Multiple Intelligences
8 kinds of smart at The Capitol School
based on the work of Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard University
VIDEO: “Multiple Intelligences: The First 25 years”
presented by Howard Gardner
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, 1983, Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice, 1993, and Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century, 1999.
All humans have a range of intelligences: we differ only in how easily and how swiftly particular intelligences develop.
Dr Gardner visits The Capitol School
View the VIDEO: Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences
Our faculty tries to identify a child’s strengths as well as weaknesses. We can all become more intelligent in an area if we have opportunities for learning and growth. It is our goal to move away from whole-group instruction toward small-group and individualized instruction. Over the past 16 years, we have not found grade-level to be a useful method of organizing student groups so we developed multi-age “clusters” of students with an age range of 3-4 years. However, we do use Alabama’s grade-level objectives for reporting to parents and other schools.
Musical IntelligenceRecognition of tonal patterns, rhythms, and beats as well as sensitivity to sound can be enhanced through listening, writing, performing & enjoying music. Our goals are for children to create melodies and rhythms and understand the structure of music.
People who display this intelligence:
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an Austrian musician, composed 600+ diverse, magnificent works in every form until his death in 1787.
- Two Alabama singers have won American Idol competitions: Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks have recorded popular CDs sold around the world.
Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence
Encompasses written and spoken language. Our school program is offered in English with additional daily Spanish and German lessons. Our goals are for children to analyze and use syntax, grammar and understand the meaning of words.
Persons who display this intelligence:
- Abraham Lincoln wrote speeches that defined American history 146 years ago.
- Maya Angelou writes poems and stories that communicate in our time.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Involves numbers and abstract patterns using both inductive and deductive reasoning. Our goals are for students to be able to reason scientifically and solve problems in the natural world as well as abstract ones.
Persons who display this intelligence:
- Dr. Albert Einstein discovered scientific relationships of matter including the theory of relativity in 1916.
- Dr. Stephen Hawking, British theoretical physicist at Cambridge University, created an explanation of the universe. He wrote A Brief History of Time.
Visual/Spatial Intelligence- Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist who painted from 1894 until 1971, advanced the modern art movement by co-founding the Cubist Movement
- Maria Martinez, Pueblo Indian potter, was famous for creating “black pottery”
- I. M. Pei, architect, integrated modern architecture with historic buildings such as the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Focuses on self-reflection and understanding oneself. Our goal is to help students understand self in relationship with others and to identify his/her learning style. When a student is able to recognize his/her strengths and weakness, the next step is to set goals and learn coping and adapting skills.
Persons who display this intelligence:
- Dr. Maria Montessori, Italian medical doctor, created learning materials and methods that helped individualize learning and teaching.
- Loris Malaguzzi founded Infant and Preschool programs in Reggio Emilia, Italy named “best in the world” by NEWSWEEK magazine in 1991. He wrote The Hundred Languages of Children.
- Dr. E. Paul Torrance created the first test of creativity for elementary age children. As a pioneer in the field of gifted and talented education, he encouraged choice and active involvement of students in their learning.
Interpersonal Intelligence
Operates through person-to person communication in friendships and relationships. Our goal is to help students see things from others’ perspectives and to learn to cooperate within a group.
Persons who display this intelligence:
- President Jimmy Carter mediated meetings between Egypt and Israel that resulted in a peace agreement.
- Eleanor Roosevelt advocated social reforms that helped the disadvantaged.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Involves physical movement and the wisdom of the body. The body and mind continue to learn more and improve performance as we practice skills in movement or sports.
Persons who display this intelligence:
- Marcel Marceau, French mime, used his body to communicate without words.
- Dr. Christian Bernard developed methods of open-heart surgery.
- Michael Phelps won 8 Olympic gold medals as evidence of his swimming skills.
Naturalist Intelligence
Describes a core ability to recognize and organize or classify parts of the natural environment. Our goals are to help students observe and understand patterns in nature as well as classify plants and animals.
People who exhibit this intelligence and display an outstanding knowledge of the living world include:
- John James Audubon recorded, drew, and categorized American birds in Birds of America in 1838.
- Charles Darwin, a British botanist, classified fossils and species in the Galapagos Islands and developed the theory of evolution in 1859.
- Dr. E. O. Wilson earned his B.S. and M.S. in Biology from the University of Alabama. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard where he is a Curator Professor. Dr. Wilson studies species of ants for half a century and won two Pulitizer Prizes for his books, On Human Nature in 1979 and The Ants in 1990.
