Howard Gardneris a developmental psychologist who suggested that people can be intelligent in more than one way.
When you hear the word intelligence, the concept ofIQ testingmay immediately come to mind.
For example, an individual might be strong in verbal, musical, and naturalistic intelligence.
Illustration by JR Bee, Verywell
Criticism of Multiple Intelligences
Gardners theory has come under criticism from both psychologists and educators.
Gardners theory also suffers from a lack of supporting empirical research.
The article also pointed to the lack of evidence supporting the theory.
Despite this, the theory of multiple intelligences enjoys considerable popularity with educators.
Many teachers utilize multiple intelligences in their teaching philosophies and work to integrate Gardners theory into the classroom.
This widespread belief is concerning, critics suggest, since it reduces efforts to find evidence-based teaching methods.
Gardner has cautioned that multiple intelligences should not be conflated withlearning styles.
Visual-Spatial Intelligence
People who are strong invisual-spatial intelligenceare good at visualizing things.
These individuals are often good with directions as well as maps, charts, videos, and pictures.
These individuals are typically very good at writing stories, memorizing information, and reading.
These individuals tend to think conceptually about numbers, relationships, and patterns.
People who are strong in this area tend to have excellent hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
They have a strong appreciation for music and are often good at musical composition and performance.
These individuals are skilled at assessing theemotions, motivations, desires, and intentions of those around them.
These individuals are said to be highly aware of even subtle changes to their environments.
He described existential intelligence as an ability to delve into deeper questions about life and existence.
Learning more about which types of intelligence you lean towards may help you learn to recognize your own preferences.
They may also prefer working alone instead of working in a group.
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The Washington Post.Howard Gardner: ‘Multiple intelligences’ are not ‘learning styles.’
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