Grammar Police Officer

Gardner's Slice of Intellectual Theory

Learning theory. It's really interesting, I think, and here's a bit of it.

There are Eight Intelligences. "Gardner points out that intelligence isn't a singular phenomenon, but rather a plurality of capacities...Each intelligence represents a set of capacities that are brought to bear upon two major focuses: the solving of problems, and the fashioning of significant cultural products." This list is verbatim from my source.

1. Linguistic Intelligence. The understanding of the phonology, syntax, and semantics of a language, and its pragmatic uses to convince others of a course of action, help one to remember information, explain or communicate knowledge, or reflect upon language itself. Examples include the storyteller, orator, poet, editor, and novelist.
2. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence. The ability to control one's bodily motions and the capacity to handle objects skillfully. Examples of those proficient in this intelligence include the actor, mime, craftsperson, athlete, dancer, and sculptor.
3. Spatial Intelligence. The ability to perceive the visual world accurately, to perform transformations and modifications upon one's initial perceptions, and to be able to re-create aspects of one's visual experience (even in the absence of relevant visual stimuli). Examples include the architect, mapmaker, surveyor, inventor, and graphic artist.
4. Musical Intelligence. The ability to understand and express components of music, including melodic and rhythmic patterns, through figural or intuitive means (the natural musician) or through formal analytic means (the professional musician). Examples include the composer, pianist, percussionist, music critic, and singer.
5. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence. The understanding and use of logical structures, including patterns and relationships, and statements and propositions, through experimentation, quantification, conceptualization, and classification. Examples include the scientist, mathematician, logician, computer programmer, and statistician.
6. Intrapersonal Intelligence. The ability to access one's own emotional life through awareness of inner moods, intentions, motivations, potentials, temperaments, and desires, and the capacity to symbolize these inner experiences, and to apply these understandings to help one live one's life. Examples include the psychotherapist, entrepreneur, creative artist, and shaman.
7. Intrapersonal Intelligence. The ability to notice and make distinctions among other individuals with respect to moods, teperaments, motivations, intentions, and to use this information in pragmatic ways, such as to persuade, influence, manipulte, mediate, or counsel individuals toward some purpose. Examples include the union organizer, teacher, therapist, adminiatrator, and political leader.
8. Naturalist Intelligence. The capacity to recognize and classify the numerous species of flora and fauna in one's environment (as well as the natural phenomena such as mountains and clouds), and the ability to care for, tame, or interact subtly with living creatures, or with whole ecosystems. Examples include the zoologist, biologist, veterinarian, forest ranger, and hunter.

Isn't that fascinating? What is your strength/intelligence/intelligences? How does that serve you? How can you develop intelligences which aren't natural strengths?

Source: Armstrong, Thomas. The Multiple Intelligences of Reading and Writing: Making the Words Come Alive. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003. Taken from pp. 12-14.