A question of intelligence

If you are blessed with a high IQ, a lot of people might think that you are smarter than the average Joe. But for the past 22 years, Dr Howard Gardner, Harvard professor of education and guru to thousands, has been busy debunking this notion with his famous theory of “multiple intelligences”.

On a recent visit to Bangkok, at the invitation of the CP Group and Concordian International School, Dr Gardner spoke to learning post about his work and how his ideas might be used to broaden the scope of education.

The concept of multiple intelligences evolved back in the early-1980s when Gardner, who is a trained psychologist, began questioning the validity of IQ tests and the way they were being so rigidly applied.

“The IQ is really a measure of scholastics,” says Gardner. “That means it’s a measure of how easy a certain kind of school will be for you. My theory is very different. It says that there isn’t one intelligence but a number of intelligences. And it takes no position on how much of it is heritable and how much is down to student experience. In fact, the theory is based heavily on biological evidence, especially on how the brain has developed over millions of years.”

The misconception that a high IQ naturally equates to “smartness” is all around us. A person who comes out on top in IQ tests, for instance, might be astute at remembering facts and unravelling complex problems but may lack interpersonal skills; think of your clever boss who rubs everyone up the wrong way through a simple miscommunication.

Gardner believes that our abilities and skills are dependent on not one but a whole range of independent processes working inside our complex brains. It is as if there are a number of separate computers all specialising in different disciplines whether they be logical, creative or physical.

“We all have these intelligences,” says Gardner. “My point is that at any one time, you have a profile. For example, if you are not very musical but you decide to work with music a great deal, your music will get better. If you have a lot of musical potential but you never listen to music or play an instrument, it’s going to decline. All the intelligences can be changed if you work at it.”

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

During the course of his research at Harvard University, Gardner has identified eight different kinds of intelligence (see box). Each of these intelligences can influence our ability to, say, play a musical instrument or solve a mathematical problem. Naturally, we all have strengths in some intelligences and weaknesses in others. It is rare for someone to be totally strong or weak in all the intelligences.

Importantly, Gardner and his research colleagues believe it is possible to enhance any of these intelligences providing the right approach is adopted. That isn’t to say we can all become superb mathematicians or virtuoso piano players but it is certainly feasible for just about anyone to become competent or better in these disciplines.

From an early age, we are often labelled as being good at some things and bad at others. The problem in society, argues Gardner, is that we place too much value on the academic disciplines at the expense of talents and achievements in other areas of skill. So success at school is essentially contingent upon a student’s ability to pass exams. Other achievements such as playing a sport for the school or performing in a play are acknowledged at the time but are then largely forgotten and rarely recognised in any kind of official way.

The upshot of all this, of course, is that teachers spend more time on improving intelligences that are seen as “important”. In today’s national system that means memorising facts and figures, giving the correct answers and ticking the right boxes. All this has to change, says Gardner, if schools are to be relevant and do what they set out to do effectively.

So how can this be achieved? With enough will and a set of good teachers, Gardner suggests that a child’s education can be transformed. But the practical application of his theory should be down to educators to decide.

“Multiple intelligence is not an educational end,” says Gardner. “It is more useful as an educational means to a publicly stated goal. Everyone who is a human being has these intelligences. No two people have exactly the same profile of intelligences but they are not fixed in stone. So we can either ignore these profiles or take them seriously.”

A JAGGED PROFILE

According to multiple intelligences theory, a person’s intelligence profile can be dependent on a number of factors. Strengths in specific intelligences, such as having an artistic eye or strong physical co-ordination, can be passed down from the parents. But they can also be nurtured over time to a point where a person can excel at something.

The big question this poses for parents is whether or not to expose their children to experiences that will enhance all the intelligences, strengthen the weaker ones or focus on improving the areas where the child is already strong.

“In general, my philosophy would be that when a child is young, [during] the first 10 years of life, you should keep exposing them to things that they might not have such an aptitude for,” says Gardner. “As children get older, it probably makes sense to focus where they’re already strong because that’s where they are likely to take up a career and also where they will get most pleasure.”

But Gardner warns parents against narcissism. Forcing your child to be strong in one intelligence can have a negative impact, he suggests, as can forcing your child to avoid working with their strengths in order to concentrate on more traditional disciplines. It’s more about getting the balance right through intuition as well as taking into account what society demands.

Ever since multiple intelligences theory first entered global consciousness, it has triggered wide-reaching research and has evolved into a complex discipline in its own right. It has also provoked vigorous debate and, while many embrace the theory, critics say it too subjective. Gardner, however, rebuts this criticism.

“My book Frames of Mind was based on hundreds and hundreds of studies,” he says. “It’s my synthesis. On the one hand, it’s subjective because I’m the one who put it together. On the other hand, I don’t make up the data. If people don’t like the way I put the data together, then they are challenged to put it together in a different way.”

As further research continues to back up multiple intelligences theory, Gardner’s work is breaking new ground in countries from the UK to the Philippines. All over the globe, multiple intelligence schools and tutors are blazing a trail that is inspiring others, leaving traditional institutions and those reluctant to change floundering in their wake. If Thailand is genuinely serious about educational reform, the education ministry should take note.

Read our other cover stories here.