A square peg in a square hole
Howard Gardner’s theory and research on Multiple Intelligences (MI) is changing the landscape of education. While there is a lot of unfortunate misunderstanding about the theory—and worse, some loopy attempts at educational application—the theory holds much promise for effective learning. One source for sound application of the theory can be found in the work of differentiated instruction at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s WIDE World training program for teachers and educators. Highly recommended.
One common misunderstanding I see often is the notion that Multiple Intelligences are a “liability” when in fact, our MIs are assets—we each have all of the intelligences, though we tend naturally to have a predilection for some over others. Just because we favor one over others does not mean that we cannot learn through those that are underdeveloped or that we don’t “like” as much. One misapplication then is the tendency to believe that one needs to hit all of the intelligences in one lesson or for every subject.
One key, then, is to work on developing those intelligence that we do not favor. Just for fun, you can test your facility in one of your inherent multiple intelligences below. Develop your spatial intelligence by playing this game:
I made it to level 17. How far can you go?
Date posted: Monday, July 9th, 2007 12:25 am | Under category: games, teaching
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In terms of leadership I often think there are a couple of complementary ways to approach growth: to become ever clearer on who you are, fundamentally, and to work on expanding your repertoire. Sounds like the same is true of learning.
A facet of effective leadership I’ve witnessed over the years involves a leader’s capacity to know his or her own strengths, and to play toward them. While at the same time, recognizing one’s deficits and challenges. The most effective leaders I’ve known were able to own up to their deficits and then surround themselves with others who would complement or compensate for them.
And they were up front about it. Often I’ve heard them respond to the question, “What makes you a good leader?” by saying, “I surround myself with smart, talented people.”
I think that stance is a sign of differentiation and maturity. A good leader is not threatened when others excel at their gifts and contribute to the success of the system.