seven Kind of smarts!

The theory of multiple intelligences was proposed by Howard Gardner and has been developed by him for 15 years. He proposed this radical new theory because he felt that the old definition of intelligence, or schoolhouse giftedness, was inadequate. The old definition focused too much on linguistic and logical thinking. Though those ways of thinking were important, it left other kinds of intelligence, like a musician’s intelligence in music, out in the cold. Gardner believed that rather than two ways of thinking, or ways to be smart, there were seven. This led to his theory of multiple intelligences.

Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences states that rather than two ways to be smart, there are seven. The seven ways to be smart, according to Gardner are:

	Linguistic Intelligence sensitivity to the sounds, rhythms, and meanings of words sensitivity to the different functions of language Favourite Activities: writing and reading, listening and speaking Professions: poet, journalist
	Musical Intelligence abilities to produce and appreciate rhythm, pitch, and timber appreciation of the forms of musical expressiveness Favourite Activities: play and listen to music Professions: composer, instrumentalist
	Logic-mathematical Intelligence sensitivity to, and capacity to discern, logical or numerical patterns ability to handle long chains of reasoning Favourite Activities: putting things in order, solving of logical problems, programming a computer Professions: mathematician, scientist
	Spatial Intelligence capacity to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately capacity to perform transformations on one's initial perceptions Favourite Activities: drawing, taking things apart, playing of games Professions: navigator, sculptor
	Bodily-kinaesthetic Intelligence abilities to control one's body movements ability to handle objects skilfully Favourite Activities: dancing, acting, doing crafts (e.g. carving, sewing) Professions: dancer, athlete
	Intrapersonal Intelligence access to one's own feelings and ability to discriminate among them and draw upon them to guide behaviour knowledge of one's own strengths, weaknesses, desires, and intelligences Favourite Activities: dreaming, thinking about thinking (metacognition) Profession: - (accurate, detailed self knowledge)
	Interpersonal Intelligence capacity to discern and respond appropriately to the moods, temperaments, motivations, and desires of other people Favourite Activities: understanding and influencing other people Professions: therapist, salesman
	Naturalistic Intelligence ability to recognize and classify minerals, plants, and animals Favourite Activities: observing and experiencing nature, gardening, cooking Professions: biologist, zoologist