Frames of Mind

Sharing my learnings from the book, Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner

Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has been hailed by educators for decades and applied in hundreds of schools worldwide. In Frames of Mind, Gardner challenges the widely held notion that intelligence is a single general capacity possessed by every individual to a greater or lesser extent. Amassing a wealth of evidence, Gardner posits the existence of eight different intelligences, each as important as the next, that comprise a unique cognitive profile for each person. In this book, the author reflects on thirty years of work on Multiple Intelligences theory and practice.

• Intelligence: it’s a single, general trait that all people possess in greater or lesser quantities. Or so people in Western societies tend to believe, anyway. And the idea is reinforced by tests that purport to measure a person’s intelligence. But while it’s true that these tests can predict academic success, they ignore all the other forms of success available to a person.
• the theory of multiple intelligences argues that within the human brain there’s not one, but several different intelligences that operate somewhat independently from one another.
  • linguistic
  • musical
  • logical-mathematical
  • spatial
  • bodily-kinesthetic
  • intrapersonal
  • interpersonal 
• To come up with the list of 7 intellegences, the author used several criteria
  • for a competence to be considered a distinct type of intelligence, it must be possible for brain damage to isolate it.
  • the competence being considered must also enable individuals to find and solve problems.
• It’d only be possible to come up with a complete list if you stuck to one level. But that would mean ignoring other possible levels of analysis, like the correlations between competences and outcomes and how well they predict a person’s academic success. 
• From a genetic perspective, a stimulating environment can help an individual reach a high level of competence in a particular area. But the study of genetic inheritance is incredibly complicated, and it’s not easy –⁠ or is sometimes impossible –⁠ to separate a person’s inherent genetic abilities from her environmentally acquired traits. 
• Two key principles from the field of neurobiology are a little more useful in understanding human cognitive abilities:
  • Canalization is the tendency of an organic system to follow a particular developmental path. For instance, the growth of the human nervous system is remarkably predictable. Cells start out in the neural tube –⁠ part of the embryo –⁠ and eventually migrate to the areas where they’ll become parts of the brain and spinal cord.
  • Plasticity, on the other hand, describes the potential for a wide range of environments to impact development. The brain is particularly plastic when it comes to language; if the entire, say, left hemisphere of a child’s brain is removed during the first year of her life, she’ll still be able to speak quite well later on. But there’s a caveat: this plasticity starts to disappear later on in life. An adult whose left hemisphere is removed will almost certainly experience extreme linguistic difficulties.
• The theory of multiple intelligences is significant because it could help societies capitalize on the plasticity of young children’s brains. Educators could draw on early knowledge of students’ proclivities to enhance their educational opportunities. Finally, policymakers could use multiple intelligence theory to consider new ways of training and heightening intellect on a broad, societal scale.
• Linguistic intelligence implies a high awareness of language and its properties.
  • Poets are good examples of people with high linguistic intelligence. They’re sensitive to all the shades of meaning a word suggests. They also consider not just how that meaning may intersect with the meanings of words in other lines, but also whether the words sound good together.
  • it’s crucial in rhetoric –⁠ the use of language to convince other people of a course of action, as politicians do. Linguistic intelligence can also be used for explanation, especially when teaching and learning concepts and metaphors. 
  • Neurobiologically, linguistic intelligence is the most thoroughly studied of all the intelligences. Scientists have detailed knowledge of how linguistic skills develop
  • In most individuals, linguistic ability is localized in the left hemisphere of the brain. Correspondingly, damage to particular areas in this hemisphere causes damage to specific linguistic abilities.
• Musical intelligence involves sensitivity to the properties of sound.
  • Musical intelligence is tied to a person’s auditory-oral capabilities. Skill in this sphere allows individuals to understand the meaning of rhythmically arranged sets of pitches – and produce those pitches themselves.
  • music relies heavily on a person’s auditory tract.
• Logical-mathematical intelligence centers around abstract reasoning.
  • This type of intelligence begins through interaction with the world of objects. As it develops, it becomes more and more abstract until it enters the realms of logic and science.
  • At some point, an aspiring mathematician is likely to find herself presented with a long chain of propositions –⁠ that is, mathematical statements. But a good memory isn’t a mathematician’s true strong suit. Instead, it’s her ability to follow long chains of reasoning –⁠ to understand the logical links between mathematical statements and grasp their overall meaning
  • mathematical ability seems to be centered in the brain’s left hemisphere.
• Spatial intelligence is used for visualization and orientation in space.
  • intelligence is all about the capacity to accurately perceive the visual world, transform and modify that perception, and recreate it even when the visual stimulus is no longer in front of you.
  • Despite the focus on perceiving the visual world, spatial intelligence can actually operate independently of the ability to see. This means that individuals with blindness can still have highly developed spatial intelligence.
  • Spatial abilities allow people to find their way around, whether they’re in a room or in an ocean. They also give people sensitivity to the details and qualities in visual or spatial displays, such as paintings or sculptures. But the “space” doesn’t even have to be as literal as that.
• Skilled use of the body reflects bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.
  • a dance is a culturally patterned sequence of purposeful, intentionally rhythmic body movements.
  • dance is all about combining the qualities of speed, direction, distance, intensity, and so on –⁠ qualities that require a highly developed sense of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. 
  • The brain helps refine, redirect, and adapt motor behavior so that it better serves a person’s goals. In other words, the body and the brain are constantly communicating with each other to execute a given motor task.
• famous psychologist Sigmund Freud and William James each represented very different philosophies and conceptions of psychology. Freud’s focus was on the development of the individual psyche –⁠ a person’s inner life. James, on the other hand, was much more oriented toward people’s relationships with others. Their diverging visions are a good way of understanding the difference between the two forms of personal intelligence: intrapersonal and interpersonal.
  • The personal intelligences deal with knowledge of yourself and others.
  • Intrapersonal intelligence is all about knowing yourself –⁠ being able to get in touch with your own thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
  • interpersonal intelligence is all about knowing others –⁠ specifically, their moods, temperaments, motivations, and intentions.
  • Both inter- and intrapersonal intelligence are located in the same area of the brain: the frontal lobes. This is where sensory information and limbic system information are integrated. In less technical language, it’s where your perceptions –⁠ including your perception of other people –⁠ combines with information about your emotional states.
• Educational systems should be modified to reflect the theory of multiple intelligences. Some intelligences are clearly more suited to a certain task than others. But the theory of multiple intelligences could help instructors cater to the strengths of their students.
  • developing a more accurate intelligence test –⁠ or rather, set of tests. The intelligences should be assessed at different ages and in developmentally appropriate ways.
  • educational programs to review their goals. If a new program states that their goal is to “educate individuals to help them achieve their potential,” that’s not very helpful. By contrast, “achieving sufficient literacy to read a newspaper or discuss a current political program” is much more specific. And the more specific the goal, the easier it is to analyze the intellectual skills necessary for teaching and learning it. 
  • educators should determine ways of employing the intelligences as both a means and an end. In other words, they should explore how an intelligence could be used to both teach a skill and itself be part of a skill.
  • educators and policymakers should make an effort to understand how the intelligences intersect with a given cultural context.
• Carefully combining cultural awareness with the knowledge of multiple intelligences could revolutionize education.