Wednesday 21 January 2009

Multiple Intelligences

Ever wondered how intelligent you were? The old way of measuring intelligence, the IQ test, is no longer adequate as a way of measuring a person's true capacities. So much work has been done on the way the brain works that we now realise more sophisticated ways of assessing a person's strengths, their multiple intelligences, are needed. Howard Gardner is someone who has done a lot of the research in this area. This web site, created by the Birmingham Grid for Learning, uses Gardner's concept of multiple intelligences to provoke discussion about learning and teaching. There is even an online test if you're curious about your own intelligences. Any discussion of creative learning must take into account the variety of intelligences that everyone possesses, the assumption being that everyone is good at something. 

This raises the question about the role of the teacher in helping young people to identify their particular strengths and weaknesses but not only in terms of their academic (IQ) ability. On a recent trip to a school in Denmark I spoke to a headteacher who had a very clear view about disruption in the classroom. She said that, in her opinion, a disruptive child is often one whose teacher has not found a way to engage him/her successfully in learning through a detailed knowledge of their preferred learning styles. In other words, the disruption is a symptom of disengagement with the curriculum, a situation for which the student and teacher are jointly responsible.  This is definitely food for thought.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahhh awsome website here are my results!.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukv1290/3215421271/

Tom

Jon said...

That's really interesting. Do you feel that it adequately represents your various intelligences? From what I know about you, I would say that it does in terms of your interpersonal skills (very good), kinaesthetic (active) and visual (creative) abilities. Cool. Does having this evidence, so to speak, make you feel any differently about your own intelligence?

Amber Rowe said...

I like the simple layout explaining each of them on the homepage.
My results confused me, not at all what I would have expected I'm not convinced. But Tom I think yours are pretty good.
But thinking about it, the way I learn in school (or try to) and then during everyday life (without trying) is very different . So maybe the results are right, but I would have guessed differently.

Anonymous said...

@Jon - I would say that the results are fairly correct I have been told that I am a good listener which is shown in the results as my best part... I have also been told that I do not talk very positively about my self which I guess explanes the low interpersonal skills! I would deffo agree that this is better then the standard IQ test!

Jon said...

My results tend to demonstrate that I am a self-obsessed musician who couldn't find his way out of a paper bag!

Soren Hawes said...

I might give this a go, but maybe when I'm feeling more rested! It's not that I'm being competitive but ...

As I have often said it's well worth looking to a Dane when in search of wisdom. I think that teachers are often people that have found it easy to learn, and as a result think that their way of learning (because it was successful for them) is the most effective way for everyone. Maybe we need to think about something that we found hard and think about why we struggled with it. It could be a good reason to encourage people to experience teaching outside of their specialism - you'd have to start by acquiring some of the knowledge yourself and that might put you in a better position to empathise with the learner. I'm not suggesting that there are not huge benefits in having well qualified specialists in love with their subject, but that unfamiliarity and uncertainty might have occasional benefits. that said, I'm not sure how students might respond to me teaching singing.

It might also be another good reason to get students to do more teaching and sharing of expertise.

Soren Hawes

Me said...

well i got my result and it seems pretty good but some of my results i disagree with.
to check my results here's the code:
ws2y083819

if you can't see it let me know and i will email you a copy!

Jon said...

I would pay good money to see Mr Hawes teaching singing!

Anonymous said...

@ Jon - As would I !

@ Billy - Just had a look at your results I dont know you academicaly so I could not comment on that but I would say that I deffo agree with the interpersonal skills and no supprise by the visual skills!

@Amber - Lets have a look at yours! :)

This has had a lot of interest! I think it would be quite interesting to get other students at Tallis taking this test??

Tom

Me said...

(Mr Hawes) you better have some good songs in mind.

Me said...

(Mr Hawes) This song's quite relevant.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=w1h_5lR337Q

Anonymous said...

@ Billy that is so catchy lol

@ All - Here is what my dad got in the test... quite interesting again he used to work in a photography lab (basically processing images but professionally) now he works in a bank... I assume what we do as a job and our interests at school have a huge! influnce in this result

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukv1290/3216576378/

Soren Hawes said...

Before I take the test can I just check to see if it is possible to get a minus score on music smart.

Anonymous said...

i had a go and i agree with my results but that doesn't mean i like them lol
here is my code h2zs0k89281n or here's the link
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-canon/3222896140/

Seb

Anonymous said...

@Seb - Interesting Seb!. I would deffo agree with the Musical part I think the intrapersonal should be a bit higher as should the Interpersonal. Knowing you quite well I dont agree with the Lingustic or Visual score tho....

Anonymous said...

haha thanks but i think the linguistic is true lol
and the rest of it