This assignment examines Howard Gardner’s theory of intelligence. It further shows the career prospects of children that possess each of the seven types of intelligences.
Howard Gardner’s theory of intelligence points out to seven intelligences possess by a child in the process of growth and interactions with others. According to Northern Illinois University (n.d) Gardner’s work in psychology and in human cognition and human potential led to the development of the multiple intelligences. It is said that he initially developed six intelligences. He later developed three more intelligences that brought the number to nine. However, the primary seven are the most concentrated on for the purpose of developing a whole individual. The illustration of the multiple intelligences is based on the work of Howard Gardner himself and his associates. The illustration will follow the order in which they were first identified and presented.
The first, not in order of importance, is the linguistic intelligence. It involves dealing with written and spoken words. It entails that the individual is able to interpret and explain ideas and information through the language. It implies an understanding of the relationship between communication and meaning. According to Gardner (2011) it is said that when this intelligence is very strong for a person or an individual, it means that the individual has highly developed skills for reading, speaking, and writing and tend to think in words. This is also an indication that the individual likes various kinds of literature, plays word games, makes up poetry and stories, engages in involved discussions with other people, and is involved in debates, formal speaking, creative writing, and telling jokes. It is further said that the individual is precise in expressing oneself and is irritated when others fail to. These type of individuals love learning new words, do well with written assignments, and the comprehension of anything they read is high. In this view, we see teachers, lawyers, copywriters, editors, Public Relations officers, Media consultants, Historians, trainers and journalists. The list is not exhaustive.
The second is the logical mathematical intelligence. It involves analyzing of problems, detecting patterns, performing mathematical calculations, and scientific reasoning and deduction. This entails the understanding of relationship between cause and effect toward a tangible outcome or result. According to Gardner (2011) logical-mathematically inclined person tend to think more conceptually and abstractly and are often able to see patterns and relationships that others may not see. These individuals probably like to conduct experiments, to solve puzzles and other problems, to ask cosmic questions, and analyze circumstances and people’s behaviour. It is said that they mostly enjoy working with numbers and mathematical formulas and operations, and they love the challenge of a complex problem to solve. It is further said that they are probably systematic and organised, and very likely they always have a logical rationale or argument for what they are doing or thinking at any given time. This intelligence implies that an individual would work as an analyst, public accountant, an engineer, banker, researcher, scientist and statistician.
The third is the musical intelligence. It involves awareness, appreciation and use of sound, and recognition of tonal and rhythmic patterns. This intelligence entails the understanding of the relationship between sound and feeling. An individual is capable of bringing out emotions of people through music. Music speaks to an individual in whatever they are passing through in life. It is an intelligence that takes a sound note and attaches it to a feeling or an emotion of a person. According to Gardner (2011) an individual strong in this intelligence area is likely have a strong love of music and rhythmic patterns. It is said that the individual are probably very sensitive to sounds in the environment including such sounds as the chirp of cricket, rain on the roof, varying traffic patterns on a daily basis. It is further said that the individual equipped with a recorder and music maker, can create some music from the chirp of a cricket, traffic patterns and even the noise of rain on the roof tops. These individuals may study and work better with music in the background. These types of individuals can often reproduce a melody or rhythmic pattern after hearing it only once. According to Gardner (2011) the various sounds, tones, and rhythms may have a visible effect on the individual such that others can often see a change in facial expressions, body movement, or emotional responses. They probably like to create music and enjoy listening to a wide variety of music. They are also said to be skilled at mimicking sounds, language accents, and others’ speech patterns, and they can probably readily recognize different musical instruments in a composition. Therefore, an individual can work as DJ, music performer, entertainer, music producer, composer and singer.
The fourth is the bodily kinesthetic intelligence. This involves eye and body coordination, manual dexterity and physical agility and balance. It entails an understanding of the body parts and how each moves to the entire movement. According to Gardner (2011) individuals who have strength in this intelligence area tend to have a keen sense of body awareness. They like physical movement, dancing, making and inventing things with their hands, and role-playing. It is said that they probably communicate well through body language and other physical gestures. These individuals can often perform a task much better after seeing someone else do it first and then mimicking their actions. It is further said that they like physical games of all kinds and enjoy to demonstrate how to do something for someone else. They may find it difficult to sit still for long periods of time and are easily bored or distracted if they are not actively involved in what is going on around them. An individual can work as nurse, physical education teacher, physical therapist, physician, actor, sign-language interpreter and a dancer.
The fifth is the spatial-visual intelligence. It involves interpretation and creation of visual images and pictorial imagination and expression. This entails an understanding of relationships between images and meanings and between space and effect. According to Tsai (2016) an individual strong in this intelligence tend to think in images and pictures. They are likely very aware of object, shapes, colors, textures, and patterns in the environment around them. It is said that they like to draw, paint, and make interesting designs and patterns, and work with clay, colored markers, construction paper, and fabric. According Tsai (2016) many who are strong in visual-spatial intelligence love to work jigsaw puzzles, read maps and find their way around new places. It is said that they have definite opinions about colors that go together well, textures that are appropriate and pleasing, and how a room should be decorated. They are most likely excellent at performing tasks that require seeing with the mind’s eyes such as visualizing, pretending, imagining, and forming mental images. An individual can work as an architect, an artist, city-planner, graphic designer, landscape architect and as a photographer.
The sixth is the interpersonal intelligence. It involves ability to relate to others, and interpretation of behavior and communications. This entails an understanding of the relationship between people and their situations, including other people. According to Gardner (2011) if this person-to-person way of knowing is more developed in an individual, the individual learns through personal interactions. They have lots of friends, show a great deal of empathy for other people and exhibit a deep understanding of other points of view. It is said that they love team activities of all kinds and are a good team member. They are sensitive to other people’s feelings and ideas, and are good at ensuring that their own ideas ride along others’ thoughts. It is said that they skilled at drawing others out in a discussion and also skilled in conflict resolution, mediation, and finding compromise when people are in radical opposition to each other. This individual can work as an advertising professional, a care giver, coach and mentor, counselors, health provider, Human Resource professional, politician, therapist and trainer.
The seventh is the intrapersonal intelligence. It involves one’s own needs for and reaction to change, ability to deal with change in the workplace. It also involves an understanding of one’s relationship to others and the world including personal cognizance, personal objectivity and the capability to understand oneself. According to Yeh (2014) at the centre of this intelligence are human self-reflective abilities by which an individual can step outside of their own self and think about their own lives. This is said to be the introspective intelligence. It is said to involve unique human propensity to want to know the meaning, purpose, and significance of things. It further involve the awareness of the inner world of the self, emotions, values, beliefs, and various quests for genuine spirituality.
According to Gardner (2011) when an individual is strong in this intelligence, they may like to work alone and sometimes shy away from others. They are self-reflective and self-aware and thus tend to be in tune with their inner feelings, values, beliefs, and thinking processes. It is said that they are frequently bearers of creative wisdom and insight, are highly intuitive, and are inwardly motivated rather than needing external rewards to keep them going. In any situation, they are often strong willed, self-confident, and have definite, well-thought out opinions on almost any issue. Other people will often call them for advice and counsel.
This individual is one who is self-aware and involved in the process of changing personal thoughts, beliefs, and behavior in relation to their situation and also other people, their purpose and aims in life.
In conclusion, it is clear that an individual has multiple intelligences. However, not all will work predominantly in one’s life. A number may be predominant and these may define an individual in the process of one’s life and work. According to Ali and Rajalakshmi (2016), it is imperative that parents also understand the multiple intelligence in order to help their children learn effectively rather than forcing a child in an area where they are weak. This is a clear indication that the child’s learning process is at the centre of the triangle involving teacher, school and parent.