teaching avenues. There are various ways of using multiple intelligences to ensure good results in the classroom setting. Firstly, using this technique, schools can go about a discipline, general idea or subject matter in diverse manners. This caters for diverse needs of students. Many schools have previously been culprits of trying to cover too much too quickly. It is however more sensible to spend a substantial amount of time on the main crucial questions, productive ideas and concepts and let students familiarize themselves with such ideas and what they imply. There should therefore be effective utilization of changing instructions and a variety of methods of teaching used in the course of the day. So as to keep the students concentrated on the specific instructions, they should be made aware of differing strategies within a certain time period. The presentation of a single lesson can be done in a number of diffe rent ways. For example, when a lesson is introduced by oral, physical and visual means, the needs of every individual student are catered for by the teacher hence ensuring all students are fully engaged in class. This in turn increases the probabilities of students’