When one thinks of Howard Earl Gardner, all one sees is psychology and education, which are two dominant fields in the United States of America. Deeply looking at his history, he was an American article writer who was born in the year 1943. He is one of the most critical thinkers in the field of developmental psychology and the current senior director of Harvard Project Zero since the year 1995. The main thing that made him famous all over the world is the fact that he was the one who invented the theory of multiple intelligences ( Anderson, 2017). His theory was formed from the belief that the conventional concept that was used to measure the intelligence was too narrow and that it never covered all the other areas. He developed the belief that the measures of the IQ were in most instances missed out on the other forms of intelligence that the person might possess (Rubenfeld, & Scheffer, 2010). The theory was well developed and outlined in his book that was titled the “Frames of Mind” which was published in 1983. It was also in the same book that he used that chance to outline both the theory as well as the major types of intelligence. The primary purpose of the theory was to provide teachers as well as other educators to explore new and improved ways of exploring different bits of intelligence.
Importance of Understanding Multiple Intelligences
Taking a critical look at the past, one was only aware of one style of teaching. People were only writing about the different types of learning skills which only revolved around one theory. This single theory claimed that teaching should be only done based on how the students prefer to learn or even how they learn best. However, that theory did not last for long until Gardner came and changed everything with another theory that despite sounding familiar was aimed with a different objective. The theory now introduced other different opinions on how human smartness should be viewed. In other words, the theory was saying that people should view many other forms of aptitude that have been left out as intelligence. On the same hand, providing teaching through recognizing a person's core strengths and weaknesses (Sheahan, While, & Bloomfield, 2015). That fact alone serves as the major importance of understanding “multiple intelligences." At this point of view, one can see the fact that through exploring the behaviors of the students in different ways, one will be able to value the qualities that different students may be having and teach them in accordance to them. This theory not only applies to teachers and students but also to the nurses who should learn how to use different ways of exploring their patients in order to be able to learn their qualities and provide care that relates to them as well.
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Four types of Intelligences from Gardner’s List
The numbers of the different types of intelligence that have been outlined are a total of nine types of intelligence, but this essay will only mention four of the major ones. These four types include Naturalist (nature smart), Interpersonal Intelligence, Logical-mathematical (number/reasoning smart), and Existential (life smart) type of intelligence. All these four types of intelligence are meant to explore and understand every person differently to learn their personality ( Anderson, 2017). However, on the other hand, nurses will use them to learn how each patient is responding to medication as well as prescribing the best treatment method for them.
Starting with Naturalist Intelligence, it is the type of intelligence that is known for designating the ability of human beings to discriminate among other living things. These living things include things such as plants and animals in addition to the sensitivity of other natural features such as rocks and clouds. This type falls under the category of those people who are very choosy even as per today in regards to things like cars, kind of makeup and sneaker/shoes. An example is that of a patient who was found to possess the Naturalist Intelligence. The patient was seen to be so attached to his car than anything else hence developed depression when his car was stolen (Sheahan, While, & Bloomfield, 2015). The other type of intelligence that is worth noting is the Interpersonal Intelligence, which is all about the ability that humans possess to understand and interact with other living things effectively. This kind of intelligence involves how the usage of verbal and non-verbal communication has been utilized effectively throughout the interaction process. As a social worker, a nurse might use this type of intelligence to understand their patient’s relationship with family members and friends.
Positive or Negative Impact of Using Multiple Intelligences When Mentoring Nurses
One has to consider in simple terms what the theory dictates to understand the impacts of a theory better. Therefore, the theory states that each person has their style of learning, which is far different from what the other one uses as well as the different intelligences they employ throughout their day. It means that the nursing world has been impacted positively by this theory of multiple intelligences where they are now being taught in ways that they individually understand. Teachers in learning institutions are now using multimedia in order to make work easier and prove that nurses have embraced the theory. This style has been seen to be more successful and even reliable (Rubenfeld, & Scheffer, 2010). This multimedia includes techniques such as visuals, sounds, motion and color in order to make learning easier and fascinating. For instance, personally, the usage of visualizers has been well developed through the usage of animations to provide teaching to nurses and patients.
How to Improve the Mentoring/Learning Process Using the Concepts of Multiple Intelligences?
For example, in classrooms, teachers have now positively employed Gardner’s theory into use. Theorists and healthcare providers in all parts of the world have embraced to solve various problems that affect schooling and many other aspects. The embracement has now been taken to the next level where even the structure is now being designed following Gardner’s theory and to reflect what he was trying to communicate (Sheahan, While, & Bloomfield, 2015). One of the ways to improve the learning process using the concepts of multiple intelligences is through the usage of multimedia like sound and visualizers. Through this and many more, the teachers will not only improve the learning process but also their understanding of all the students in a unique and different way.
Conclusion
Gardner has indeed moved the education system from the traditional visually based methods to the modern way of teaching. His efforts have served as a great opportunity not only to the teachers but also to nurses where they will now be able to reach more students and patients and provide effective services. This will help the educators to properly understand their students and find them more productive since they will now be able to understand their strength and weaknesses ( Smith, 2002). Finally, the recommendation that can be laid out to the educational administrators is for them to take the available chances of noticing and employing new and improved techniques that can successfully be related to Gardner’s theory.
References
Anderson, B. (2017). Using Dr. Howard Gardner's Theory of multiple intelligences to connect 4th-8th grade students to nature (Capstone Projects). Hamline University, Minnesota, USA.
Rubenfeld, G., & Scheffer, B. (2010). Critical thinking tactics for nurses: Achieving the IOM competencies. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sheahan, L., While, A., & Bloomfield, J. (2015). An exploratory trial exploring the use of a multiple intelligences teaching approach (MITA) for teaching clinical skills to first year undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Education Today, 35 (12), 1148-1154.
Smith, M. K. (2002). Howard Gardner and multiple intelligences. The Encyclopedia of Informal Education, 15, 2012.
