Understanding Your Student's Learning Style: The Theory

of
Multiple Intelligences
By T r a c y O s t w a l d - K o w a l d

All children have unique learning styles. Students gain strong

Intrapersonal (Self Smart)
benefits when their teachers and learning coaches recognize their
Intrapersonal-intelligent people learn best by working
strengths and weaknesses as learners. Howard Gardner, a alone and setting individual goals. Intrapersonal
psychologist and professor of neuroscience at Harvard, developed learners are not necessarily shy; they are independent
one theory in 1983. Gardner defines “intelligence” not as an IQ but, and organized.

rather, as the skills that enable anyone to gain new knowledge and
solve problems. Interpersonal (People Smart)
Gardner proposed that there are several different types of Those who are people smart learn through relating to
intelligences, or learning styles. others by sharing, comparing, and cooperating.
Interpersonal learners can make excellent group
leaders and team players.

Verbal-Linguistic (Word Smart)

Combinations of the different types of intelligence abound. A
People who possess this learning style learn best through
hiker fascinated by birdsongs might have strong auditory-musical
reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Verbal
students absorb information by engaging with reading and naturalistic intelligences, supplemented by bodily-kinesthetic
materials and by discussing and debating ideas. intelligence. The neighbor skilled in solving puzzles and discerning
patterns may combine logical-mathematical intelligence with
Logical-Mathematical (Logic Smart) visual-spatial intelligence.
Those who exhibit this type of intelligence learn by
classifying, categorizing, and thinking abstractly All of these learning styles indicate different ways of interacting
about patterns, relationships, and numbers. with the world. Everyone has some degree of each, but each person
favors certain learning styles. This is significant because when your
Visual-Spatial (Picture Smart) child prefers one learning style over another, it affects his or her
These people learn best by drawing or visualizing things success.
using the mind’s eye. Visual people learn the most
from pictures, diagrams, and other visual aids.
Imagine that your child is tackling a written essay or report. Have
him or her consider different methods by taking advantage of his or
Naturalistic (Nature Smart) her strongest learning style:
Naturalistics learn by working with nature.
Naturalistic students enjoy learning about living things
Logical-Mathematical – Use a graphic organizer such as a web or
and natural events. They may excel in the sciences and
be very passionate about environmental issues. story map to categorize and organize thoughts before writing. An
outline is a written version of a graphic organizer. Visual-Spatial –
Draw or design the subject of the piece, and then write or create
Auditory-Musical (Music Smart)
the written draft. Details in the drawing will lead to details in the
Students who are music smart learn using rhythm or
writing.
melody, especially by singing or listening to music.
Auditory-Musical – Listen to background music to block out other
distracting sounds.

Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart)

Body-smart individuals learn best through touch and
movement. These people are best at processing
information through the body. Some- times kinesthetic
Fuente (rediseñada):
learners work best standing up and moving rather than
[Link] Your-
sitting still. [Link]
Octubre 2013
Howard Earl Gardner
F u e n t e (r e d i s e ñ a d a ) : [Link] g/wiki/Howar d_Gar dner Octubr e 2013

Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American

developmental psychologist, Professor of Cognition and Education
at the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University,
Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero and author of over twenty
books translated into thirty languages. Since 1995, he has been the
co-director of the Good Work Project. He is best known for his
theory of multiple intelligences, as outlined in his book Frames
of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983). He
received the Prince of Asturias Award 2011 in Social Sciences for
the development of this theory.

Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences states not only do human

beings have several different ways of learning and processing
information, but these methods are relatively independent of one
another: leading to multiple "intelligences" as opposed to a general
intelligence factor among correlated abilities. "If we synthesise
information from several disciplines, ranging from
anthropology to brain study, it emerges that human beings
are better described as having several relatively independent
information processing capacities, which I call the “multiple
intelligences”, Gardner said in an interview with Asia's leading
Education magazine Education Insider.

Since 1999, Gardner has identified eight intelligences: linguistic,

logic-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic,
interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Gardner is still
considering a ninth, existential intelligence (the posing and
pondering of "big questions"), but has not yet added it.