preferred+intelligences

To measure students preferred intelligences I use a survey that I first collected in a conference workshop run by Darrell Klindworth in about 1995, that he collected from a conference he'd been to the previous year run by Howard Gardner. I've modified it a little to reflect the move from 7 intelligences to 8, using information supplied by Gardner.



I've used this survey for many years with many students and it has proved itself highly reliable. I use it in conversations with students about how they might best approach a problem, how they may best form a collaborative team and to produce assignments with alternate parts to match different preferred intelligences. I now have an online version for my students to use set up in MS Excel (still a bit clunky - I hope to streamline some of the data collation and presentation in the future - but with my track record, don't hold your breath).

The use of this information allows me to ** give access to success for all ** my students.

I'll add some ideas of how to use this information to enhance student's engagement with learning and to improve their outcomes when I get a chance - hopefully soon (5/11/08 - just to embarass myself into making those notes! well it's 11/12/09 and I've finally got back to this. My only excuse is that I'm a digital immigrant with two active sons who play a lot sport and music)

__Introduction __  Much has been written by Howard Gardner and about Howard Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences. A quick search on [|www.google.com] will give you a cornucopia of material to consider – some reliable, much not!

I’m not interested in arguing about the value of multiple intelligences (MI) versus intelligence quotient (IQ). However, I prefer to use MI with students because it takes a philosophical position that all students are intelligent and therefore capable of success. Each student is different and a unique individual with their own unique needs as a learner. If you respect your students, then you must respect this aspect of them also and attempt to address their needs in your teaching.

I do not tolerate the words stupid or dumb in my class; either used about oneself or about someone else. In my conversations about using this information I stress this point – we are all smart. We all bring something of value to any task we attempt. Sadly, by the time we see students in secondary schools some have had so many negative experiences of schooling, that it takes a lot of work to build confidence and create a new sense of self belief.

__The Intelligences __  Gardner has developed eight intelligences. He also works at sub-intelligence level, suggesting that students display different aspects of each of the intelligences and of course he works with the interesting combinations of intelligences.

Two of the intelligences have always had an advantage in a traditional classroom and continue to in non-traditional settings, simply because of the way our culture deals with information. They are the Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical intelligences. Students who display linguistic or word intelligence display an ease in producing language and a sensitivity to the nuances, order and rhythm of words. Students who exhibit strengths in word intelligence usually enjoy and may be good at reading, writing and telling stories, explaining things verbally and playing word games and puzzles. Students who prefer logical-mathematical or logic and maths intelligence display ease with inductive and deductive reasoning and recognizing and using symbols, logic, patterns and relationships. Students with strengths in Logic and Maths intelligence usually enjoy and may show competency in maths, problem solving and reasoning, and often ask logical questions. They enjoy ordering objects, categorizing, calculating, experimenting, stating hypotheses and inferring consequences, conducting research, analyzing findings and developing logical arguments.

While these two intelligences are at most advantage in our culture and in our classrooms, they also tend to occur at the lowest incidence amongst the students I have tested. I have been conducting these tests since 1997, in two quite different co-educational independent schools that have non-selective open entry. In both schools, only a low percentage of students showed one of these intelligences and an even lower percentage displayed preference for both. This has major repercussions for teaching and learning that relies on these two intelligences.

A preference for musical intelligence is often found in combination with either word of logic and math intelligence. It has been my experience that students who learn music naturally, by ear, tend to combine music with word intelligence and students who learn musically traditionally from sheet music tend to combine music with logic and math intelligence. Students who display musical intelligence display sensitivity to the pitch, timbre, timing and rhythm of sounds. Students with strengths in Music intelligence enjoy and may be good at remembering melodies, singing, playing musical instruments or creating music.

The next three intelligences often make interesting combinations depending on students personal interests. They are Spatial (Space and Vision), Bodily-Kineasthetic (Body) and Naturalist (Nature) intelligences. A student with a preference for space and vision displays the ability to visualize and create visual representations of the world and manipulate spatial relationships. This intelligence enables individuals to orient themselves and make their way readily in an unfamiliar environment. Students with strengths in Space and Vision intelligence usually enjoy and may be good at art and design, map work, interior design, photography and making creative posters and charts. Students who display Body intelligence skilfully use their body to perform sequences of movement, communicate ideas and emotions and solve problems. Students with strengths in Body intelligence usually enjoy and may be good at sport, gymnastics, dance or drama. Students with Nature intelligence show expertise recognizing and classifying natural objects such as plants and animals. They are sensitive to the natural environment and respond to their environment. They prefer to work with animals and plants in natural settings.

The last two intelligences are an interesting pair related to one’s emotional preferences for introspection versus extroversion, but are not necessarily indicative of the emotional state. Often students will show a complete polarity in their responses to these intelligences or they will show a preference for both. They are Inter-personal (People) and Intra-personal (Self). People intelligence refers to the ability to understand and empathise with people’s behaviour and to use these understandings to interact, work with, lead and manage others. Students with strengths in People intelligence tend to enjoy working with others and may be good at leadership, organizational skills, communication, performing in front of others, negotiating and caring about others. Self intelligence involves the ability to be aware of and understand one’s own feelings, strengths, weaknesses and overall behaviour. Students with strengths in Self intelligence tend to reflect a lot on their own learning, feelings and behaviours. They may be good at goal setting and enjoy activities which further their understanding of themselves as individuals.

__Using the information __  Having worked with one’s students to collect this information, it is important to explain to them what it means and to make use of it when planning student work. There are two main areas we can use this information to enhance student learning. The first may be the most significant.

If few of your students show a preference for word and logic and maths, then you have two responses. First, you need to attempt to recreate your teaching sequence and their learning activities so that you offer alternative pathways to success. This is not easy. Second, you need to help your students improve their word and logic and math intelligences. While these may not be their first and second preferences, most students will show them as intelligences in which they have some ability. These students have been improving these skills through years of primary and secondary schooling. The students most at risk are those who display these intelligences as their weakest. My experience, so far, is that they will be on the purple pages. They have been struggling with this problem since they started school and progress has been slow. They will have done badly on the entrance testing – because they require word and logic and math intelligence to complete these tests successfully.

You will already have support for these students. Adapt your teaching strategies for these students and change their learning activities. Create tasks that allow these students to show you what they learnt. I believe it is my role to assist them to achieve success so that they can gain confidence and further develop their ability. If you assist them to achieve success, often, then they will grow in confidence and self belief. It requires a great deal of patience and often a lot of extra work from the teacher. However, Support Services are there to assist and in my experience, they do a lot to help.

The second common way to use this information is when you create groups, especially for extended complex tasks. Think about the skills required to successfully complete the task you have created. Can you put together a team of students who have the range of intelligence preferences to meet all the skill challenges of your task? Putting the groups together and then supporting them as they learn about each other’s strengths and what each brings to the task can create a much more successful outcome for each child.

I have found that over time, when working this way with students, it becomes a student generated activity. If you set the task, discuss with them which intelligences will be beneficial in successfully completing the task and then ask them to put together their own team, the students are quite capable of achieving successful working teams. It takes patience and a lot of honest, constructive advice over a long period of time, but it can happen. Then you have successfully created independent learners who know their own strengths and weaknesses and act on the basis of that self knowledge.