Back in the middle of the twentieth century, the education system did not set the task of effective use of the potential of every student. Contrary, nowadays, it has practically become a goal for the entire world community. Moreover, the topic of the development of intelligence has attracted close attention not only directly from specialists in the field of education and psychology, but also such unexpected organizations as banks of economic development and even the governments (Shearer, 2018). In the field of psychology, intelligence studies are the basis for building an adequate system of education (Bordei, 2017). In this regard, the theory of multiple intelligences has become incredibly popular, in particular for explaining that human intelligence can develop in entirely various directions.
Description of the theory
According to the theory of multiple intelligences, a person does not have a single intellect, but several relatively independent abilities (Perveen, 2018). This theory claims that all people on the planet have eight models of intelligence, and they are developed in every person to varying degrees. These models together form an intelligence profile of a person. It is based on human genetics and experience, and each individual has a unique combination of all these models.
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Eight models of the theory include linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic ones (Shearer, 2018). A person has all kinds of intelligence, but only several of them can be leading (Shearer, 2018). Additionally, people can develop any model of intelligence in suitable conditions (Shearer, 2018).
Examples of how the theory impacts learning and memory processes
The approach of multiple intelligences has helped to uncover the problem of the educational system, which is based on the assessment of all students by one criterion (Perveen, 2018). As a result, the education system is more to blame for poor performance in educational institutions than the low ability of students. For successful learning, it is necessary to find an approach to each student, knowing about individual strengths and channels of perception of information (Perveen, 2018).
As a result, the theory of multiple intelligences insists that education should be flexible to the individual cognitive abilities of students. Vivid examples of the application of this theory are the Howard Gardner ’s projects named Spectrum and Atlas. In the Spectrum project, which started in 1984, researchers studied the mechanisms of obtaining information by children from 2 to 7 years old. They found out that during this period, the features of intelligence models in children begin to appear. The Atlas project began in 1992 and involved changing the usual ways of thinking, teaching, and evaluating students of teachers and school administrators.
Strengths and limitations of the theory
The theory of multiple intelligences has several strengths. Firstly, this theory brought a new understanding of the concept of intelligence and aroused new researches on this topic from a different angle. Secondly, it became the reason for the development of students with various types of intelligence, and the use of different approaches in learning (Perveen, 2018). The next strong point is the recognition of the versatility of human intelligence and its manifestations in all areas of knowledge, including music, science, physical education, art, and politics. The theory of multiple intelligences also introduced a democratic approach, since, from the moment of its discovery, the types of intelligence become equal in value (Perveen, 2018). Moreover, the theory is a huge opportunity to build a learning process that can be oriented towards different types of intelligence (Perveen, 2018).
Limitations of the theory are associated with its incompleteness and with the uncertainty of the boundaries of application (Bordei, 2017). For instance, it is not clear if new types of intelligence can be added to this theory and what manifestations of intelligence can be attributed to new types of the approach. Moreover, the theory does not explain how to call a person, who is a genius in one type of intelligence, but absolutely incompetent in another one. The next limitation is the impossibility to understand when it is appropriate to use this theory, and when it is better to use another theory of intelligence.
Summary and conclusion
As a conclusion, surveys of the multiple intelligences are of great importance for the development of the modern education system, psychology, and economics. The theory of multiple intelligences allows scientists to analyze intelligence at a new level, taking into account eight various intellectual models, which are present in all people to varying degrees. This theory is incomplete, but it shows that people cannot be evaluated equally because each individual has a unique intellectual profile. In this regard, theory of multiple intelligences requires further researches and proofs because it provides opportunities for unlocking the potential of each child and a qualitative restructuring of the education system.
References
Bordei, S. (2017). How Can One Possibly Determine the Multiple Intelligences?. Journal Plus Education , 18(2), 204–212.
Perveen, A. (2018). Facilitating Multiple Intelligences through Multimodal Learning Analytics . The Turkish Online Journal of Desistance Education , 19(1), 18–30. Retrieved from https://doaj.org/article/34158d4d5cbd4ff5a4ef0cadddb0d334
Shearer, B. (2018). Multiple Intelligences in Teaching and Education: Lessons Learned from Neuroscience. Journal of Intelligence , 6 (3), 1–8. doi:http://dx.doi.org.library.capella.edu/10.3390/jintelligence6030038
