Multiple Intelligence

Approximately, 1.5 year ago I started my journey as a Computer Science Teacher in Department of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi. The role change from a Software Developer to a teacher was huge for a person like me who has no training or knowledge of teaching children (though I have always thoroughly enjoyed teaching, informally).

When I started teaching, a few questions always came to my mind after taking classes: “Am I reaching every child in the class? If not, how can I do?”, “How can I make my class interesting for every student in the class?”, “Are my students really understanding the concepts deeply?” and many more like that.

After a few months, I heard the term “Multiple Intelligence” from my seniors. It was a new thing for me. Okay, I know “Artificial Intelligence” but what is “Multiple Intelligence”. The curiosity to understand it made me read a book “Developing Students’ Multiple Intelligences” by Kristen Nicholson-Nelson. Still, the book is in progress. This book introduced me to the multiple intelligence theory by Dr. Howard Gardner. Dr. Howard Gardner has classified intelligence in 8 categories: verbal-linguistic, math-logic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetics, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalists.

In my teaching experience, I have understood that each child is unique, complex and individualistic. But we have been assessing all of them through the same traditional paper and pencil test and the IQ test, which tests majorly the verbal-linguistics and math-logic intelligence only. When our students who are unique in their own way, they might be possessing different intelligences.

Do you know:

“Albert Einstein started speaking after age 4 and reading after he was 7.”

“Beethoven, the great music composer, his teacher said to him: “As a composer, he is hopeless!”

“Isaac Newton did badly in grade school.”

Everyone must have watched the famous movie “Taare Zameen Par”, our dear Ishaan Awasthi who is an eight-year-old kid hates school and learning and is belittled by his classmates and teachers. His talent of art and painting through which he can express all his learnings is ignored by all.

According to Gardner, teachers should be able to help students really understand the concept and skills they are learning. If a student is to understand deeply, he or she must immerse himself or herself in the concept. And here comes the role of a teacher to recognize the intelligences a student owns and discover different ways of personalizing instructions to help children make strong leaders, writers, thinkers, mathematicians, artists, musicians, scientists and what not.

 Looking forward to learn more about multiple intelligences and integrate it with my lesson plans.