Prioritize Your Intelligence
- 1. Activity Sheet: Background Information: Understanding Multiple Intelligences* Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor, did pioneering research in this area. He maintains that measuring intelligence (IQ) with one number is misleading. It leads us to believe that there is one intelligence. According to Dr. Gardner, there are actually eight intelligences.t That is, we have eight different abilities to pick from when solving problems. Unfortunately, many of us have been trained to use only two or three of these. Just think of what we can do once we tap into as many of the eight intelligences as possible! The Eight Intelligences* Although some of our eight intelligences are more advanced than the others, we have traces of each intelligence. Some may be highly developed and some a little less developed. Here is Gardner's list (with clarification in parentheses provided from the work of Thomas Armstrong). Linguistic intelligence (word smart). You are good with the written word. You can express yourself with language. Occupations include writer, speaker, lawyer, and teacher. Logical mathematical intelligence (number smart). You can think abstractly and solve problems. Logic and order are strengths for you. You understand cause and effect. Manipulation of numbers comes easily. Occupations include scientist and mathematician. Spatial intelligence (art smart). You can recreate your world visually. A sound sense of direction is involved, too. Occupations include sculptor, painter, and anatomy teacher . Bodily—kinesthetic intelligence (body smart). You have coordinated control of your own body. There is a strong sense of learning by movement or action. You can effectively use your hands, fingers, and arms to make something. Occupations include athlete, actor, and dancer. Musical intelligence (music smart). You have the ability to use the major components of music (rhythm or pitch). You can recognize patterns and use them effectively. Occupations include musician and dancer. Interpersonal intelligence (people smart). You have an understanding of the mood and motives of those with whom you associate. If you are to effectively deal with other people you must be skilled in this intelligence. Occupations include teacher, politician, and salesperson. Intrapersonal intelligence (me smart). You understand yourself and can apply that knowledge in real- life situations to produce the best results. You understand what is good for you. You know who you are and what you can do. You know what to associate with and what to avoid. Occupations include independent contractor. Naturalistic intelligence (nature smart). You can understand, explain, and relate to things in the natural world around you. You have a unique ability to classify and separate items based on characteristics. Occupations include botanist, zoologist, archaeologist, and environmentalist. *Rhythms of College Success: A Journey of Discovery Change, and Mastery. Piscitelli, S. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, 2008, 99-100. tGardner's groundbreaking book is entitled Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1993). tA ninth intelligence is being investigated—spiritual. This intelligence refers to the ability to connect with nonphysical or metaphysical stimuli. For our purposes we will look at the first eight. §Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Armstrong, T. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1994.
- 2. Activity Sheet: Prioritize Your Intelligences* NAME: Jose Bustillo List the intelligences in order from the one intelligence that is most developed in you to the one that is least developed as they relate to you. Write a brief description how you have come to believe this. Be specific (perhaps give an example that explains your ranking). My most (1st) developed intelligence is: Intrapersonal intelligence (me smart) o My evidence is:I’m always trying to get things done on my own and using my knowledge to figure out things my way. My 2nd most developed intelligence is: Interpersonal intelligence (people smart) o My evidence is: I try to always stay aware of how people perform or how they feel so that way I know how to approach them to get the best results out of them. My 3rd most developed intelligence is: Bodily—kinesthetic intelligence (body smart) o My evidence is:I always stay active and I’m usually on top of my body; meaning, I like to stay fit and aware of how my body is working. My 4th most developed intelligence is: Spatial intelligence (art smart) o My evidence is:I like to enjoy and experiment my surroundings. I’m very creative and I love to daydream about new projects and future stuff. My 5th most developed intelligence is: Musical intelligence (music smart) o My evidence is:I like to analyze and really get into the mu sic. I usually perform a lot of tasks while listening to some music. Music is my best motivation and inspiration. My 6th most developed intelligence is: Naturalistic intelligence (nature smart) o My evidence is:I was very good with Biology labs and I’ve always been very nature-friendly oriented. My 7th most developed intelligence is:Linguistic intelligence (word smart) o My evidence is:I like to always write in a very neat way and with the best grammar possible. I’m very picky with my writing and even when it comes to text messaging I don’t like to use abbreviations.
- 3. My 8th most developed intelligence is:Logical mathematical intelligence (number smart) o My evidence is:I don’t really like math, I don’t enjoy it but I do understand the importance of it in the daily living. I mostly pay attention to math when it comes to my money. Finally, what insights can you draw from this activity?This activity reminded me the things that I can be good at and the skills that I enjoy having/using. It took me a little to remember and analyze each intelligence but my answers were the most accurate possible and also helped me refresh a few situations that I’ve been proud of in my learning experiences. *Instructor's manual to accompany Study Skills: Do 1 Really Need This Stuff? 2nd Edition. Piscitelli, S. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, 2009.