Multiple Intelligences and Emotional Intelligence

- David Miller Sadker and Myra Pollack Sadker

In this reading, “Multiple Intelligences and

Emotional Intelligence,” Myra Sadker and David Sadker
explain Howard Gardner’s and Daniel Goleman’s recent
attempts to redefine and expand traditional concepts of
human intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, in order to
more accurately reflect the varying nature of human
capability. First, the authors summarize Gardner’s eight
categories of intelligence.
Addressing the difficult situation Haward Gardner
propounded eight types of intelligences and named them
as multiple intelligences. According to Gardner "The
capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are
valued in one or more cultural settings is known as
multiple intelligences which are: 1. Logical-mathematical:
it enables a person to make his career as a scientist or
mathematician. 2. Linguistic: it enables to be a poet,
journalist or author. 3. Bodily Kinesthetic: it enables a
person to be a dancer or a surgeon. 4. Musical: it enables
a person to be a musician or composer. 5. Spatial: it
enables a person to be a navigator, engineer or painter.
6. Interpersonal: it enables a person to be psychologist or
a teacher. 7. Intrapersonal: it enables a person to be self-
aware and 8. Naturalist: it enables a person to be botanist,
environmentalist, chef etc
The authors then introduce Goleman’s theory of
Emotional Intelligence as an indicator of people’s success
in life. This theory proposes that being able to measure
how well a person can reason and monitor their emotions
can provide another way of measuring intelligence.
Finally, the authors stress the fundamental ways in which
Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory and Goleman’s
concept of emotional intelligence may help to form
curriculum design, instruction, and assessment in the
classroom.
(Response)
I find the ideas of the different intelligences very
interesting and useful. I’m not very familiar with what IQ
tests actually evaluate, but I like Gardner’s descriptions of
different intelligences that people have. In the past, I
considered these to be more strengths or talents that
people had, so the concepts are not that new to me. For
example, it is obvious that some people are more gifted at
music or mathematical thinking or language use, three
categories of Gardner’s multiple intelligences. However,
to bring these ideas into the classroom and use them as
avenues for reaching more students and teaching general
curriculum is a great idea. I can imagine using teaching
methods to help students with these different intelligences
learn English. For example, I already consider how I
might plan activities which appeal to the strengths of an
auditory learner (one with intelligence in music) or a
kinesthetic learner (a learner with intelligence in spatial or
physical abilities). I disagree though, that people cannot
develop skills in these areas, but I suppose we can say that
some people have more “intelligence” in certain areas.
With regards to Goleman’s Emotional
Intelligence, I think that the article simplifies the concept,
so it doesn’t seem that different from Gardner’s inter and
intrapersonal intelligences, which distinguishes between a
person’s ability to understand others (inter) versus own
self (intra). Again, as an educator, it is interesting to
consider this concept in terms of better understanding
students and how they relate to me and the classroom.