While traditional IQ testing, IQ scores, and IQ assessments have been the standard measures of intelligence and intellectual capacity for many decades, Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences is crucially different from them.

Gardner, a renowned psychologist, proposed his theory of how every child possesses unique intelligence that cannot be assessed by traditional tests of intelligence. He proposes nine types of intelligence, which are:

  1. Visual-spatial intelligence

  2. Linguistic and verbal intelligence

  3. Logical and mathematical intelligence

  4. Bodily kinaesthetic intelligence

  5. Musical intelligence

  6. Interpersonal intelligence

  7. Intrapersonal intelligence

  8. Naturalistic intelligence

  9. Existential intelligence

This theory helps schools recognize and celebrate each student for his/her own type of abilities and intelligence. For example, a fish cannot be assessed for how fast it can climb a tree, or a frog cannot be assessed for how high it can fly; this knowledge helps teachers and education leaders to teach and assess in multiple ways which may enable more children to learn better.

For example, some children, who may possess stronger musical intelligence, will innately learn concepts better through rhymes and music. A child with bodily kinaesthetic intelligence will learn better through movement. A child with greater interpersonal intelligence will learn better through communication and collaboration.

When we understand that each child is unique, not just in his/her abilities, but also in how they learn best, we create more effective pedagogies and lesson plans which allow for the entire classroom to thrive and excel. This also indicates that our classroom assessments need to be innovatively designed, where we shift away from generic paper and pencil tests, to more types of internal assessments.

Director Dr. Jinal Joshi- Department of International Relations by SVKM , Head of Communications and skill development KSV Kadi Gandhinagar

A classroom that integrates such unique theories into its teaching style is certain to see a significant improvement in how well the children acquire new knowledge and how well they perform as compared to their peers in other schools.

Dr. Jinal Joshi