Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence proposes that individuals have eight diverse units of intelligence. He adds that these eight units have their distinct abilities that can be measured after careful observation. Although Gardner’s intelligence theory has received considerable criticism from both psychologists and educators purporting that Gardner’s intelligence theory is too broad and simply represents personality traits, abilities and talents rather than the intelligence quotient. Despite the criticism, the theory enjoys diverse popularity among educators due to its suitability in identifying multiple intelligences learners in enhancing teaching philosophies in the classroom setting.
Using Gardner’s self-assessment model for the eight-unit of intelligence, I obtained the following top three scores.
- Intrapersonal- 4.29
- Interpersonal- 3.86
- Language- 3.57
The three of Gardner’s multiple intelligence that I obtained the lowest include.
- Musical- 2
- Spatial- 2
- Logic math- 1.14
My high score in intrapersonal intelligence means that I can easily comprehend and respond excellently to another person’s temperament, mood or desire. It also means I find it easy to cooperate adequately in a group setting and can emphasize and communicate without straining myself. However, although the intelligence score indicates that I excel in intrapersonal intelligence, the theory states that I should not focus on only one intelligence because I also possess other intelligence that I can pursue and perfect over time. On the other hand, the low scores in bits of intelligence such as logic math, musical and spatial means I have very little chance of excelling in these bits of intelligence. Therefore, the test purports that I should not concentrate on perfecting skills related to this intelligence but rather pursue units of intelligence that I can best excel in.
I agree with these results. The score indicates that I excel in intrapersonal intelligence which according to Gardner’s theory means I excel the most in understanding myself. I agree with this score because I have a very high self-awareness which means I can easily identify my areas of weaknesses which have been my strongest pillar in excelling in life. besides, I always find solutions easily on how I am going to react to situations that can strain people who perform very low on intrapersonal intelligence. Although I never thought that this is a form of intelligence before studying Gardner’s intelligence model, I can now understand why I am always good at self-correcting and mindful which helps me deal with difficult life situations.
I also agree with Gardner’s self-assessment score because I have always had difficulties in conducting scientific analysis and solving math problems. Also, my musical skills have always been poor even though I admire musicians and how they skillfully use their voices, I can barely come up with musical lyrics that can add up to form a song. This also relates to my spatial skills which are poor as well. Through practice, diligence observation and learning, I have found that I can perform well in interpersonal intelligence which relates to the ability to understand other people and also linguistics intelligence which relates language ability pertaining to speaking, reading and writing capabilities. These observations prove that I agree with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence.