Intelligence, talent and learning styles

Howard Gardner argues that intelligence is a multi-dimensional concept. Humans have a variety of specialized and partly independent intelligence. According to Gardner, intelligence is a biopsychological information processing ability, which is also influenced by culturally learned practices and values. The types of intelligence are: linguistic (comprehension and self-expression), mathematical-logical (problem-solving and coherent reasoning), musical, physical, spatial and visual (perceive spaces, directional, easily understand essential features of objects), intrapsychic (ability to understand own weaknesses and strengths) and interpsychic (the ability to get along with others and understand them). Gardner's listing has been criticized because those kinds of intelligence are mainly based on intuition. It has been argued that intelligence could be regrouped and named in so many different ways and that Gardner’s list is lacking potential intelligence such as philosophical and abstract thinking (Waterhouse 2006). According to Kendra (2019), Gardner's merit is that he has diversified the image of intelligence. Indeed, many teachers are fascinated by Gardner's theory of intelligence and applied thinking in their teaching.

Gardner's intelligence rating is easily transformed into a variety of talents. Talent is, to some extent, a problematic concept, as lack of talent may be seen as stupidity or inadequacy, and may lead to an unwillingness to put the effort in learning. According to Wikipedia, “Talent makes children avoid challenges and fear mistakes. The hard work required for success is perceived as a threat to self-esteem. Instead of tackling the challenges, believing in talent as a success factor will cause the child to lose self-confidence and motivation. ”

Given that people have different intelligence and talents, it's no wonder that people also learn things in many different ways. These are called learning styles. According to Wikipedia, learning styles have a big role in education. According to Wikipedia, "Learning style is the general, unconscious tendency of an individual to use certain learning strategies or learning methods." Usually, these different styles are explored through surveys. Learning styles have been modeled in many different ways. The Wikipedia article takes a very critical look at the scientific rationale behind different learning styles and states that the various commercial test-takers benefit most from this discussion. However, teachers have a strong belief in learning styles. Some models of learning styles are based on the idea of biology, while others think that learning ability is a culturally transformative asset. There are about 80 widely known learning style models. The most famous of these are listed in the figure below:



Cherry, Kendra (2019): “Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences”, 17.7.2019, veryWellMind-blog, https://www.verywellmind.com/gardners-theory-of-multiple-intelligences-2795161

Gardner, Howard (1983): "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences," New York, NY: Basic Books

Waterhouse, Lynn. (2006). Multiple Intelligences, the Mozart Effect, and Emotional Intelligence: A critical review. Educational Psychologist, 41(4), Fall 2006, pp. 207–225

Kommentit

  1. Hei Hanna!

    Olet tehnyt hyvää ja vähän ylimääräistäkin pohdiskelua oppimispäiväkirjaasi. Gardner ja oppimistyylit ovat hyvä lisä näihin pohdintoihin.

    Opiskeluiloa!

    trv. Orvokki J-P

    VastaaPoista

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