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Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences
Edutopia revisits its 1997 interview with the Harvard University professor about multiple intelligences and new forms of assessment.
Release Date: 12/01/1997
Running Time: 8 min.
Produced for Edutopia by
- State of the Art
- © 1997
- The George Lucas Educational Foundation
- All rights reserved.
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Howard Gardner is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor in Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also holds positions as adjunct professor of psychology at Harvard University, adjunct professor of neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, and chairman of the steering committee of the graduate school's Project Zero.
He has written twenty books and hundreds of articles and is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, which holds that intelligence goes far beyond the traditional verbal/linguistic and logical/mathematical measurements. Here he discusses student-directed learning, multiple intelligences, and a different approach to assessment.
- On the importance of engaging students actively in what they are studying.
- On the characteristics of student-directed learning.
- On the theory of multiple intelligences.
- On technology and multiple intelligences.
- On the need for fundamental change in the curriculum.
- On how assessment in school differs from assessment in other arenas such as sports or music.
- On the need for a new approach to assessment in schools.
- On what needs to happen in order that long-standing change occurs in public education.
1. On the importance of engaging students actively in what they are studying.
We have schools because we hope that some day when children have left schools that they will still be able to use what it is that they've learned. And there is now a massive amount of evidence from all realms of science that unless individuals take a very active role in what it is that they're studying, unless they learn to ask questions, to do things hands on, to essentially re-create things in their own mind and transform them as is needed, the ideas just disappear. The student may have a good grade on the exam, we may think that he or she is learning, but a year or two later there's nothing left.
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2. On the characteristics of student-directed learning.
If, on the other hand, somebody has carried out an experiment himself or herself, analyzed the data, made a prediction, and saw whether it came out correctly, if somebody is doing history and actually does some interviewing himself or herself -- oral histories -- then reads the documents, listens to it, goes back and asks further questions, writes up a paper. That's the kind of thing that's going to adhere, whereas if you simply memorize a bunch of names and a bunch of facts, even a bunch of definitions, there's nothing to hold on to.
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3. On the theory of multiple intelligences.
The idea of multiple intelligences comes out of psychology. It's a theory that was developed to document the fact that human beings have very different kinds of intellectual strengths and that these strengths are very, very important in how kids learn and how people represent things in their minds, and then how people use them in order to show what it is that they've understood.
If we all had exactly the same kind of mind and there was only one kind of intelligence, then we could teach everybody the same thing in the same way and assess them in the same way and that would be fair. But once we realize that people have very different kinds of minds, different kinds of strengths -- some people are good in thinking spatially, some in thinking language, others are very logical, other people need to be hands on and explore actively and try things out -- then education, which treats everybody the same way, is actually the most unfair education. Because it picks out one kind of mind, which I call the law professor mind -- somebody who's very linguistic and logical -- and says, if you think like that, great, if you don't think like that, there's no room on the train for you.
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4. On technology and multiple intelligences.
If we know that one child has a very spatial or visual-spatial way of learning, another child has a very hands-on way of learning, a third child likes to ask deep philosophical questions, the fourth child likes stories, we don't have to talk very fast as a teacher. We can actually provide software, we can provide materials, we can provide resources that present material to a child in a way in which the child will find interesting and will be able to use his or her intelligences productively and, to the extent that the technology is interactive, the child will actually be able to show his or her understanding in a way that's comfortable to the child.
We have this myth that the only way to learn something is to read it in a textbook or hear a lecture on it. And the only way to show that we've understood something is to take a short-answer test or maybe occasionally with an essay question thrown in. But that's nonsense. Everything can be taught in more than one way. And anything that's understood can be shown in more than one way. I don't believe because there are eight intelligences we have to teach things eight ways. I think that's silly. But we always ought to be asking ourselves, "Are we reaching every child, and, if not, are there other ways in which we can do it?"
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5. On the need for fundamental change in the curriculum.
I think that we teach way too many subjects and we cover way too much material and the end result is that students have a very superficial knowledge, as we often say, a mile wide and an inch deep. Then once they leave school, almost everything's been forgotten. And I think that school needs to change to have a few priorities and to really go into those priorities very deeply.
Let's take the area of science. I actually don't care if a child studies physics or biology or geology or astronomy before he goes to college. There's plenty of time to do that kind of detailed work. I think what's really important is to begin to learn to think scientifically. To understand what a hypothesis is. How to test it out and see whether it's working or not. If it's not working, how to revise your theory about things. That takes time. There's no way you can present that in a week or indeed even in a month. You have to learn about it from doing many different kinds of experiments, seeing when the results are like what you predicted, seeing when they're different, and so on.
But if you really focus on science in that kind of way by the time you go to college -- or, if you don't go to college, by the time you go to the workplace -- you'll know the difference between a statement that is simply a matter of opinion or prejudice and one for which there's solid evidence.
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6. On how assessment in school differs from assessment in other arenas such as sports or music.
The most important thing about assessment is knowing what it is that you should be able to do. And the best way for me to think about it is a child learning a sport or a child learning an art form, because it is completely unmysterious what you have to be to be a quarterback or a figure skater or a violin player. You see it, you try it out, you're coached, you know when you're getting better, you know how you're doing compared to other kids.
In school, assessment is mystifying. Nobody knows what's going to be on the test, and when the test results go back, neither the teacher nor the student knows what to do. So what I favor is highlighting for kids from the day they walk into school the performances and exhibitions for which they're going to be accountable.
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7. On the need for a new approach to assessment in schools.
Let's get real. Let's look at the kinds of things that we really value in the world. Let's be as explicit as we can. Let's provide feedback to kids from as early as possible and then let them internalize the feedback so they themselves can say what's going well, what's not going so well.
I'm a writer and initially I had to have a lot of feedback from editors, including a lot of rejections, but over time I learned what was important. I learned to edit myself and now the feedback from editors is much less necessary. And I think anybody as an adult knows that as you get to be more expert in things you don't have to do so much external critiquing, you can do what we call self-assessment. And in school, assessment shouldn't be something that's done to you, it should be something where you are the most active agent.
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8. On what needs to happen in order that long-standing change occurs in public education.
I think for there to be long-standing change in American education that is widespread rather than just on the margins, first of all people have to see examples of places that are like their own places where the new kind of education really works, where students are learning deeply, where they can exhibit their knowledge publicly, and where everybody who looks at the kids says, "That's the kind of kids I want to have." So we need to have enough good examples.
Second of all, we need to have the individuals who are involved in education, primarily teachers and administrators, believe in this, really want to do it, and get the kind of help that they need in order to be able to switch, so to speak, from a teacher-centered, let's-stuff-it-into-the-kid's-mind kind of education to one where the preparation is behind the scenes and the child himself or herself is at the center of learning.
Third of all, I think we need to have assessment schemes that really convince everybody that this kind of education is working. And it's no good to have child-centered learning and then have the same, old multiple-choice tests that were used fifty or a one-hundred years ago.
Finally, I think there has to be a political commitment that says this is the kind of education that we want to have in our country, and maybe outside this country, for the foreseeable future. And as long as people are busy bashing teachers or saying that we can't try anything new because it might fail then reform will be stifled as it has been in the past.
Comments & Responses
I admire your theory, Mr Gardner
I´m really concerned about Multiple Intelligences Theory.
I started teaching English as a private teacher when I was only 14 years old -it was in 1981 and I´m still doing it-, and without having any knowledge at all about techniques, approaches, methodology, and so on, I felt there was something else apart from "being very good at English", I noticed one could "be very good" at Maths, at Music, at Geography... and it all helped a lot -to learn English- Then it was when I started to convince my students that they were very "intelligent" musically speaking, or they were "intelligently" learning a new languge with the help of Geography...
As you can see, I never used the technical terms to work with your theory, but it was because not until I went to university to get my degree of English teacher -only 4 years ago- did I learn about the existence of a theory called "The Multiple Intellingences Theory" As you can imagine, I feel it a bit like part of mine... CONGRATULATIONS AND GO ON WORKING ON IT!!
What a post!!
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences makes people think about "IQ," about being "smart." The theory is changing the way some teachers teach.
When Howard Gardner's book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Basic Books, 1983) burst on the scene, it seemed to answer many questions for experienced teachers. We all had students who didn't fit the mold; we knew the students were bright, but they didn't excel on tests. Gardner's claim that there are several different kinds of intelligence gave us and others involved with teaching and learning a way of beginning to understand those students. We would look at what they could do well, instead of what they could not do.
Special Education
The concept of Multiple Intelligences had been a great help to me as and educatior, tutor and coach. I work in a secondary program and students in this evironment, especailly, those who are identified as having learning problems. These students have often never considered the idea that they, personally, have ANY intelligence. They regard themselves as non contenders in the academic arena and all to often are self labelled as, "slow or not smart". I have found that using Multiple Intelligence categories gives these students the opportunity to identify strengths and figure out ways in which they can process and learn material present in their classes. They can say, "I have this style or ability."I and my students thank your for a powerful, positive tool.
Curriculum as it is tied to assessment
Re: #5 Yes! Yes! Yes! But how does one standardize testing for the bureaucrats who fund the schools?
We are still operating on testing how many facts can be crammed into a student's head in a time when memorizing facts is no longer necessary. Facts can be found when needed almost instantly. With modern technology, a student who follows a particular interest down the rabbit hole can do so much deeper than a standard text allows. However currently, a lot of time must be dedicated to memorizing facts that will never be needed or recalled in their adult life.
What means of measurable accountability will translate to something that is not only useful for students, but understandable to non-educators?
Providing for multiple intelligences
Our ‘tricks’ as educators, and I’m including all parents here, are to provide experiences and environments that necessitate the willing and purposeful engagement of the student. We learn and grow when we have a reason. Our class rooms usually at best try to ‘contrive’ such an environment, but often use the one-shoe-fits-all approach which more likely than not will neglect too many of Howard Garnder’s identified multiple intelligences. So our task is to create an education system that is not separate from our daily lives but a part of all parts of our daily lives, as we often purport when our goal is to create life-long-learners. If we were to take an instantaneous cross-sectional snap shot of what is going on in our surroundings, the potential motivational and demanding experiences spotlighted, would shed light on a plethora of situations to engage and motivate any student. Up until the recent advent of public education, most education was accomplished by mentoring and simply observing and often experimenting with real-time real life experiences. Obviously, not all of those experiences were appropriate for each individual who had the experience, as the ‘intelligences’ the experiencer possessed were not necessarily appropriate for dealing with that experience nor were the sequences of exposure to those problems optimal. But, today we may have the luxury of better providing for that set of experiences most appropriate for the individual. We can’t and shouldn’t return to that older paradigm, but what can we incorporate from that older paradigm? What parts of education are best provided between the four walls of a classroom, within some organized school facility, and what parts are best obtained and realized in the world beyond our current idea of the classroom. Individually perceived importance of a need is the motivator to power the individual in the pursuit of the need. As parents and teachers we need to draw our children into a real world where he/she perceives themselves as an active and accountable participant thus providing the motivation and need to learn. As a middle school science, and journalism teacher of 40 years, I’ve attempted to incorporate this philosophy into my teaching and the rearing of my own children. Notice I said attempted, because as a child and person growing up in our existing society, these ideas were only partially modeled for me. It has been an evolutionary process to be able to make this thesis statement. I hope such a statement will come more easily and earlier in life for individuals of the future generations.
required subjects and schooling
I agree with you that we should use the model of practical demonstrations of learning, such as the skating or football examples. However, as adults we usually have choices in what areas we will be measured in. For instance, I would completely fail tests about auto mechanics, microscope skills, and even digging a posthole. I can choose to pay someone to do these things for me, or learn the bare minimum, or trade services. However, schools require that students be measured on everything they learn, constantly. It is the required nature of it, and the ubiquitous belief that failure in any area is not acceptable, that is most disturbing for many students, affecting their self-esteem, their motivation, and sometimes even their will to continue living. Many, many students give up when faced with the impossible task of succeeding at everything, all the time.
The only people I have seen defending student's right to their own interests and abilities (and inabilities) are homeschoolers and some very radical school personnel. This seems to me to be the only way to apply your recognition that we try to teach too many subjects and too much material. Students, themselves, should be able to choose their specialities just like adults can. Then their multiple intelligences can shine through all the dinginess that comes from overload and not caring about what they are studying.
Response to Karen
Karen, I do agree students need to not have to learn so much, but the basis for the public school education is to provide the most broad liberal education possible. I am a high school teacher now, if I was to choose when I was in middle school or high school I would not be where I am now. I feel I have a positive impact on my students and work to build esteem issues as much as possible. It is not the school which demoralizes students, it almost always begins at home. I was not educated enough, had not experienced enough to make life long decisions at that age. I do not feel we should expect our young persons to grow up even sooner than we do now. We can anrrow subjects a lot, that would be a benefit. Mr. Gardner's theroies are the most influencial theories I have studied and they are applied into every public school class I have observed.
re: Howard Gardner
I agree with Karen that the area of schooling in which we see the student applying self interest study and integrating subjects successfully is Home Schooling. After reading the points of Howard Gardner, I am encouraged to continue on with my 15 years of Home Schooling. The buy in of his method goes beyond the school staff and needs to be integrated by the parents of the student who must take ultimate responsibility for the education of their child. I tutor too many public school educated children who lack skills, indicating a gap of learning. What to do?
re: Howard Gardner
I have recently taken a class which focused heavily on Howard Gardner and his multiple intelligences theory. Thank you Mr. Gardner for all of your research. As an educator in Technology at a University, this research provides me with the knowledge that software and other forms of assessment are necessary in order to guide students in their understanding. My class taught me that formative assessment in varied ways will provide students different opportunity to "show" or demonstrate their understanding through the edit, revise, edit techniques available through different forms of web 2.0 tools as well as softwares. In my class, I find that software and web 2.0 tools provide a perfect outlet for a student that is a kinestic or visual learner. Choice of assessment by the student would be a perfect way to allow the student to truly use their skills knowledge and demonstrate their learning.
re: Howard Gardner
I have recently taken a class which focused heavily on Howard Gardner and his multiple intelligences theory. Thank you Mr. Gardner for all of your research. As an educator in Technology at a Univeristy, this research provides me with the knowledge that software and other forms of assessment are necessary in order to guide students in their understanding. My class taught me that formative assessment in varied ways will provide students different opportunity to "show" or demonstrate their understanding through the edit, revise, edit techniques available through different forms of web 2.0 tools as well as softwares. In my class, I find that software and web 2.0 tools provide a perfect outlet for a student that is a kinestic or visual learner. Choice of assessment by the student would be a perfect way to allow the student to truly use their skills knowledge and demonstrate their learning.
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