Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice Reprint Edition

I had found in a teaching website a recommendation on this book so I went ahead and bought it. It is sooo great to learn how the learning varies and helps understand better and find better ways to teach. I am not a teacher just a very worried mom hoping to do the best for her daughter in everything. I am thinking on homeschooling my daughter and this book helps a lot understanding that every child has her own way of learning, finding which ways they learn better and using them to teach them accelerates their process.

Educational resource for my graduate students

It was in 1983 that Howard Gardner first decided to challenge the established view of a monolithic intelligence with the book Frames of Mind. In that book, Gardner posited that there are (at least) seven relatively seperate and autonomous intelligences. And 25 years later, this theory is still setting the education world ablaze.The discipline of psychology, however, has been a bit less enthusiastic. They, much more than educators, demand hard evidence in order for a theory claiming to be scientific is accepted as such. Is Garnder's theory testable? If so, has it undergone such testing? Can these intelligences (including 'musical' and 'naturalistic') be measured by objective standards? If not, is it an adequate substitute to the reigning model of 'general intelligence' which, with all its flaws, IS measurable in such a way?In this book, Gardner sets out to expand upon his 25 year old theory and, in so doing, answer some of the preceeding questions. Some will be disappointed and some will be encouraged by his answers.The first section of the book devotes itself largely to questions of MI Theory's methodological standing.Several chapters - particularly towards the beginning of the book - seek to answer objections to MI theory. As to the question of whether the theory can be called scientific, Gardner reluctantly answers a "no." He writes MI theory "intermediary status" between a philosophy and a predictive science. He suggests, though, that it can be put in a similar category with plate tectonics and evolution, in the sense that neither theory is a predictive sceince in a falsifiable sense (which is mistaken, as both are tested by retrodictions and, in evolution's case, also by predictions). Further, Gardner admits that designing assessments for these intelligences has proved to be more than challenging and that he has given up the search for ways to assess them.There is, though, a chapter devoted to detailing a promising new study put together by Project Spectrum, to test elementary schoolers on these seperate intelligences. They were tested (a) to see if the intelligences are interrelated or autonomous by investigating whether high scores in any one area correlate with high scores in any other. The reports are that the intelligences are, by in large, seperate - as Gardner predicted they would be. They also tested to see whether the student's strengths on the tests were echoed by parent and teacher reports gotten independently. (There was correlation, but not so much as to be conclusive).The section that will be most useful to my fellow educators, however, will be the second section. For roughly 80 pages, Gardner expounds on his theory and its possible uses in the field of education.Gardner is quite famous for his 'value free' stance here. He suggests that there are many, many uses for MI theory in education. He tries both in this book and elsewuere to refrain from too much prescription, acknowledging that educators probably know better than he how to apply the work of a cognitive psychologist to schools.However, he is passionate about two things educationally in this book. First, he is very displeased at the 'high stakes testing' mentality that has been developed of late. Like the concept of 'general intelligence,' Gardner sees this as being a very 'one-size-fits-all' way of assessing, and probably mis-assessing, knowledge.Gardner is also very passionate about making sure that we see the 'ends' of schooling as pluralistic. Consistent with the idea of Multiple Intelligences, we must strike a balance between making sure that everyone recieve a common education and making sure that everyone is able to pursue their own strengths, interests, and proclivities to the extent possible.It is hard to disagree with much that Gardner says, particularly in this and the next section (where he takes a look at MI theory's applicability betyond education). Even as one who is a bit skeptical of whether MI theory can ever be a scientific one (and whether there might be bettter models of Intelligence, like that of Robert Sternberg), it is difficult not to come away with much admiration for Gardner. He obviously cares about education and comes to his conclusions out of balanced and rigorous thought.This should be read by educators and those interested in the psychology of intelligence alike.

Shipped promptly and in good shape. No complaints!

For anyone interested in school leadership or improving our schools, this book is a must-read. Howard Gardner is a genius, yet this book is immensely readable and relatable. It offers tremendous insights into the ways we learn and process information and it should be required reading for anyone who works in a classroom.

This is an awesome book! It really discusses how people learn differently and how some intelligences are overlooked because it is not apart of the norm. This really helped me to pay more attention what children and adults are able to do instead of what they can't do. Great read!

While Howard Gardner has a wonderful theory with multiple intelligences (MI) that makes more sense than anything we've ever been taught about education, the reading is really dry. That being said, he does say that he is first and foremost a psychologist, and his writings are written for fellow psychologists. The theory is good as long as you can get through the monotone in which he writes. A much better choice would be Ken Robinson's "The Element." He expands upon the MI theory in much easier to understand terms.

Easy to read and understand