Howard Gardner and Educational Theory Research

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences is perhaps the most discussed theory in educational sphere today. In his 1983 book, Frames of Mind, Gardner’ theory was presented in the book Frames of Mind, where the outline of seven different areas of intelligence that humans display strengths in: verbal/linguistic; logical-mathematical; spatial; bodily-kinesthetic; musical; interpersonal; and intrapersonal. Gardner asserts that the areas identified by him provide a far more errorless picture of human capacity. Each of these areas listed above has its own developmental sequence. For instance, the earliest form of giftedness is musical intelligence (Mozart could play the piano at age three, and was composing by five). Interestingly, such areas as interpersonal or intrapersonal necessitate all-around human experience and interaction, otherwise they will not become fully developed. Gardner’s supposition is that human intelligence is a far more intricate structure than the verbal/math division, and comes to the conclusion that there is more at work in the human brain than it was previously thought. Thus, spatial intelligence explains how some people (for example, architects, sculptors) are able to think in three dimensions, people who apparently can view the object from all angles inside their minds. Gardner’s theory is also cautious to avoid language heavy with meaning. According to Gardner’s Theory, these areas are intrinsically value-free.