mrshemby.files.wordpress.com · web viewbloom’s taxonomy was created by benjamin s. bloom, as...

Theories of DevelopmentEDUC 4303, Summer 2014

Characteristics Notebook, Section 5: Theories of Development

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development - Nathan LoweErikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development - Betheny Howse

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - Jeffrey KramerVygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory - Jonathan Wilbert

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development - Zachary BeanBloom’s Taxonomy - Henry Gasaway

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences - Hannah Hemby (Jones)

Dallas Baptist University


PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Jean Piaget is one of the foremost important student’s and scholars in all of development

theory. Piaget’s work began in the early 1920’s and did not conclude until his death in 1980.

Perhaps Piaget’s most notable work are his four stages of Cognitive Development. Piaget’s

Theory consists of four stages: Sensorimotor which lies between a child’s birth and the age of

two years old, the Preoperational stage which is two years old through seven years old, the

Concrete operational stage which starts at age seven and ends at the age of eleven, and the

Formal operational stage which begins at eleven years old and continues throughout adulthood.

In Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory “ children actively construct knowledge as the

manipulate and explore their world.”( Berk, 2012, Pg. 19) Piaget’s theory opposed and was often

placed behind the more popular theories of Behaviorism until the 1960’s. Where traditional

behaviorism stresses slow cognitive development over time, and molding one’s mind through

conditioning and guidance from parents Piaget’s theory’s were inspired by his studies in Biology

“Just as structures of the body are adapted to fit with the environment, so structures of the mind

develop to better fit with, or represent, the external world.” (Berk, 2012, Pg. 19) In other words

according to Piaget we learn by acting in the world and are in an “ongoing effort to achieve

equilibrium, or balance, between internal structures and information.” (Berk, 2012, Pg. 19) The

Jean Piaget Society states:

“His researches in developmental psychology and genetic epistemology had one

unique goal: how does knowledge grow? His answer is that the growth of knowledge is a

progressive construction of logically embedded structures superseding one another by a

process of inclusion of lower less powerful logical means into higher and more powerful

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http://www.piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html


ones up to adulthood. Therefore, children's logic and modes of thinking are initially

entirely different from those of adults.” (Piaget.org, 2014)

According to Piaget a child will shift at the appropriate age from one stage to the next with the

help of what Piaget calls schemes, and it is these schemes that build his stages. Piaget said

“specific psychological structures-organized ways of making sense of experience called

schemes-change with age.” (Berk, 2012, Pg. 204) these schemes will change over time with the

help of adaptation and organization. Adaptation is how will build our schemes based on how we

react to our environment, and organization is how we take the schemes we develop, relate them

to our prior knowledge and move from one of Piaget’s stages to the next.

Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development begin with the Sensorimotor stage at

birth which lasts until the age of two years old the first scheme in the life of a child is

Sensorimotor because according to Piaget newborns up to the age of two years old think with

their senses. A baby changes so much during the first two years of its life that the Sensorimotor

stage is broken down into six subcategories further explained in attached table 6.1 all of the sub-

stages in the Sensorimotor stage surround what Piaget calls circular reactions. Circular Reactions

“provide a special means of adapting their first schemes. It involves stumbling onto a new

experience caused by the baby’s own motor activity.” (Berk, 2012, Pg. 205) Children will try

and repeat these chance behaviors which start with the baby’s own body and end with the

movement and shaping of objects. The Sensorimotor stage leads to the greater use of imagination

and make-believe play in the second stage of cognitive development.

The second stage is called the Pre-operational stage. The most obvious development

during this stage is “an extraordinary increase in representational, or symbolic, activity.”(Berk,

2012, Pg.318) Make-Believe play is a great example of the Pre-operational stage because

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children take what they have learned during their Sensorimotor stage, much of which was pre-

speech, and create a mental image. Children use this mental image and add words to it and

eventually begin acting these images out. Children use make-believe play as a means for “young

children practice and strengthen newly acquired representational schemes.” (Berk, 2012, Pg.318)

To better explain Pre-operational though Piaget spoke in length about what children are not able

to do during this stage which leads to Piaget’s Egocentrism which is a “failure to distinguish the

symbolic viewpoints of others from one’s own.” Children are still stuck in their own mental

representations and have yet to branch out into other more logical and abstract forms of thinking.

Piaget’s third area of cognitive development is the Concrete operational stage which lasts

from ages 7 to 11 years old. Thought develops immensely during this stage of development in to

a “more logical, flexible, and organized than it was during early childhood.” (Berk, 2012, Pg.

438) Children can now organize thoughts in their minds, think though these thoughts backwards

and forwards, and create cognitive maps and lists. As stated in the Pre-Operational stage Piaget

discusses this theory by stating the limitations of the stage. During the Concrete operational stage

“Children think in an organized, logical fashion only when dealing with concrete information

they can perceive directly.” (Berk, 2012, Pg. 440) Abstract thinking during this stage is very

difficult and mental operation that is not built upon the real world may be lacking. Another

limitations at this age is what is called the continuum of acquisition “Rather than coming up with

general logical principles that they apply to all relevant situations, children seem to work out the

logic of each problem separately.”(Berk, 2012, Pg.440) In Piaget’s final stage of cognitive

development children’s thought will become abstract and the limitations of the previous three

stages will greatly decrease.

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Piaget’s final stage of cognitive development is the Formal Operational stage

which takes place between 11 years old and lasts into adulthood. In the Formal Operational stage

children develop “capacity for abstract, systematic, scientific thinking.” (Berk, 2014, Pg.566)

Hypothetico-deductive reasoning develops and now children are able to hypothesize , and use

deduction in order to solve problems, and better understand their world. During the Formal

operational stage children also develop propositional thought which allows “adolescents ability

to evaluate the logic of propositions without referring to real-world circumstances.” ( Berk, 2014,

Pg.567) The Formal operational stage will not fully develop in some since abstract and

systematic though requires prompting and motivating which people may only receive while

working on tasks they are already familiar with opposed to those who further their education

with college or other forms of continued education.

Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development infer universality which has led many to

challenge his theories. For example when Piaget says a child’s mind is not yet developed enough

to handle a complex task challengers will argue that the task simply needs to be simplified

making the child more capable of handling the same task just on their mental level of abilities.

Piaget also did not give experience enough merit in his studies because a child may be able to do

something far beyond their cognitive ability simply because their culture has placed this task

above other forms of education. Piaget’s four stages are not without their criticisms but

nonetheless Piaget is still remembered as a great thinker and scholar whose contribution to the

study of childhood cognitive development deserves much respect and admiration.

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REFERENCES:

Berk, L. (2012). Infants, Children, and Adolescents (7th edition ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Smith, L. (2000, November 1). A Brief Biography of Jean Piaget. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from


> Section on Piaget prepared by Nathan Lowe.

TABLE 6.1

(Berk, 2012, Pg. 205)

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ERIKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

Erik Erikson (1902-1994), was a German-born American developmental psychologist

and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development of human beings. In 1933

he received his diploma from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. This and his Montessori

diploma were to be Erikson’s only earned academic credentials for his life’s work. Although

Erikson lacked even a bachelor’s degree, he served as a professor at prominent institutions such

as Harvard and Yale. In 1950, after publishing the book, Childhood and Society, for which he is

best known, Erikson left the University of California when professors there were asked to sign

loyalty oaths; he worked and taught at the Austen Riggs Center with emotionally troubled young

people. Erikson is also credited with being one of the originators of Ego psychology, which

stressed the role of the ego as being more than a servant of the id. He expanded the picture of

development at each stage, in his psychosocial theory; and emphasized that “in addition to

mediating between id impulses and superego demands, the ego makes a positive contribution to

development, acquiring attitudes and skills that make the individual an active, contributing

member of society.”

Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development considers the impact of external factors,

parents and society on personality development from childhood to adulthood. One of the main

elements of Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity

is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. Erikson believed that a

sense of competence motivates behaviors and actions; each stage in Erikson’s theory is

concerned with becoming competent in an area of life. If the stage handled well, the person will

feel a sense of mastery, which is sometimes referred to as ego strength or ego quality. If the

stage is managed poorly, the person will emerge with a sense of inadequacy. According to

Erikson’s theory, every person must pass through a series of eight interrelated stages over the

entire life cycle.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development1. Infant (Hope) - Basic Trust vs. Mistrust2. Toddler (Will) - Autonomy vs. Shame3. Preschooler (Purpose) - Initiative vs. Guilt4. School-Aged Child (Competence) - Industry vs. Inferiority5. Adolescent (Fidelity) - Identity vs. Identity Diffusion6. Young Adult (Love) - Intimacy vs. Isolation7. Middle-aged Adult (Care) - Generativity vs. Self-absorption

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8. Older Adult (Wisdom) - Integrity vs. Despair

Erikson’s Stage Age Description

Infant Birth - 18 mths

From warm, responsive care, infants gain a sense of trust that the world is good.

Mistrust occurs if infants are neglected or handled harshly.

Toddler 18 mths - 3yrs

Using new mental and motor skills, children want to decide for themselves. Autonomy is fostered when parents permit reasonable free choice and do not force or shame the child.

Preschooler 3yrs - 5 yrs

Through make-believe play, children gain insight into the person they can become.

Initiative develops when parents support their child’s sense of purpose. If parents demand too much self- control, children experience

excessive guilt.

School-Aged Child 6 yrs - 12 yrs

At school, children learn to work and cooperate with others. Inferiority develops

when negative experiences at home or school lead to feelings of incompetence.

Adolescent 12 yrs - 18 yrs

By exploring values and vocational goals, the young person forms a personal identity. The negative outcome is confusion about future

adult roles.

Young Adult 18 yrs - 35 yrs

Young adults establish intimate relationships. Because of earlier disappointments, some individuals cannot form close bonds and

remain isolated.

Middle-aged Adult 35 yrs - 65 yrs

Generativity means giving to the next generation through child rearing, caring for others, or productive work. The person who

fails in these ways feels an absence of meaningful accomplishment.

Older Adult 65 yrs - Death

Integrity results from feeling that the life was worth living as it happened. Older people who are dissatisfied with their lives fear

death.

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REFERENCES:

Berk, Laura E. "Chapter 1 History, Theory, and Research Strategies." Infants, Children, andAdolescents. 7th ed. Illinois: Pearson, 2012. 15-16. Print.

"Erikson’s Stages of Development | Learning Theories." Learning Theories RSS. N.p., n.d. Web.27 July 2014.

"Understanding Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development." About.com Psychology. N.p.,n.d. Web. 29 July 2014.

> Section on Erikson prepared by Betheny Howse.

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MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Maslow's hierarchy of needs was created by American psychologist Abraham Harold

Maslow (born April 1, 1908 - died June 8, 1970). Maslow is often credited with founding the

“humanist psychology” school of thought (Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz, 2014). Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs was first proposed in a paper published in the journal Psychological Review (Maslow,

1943), and was described more fully in a book entitled “Motivation and Personality” (Maslow,

1954). The hierarchy was developed as a part of Maslow’s theory of motivation, wherein

motivation is defined as a state of need or desire that motivates an individual to do or seek

something that will satisfy that need.

In his Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow described 5 levels of needs, often displayed as a

pyramid (Fig. 1), that build upon one another. In Maslow’s theory, the next higher level cannot

be achieved until the needs of the lower levels are met, and lower level needs will be addressed

by the individual before the higher levels needs. The levels or hierarchy of needs are, in order

from lowest to highest, physiological, safety/security, love/belonging, self-esteem, and self-

actualization. Physiological needs include those basic requirements for life, food, water, oxygen,

sunlight, clothing and shelter. Safety and security needs, which encompass the second tier or the

hierarchy, include personal security, financial security, health and well-being, and an adequate

safety net against the adverse impacts of accident and illness. The third level of human need

according to Maslow is love and a sense of belonging. This includes family, friendship and

intimacy. The fourth level of human need includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect

(which Maslow referred to as the “higher” manifestation), as well as the esteem and respect of

others (which Maslow called the “lower” version of the need for esteem). Finally, the fifth level

of the hierarchy is self-actualization, a person’s ability to realize their full potential. Maslow (and

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others) defined self-actualization as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become

the most that one can be (Maslow, 1954, p. 92).

Figure 1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs is often displayed as a pyramid, with the higher levels of need resting on and building upon the lower levels.

Although some research has cast doubt on some of the needs described by Maslow, and

on the existence of an actual hierarchical nature of these needs, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human

Needs has found broad popularity and application outside of the field of psychology. For

example, management training often includes a description of these needs, and the hierarchy

appears on the Project Management Professional certification examination provided by the

Project Management Institute (PMI). In spite of the theory’s broad appeal, research by Wahba

and Bridwell found little evidence either for the ranking of needs or for the existence of an actual

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hierarchy described by Maslow (1976). Within the field of clinical psychology, Maslow’s

Hierarchy has been largely displaced by Attachment Theory, which seeks to describe the

dynamics of long-term human relationships.

REFERENCES:

Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96.Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper.Project Management Institute (PMI), website referenced July 22, 2014 (http://www.pmi.org/).Vacca, Richard T., Vacca, Jo Anne L. and Mraz, Maryann. (2014). Content area reading, (11th

ed.). Pearson Education, Inc., Saddle River, NJ. pp. 140-148.Wahba, M. A., & Bridwell, L. G. (1976). Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the

need hierarchy theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15(2), 212–240.

> Section on Maslow prepared by Jeff Kramer.

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VYGOTSKY’S SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY

Lev Vygotsky was a one of educations most know theorist in the classroom today. He brought

individualism for the student’s success to the forefront. He believed that any student was able to

learn about any lesson, subject or task, as long as a teacher, a part, and/or an expert of the field

was there to help the child develop. He or she culture and environment influences their choices

and the reactions to task development. Vygotsky is most known for his two works: cultural-

historical psychology and Zone of proximal development.

Cultural-historical psychology is mostly a theory that focuses on how aspects of culture, such

as values, beliefs, customs and skills, are transmitted from one generation to the next. This

particular theory was not solely carried out by Vygotsky but by his own peers and students of his

teachings. These groups of students were called Vygotsky circle and they were made up of

people from Eastern Europe and followers from world-wide.

Vygotsky most known work was Zone of proximal development. The main focus of this

work was to explain that learning happens because we interact with the environment; we do not

learn because we have developed; we developed because we have learned. In other words new

things enhanced and developed who we are. In order for us to learn we must be presented with

task that just out of reach of our capabilities in order to grow and develop the methods to

accomplish those tasks and to simply grow or develop. We will look at this more in depth later

on in the paper for this is the main point of this paper but first some background information

about Vygotsky.

According to Christina Gallagher “Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky was was born in Western

Russia(Belorussia) in 1896. He graduated with law degree at Moscow University. After

graduation, he started teaching at various institutions. Vygotsky's first big research project was in

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1925 with his Psychology of Art. A few years later, he pursued a career as a psychologist

working with Alexander Luria and Alexei Leontiev. Together, they began the Vygotskian

approach to psychology. Vygotsky had no formal training in psychology but it showed that he

was fascinated by it.” I must add that Vygotsky had no prior education for child development at

all. So most of his findings were based of first hand experiences as observing children and what

he could remember himself as growing up.

Vygotsky died in 1934 from tuberculosis, his students will forever carry his legacy of his

theories. The most common and effective theory we see alive and used in the classroom is the

Zone of proximal development. This is also known as the sociocultural theory. Here we find

that a child has three different ways of learning and how the brain works in a Childs mind.

1. What you know- Things you have achieved and know of already. This is also what you have

already develop; skills.

2. You can learn this on your own- With a little bit of help. Example swimming as a child: He or

she could try to swim on their own and possibly drown but with help of a swimming instructor

they could learn how to swim.

3. Scaffolding- A child could learn but only through the help of a(n) instructor. These are

Challenging task.

Once we are able to identify how or what level a child’s thinking or thought process

capability level they are on. Then we could figure out the stage of learning they are in. Vygotsky

believed that they were four stages of learning: Assistance, self, Automation, and de-

automatization.

4 Stages of learning:

Stage 1 Assistance- Learning requires assistance: Teacher, parents, expert, etc.

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Stage 2 Self- Independence grows as the learner begins to self-coach.

Stage 3 Automation- Help is no longer needed and the skill is internalized.

Stage 4 De-Automatization- De-Automatization of performance leads to recursion through the

zones of proximal development.

As we grow the stages shift and expand amongst our understanding and we tend to overcome

obstacles. During the shifts of the stages in our lives; the environment plays a huge role in to

what we tend to learn and how we learn it. In conclusion every student can learn and have the

capacity to exceed measures. They just need the help of a teacher to guide them in the right way.

REFERENCES:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axi7xctulbM Vygotsky Vs. Piagethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEAm4cf_9b8 Lev Vgotsky, Learning Theories, ZPD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4cYu1XRuFQ Piaget & Vygotsy Return!

http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/vygotsky.htm Compiled by Christina Gallagher

> Section on Vygotsky prepared by Jonathan Wilbert.

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http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/vygotsky.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4cYu1XRuFQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEAm4cf_9b8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axi7xctulbM


KOHLBERG’S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Lawrence Kohlberg was born in Bronxville, New York on October 25, 1927. He attended the

University of Chicago, and due to his high test scores and remarkable intellect, received his

bachelor’s degree in just one year (Goodtherapy 2013). In 1958, he received his PhD in

psychology with a dissertation focused on the moral choices of adolescent boys.

A year later, Kohlberg became an assistant professor of psychology at Yale University. Later on

in his career, he returned to the university of Chicago, but this time as an associate professor and

director of the Child Psychology Training Program. Lawrence Kohlberg devote most of his life

to the study of children and their moral development, which in turn led him to cultivate his

theory still reference today (Goodtherapy 2013).

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development was inspired by work previously done by

Piaget on the moral judgment of a child. Through a series of interviews, Lawrence Kohlberg

extensively researched the topic of moral development by staging conflict between two moral

values in what he called a “moral dilemmas”(Berk 2012). These series of questions were

presented to a group of 16-year-olds and revisited every 3-4 years with the same group of people.

He believed that the way an individual reasoned about a dilemma as opposed to analyzing the

content of the response gave a better response to someone’s moral maturity. (Berk 2012)

Kohlberg organized moral development into three levels, each with two stages, yielding 6

stages in all. The first level is what he called the preconventional level. This makes up the

Obedience/Punishment and Self-Interest stages of a child where morality is externally controlled

by some form of consequence for bad action (Berk 2012) . The next level, the conventional level,

makes up the Conformity and Authority stages where the individual begins to regard conformity

and social rules as an important factor to maintain and build relationships. At this point, the child

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is not looking into his own self-interests, but finding social order and harmony within the system

of rules (Berk 2012).

The third and final level, the postconventional level, is comprised of the social contract

stage and universal principle stage (Berk 2012) . At this point, the individual starts to define

morality in terms of what they have learned through the laws and rules learned in society. They

begin to use these rules in all situations to practice what they feel is a good moral code.

The chart below goes in more detail explaining the six stages, and shows the age groups

in which the six stages apply:

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral DevelopmentI. Obedience/Punishment Infancy No difference between doing the

right thing and avoiding punishment

II. Self-Interest Pre-School Infant shifts to rewards rather than punishment - Effort is made to secure greatest benefit for ones self

III. Conformity and interpersonal Accord

School-Age The "good boy/girl" level. Effort is made to secure approval and maintain friendly relations with others

IV. Authority and Social Order School-Age Orientation toward fixed rules. The purpose of morality is maintaining the social order. Interpersonal accord is expanded to include the entire society.

V. Social Contract Teens Mutual benefit, reciprocity. Morally right and legally right are not always the same. Utilitarian rules that make life better for everyone.

VI. Universal Principles Adulthood Morality is based on principles that transcend mutual benefit.

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REFERENCES:

"Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development." The Psychology Notes Headquarter RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Aug. 2014. <http://www.psychologynoteshq.com/kohlbergstheory/>.

"Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987)." Lawrence Kohlberg Biography. Goodtherapy.org, 25 July 2013. Web. 3 Aug. 2014. <http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/lawrence-kohlberg.html#>.

Berk, L. E. (2012). Infants, children, and adolescents (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson /Allyn &Bacon.

> Section on Kohlberg prepared by Zachary Bean.

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BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

When considering what and how you should teach or reach your student, one theory you

should consider is Blooms’ taxonomy. Bloom’s taxonomy was created by Benjamin S. Bloom,

as he wanted to assess the importance of the different objectives that educators have for students.

Upon his creating the taxonomy he constructed with three domains in mind: cognitive, affective,

and psychomotor. After reading a number of articles, books, and reviews, I know and understand

how Bloom’s taxonomy can benefit teachers and students in the classroom. In 1990 Bloom’s

Taxonomy was revised in order to stay relevant to the 21st century students as well as teachers.

The changes came in the form of the terminology helping to alleviate confusion when trying to

implement bloom’s taxonomy into ones classroom. However, the concepts have remained the

same.

The concepts are compromised of creating, evaluating, analyzing, applying,

understanding, and remembering. Each were created to allow the teacher to develop lesson

centered around various levels of thinking as each creates a different means of construction

thought provoking lessons and assignments. At the lowest level is remember, where students are

simply asked to retrieve, recognize, or recall relevant information from previous assignments and

knowledge. The next level is that of understanding, here the students are to display a clear and

concise meaning through oral, written oar graphic messages. They are also asked to interpret,

summarize, infer, compare and/or explain.

Moving forward we have applying where the student is asked to produce by executing or

implementing what they have learned in prior lessons. Next is analyzing where the student is

asked to break down material into various parts and then they are to determine how the parts

correlate with one another. Evaluating is the 2nd to last level here the student makes judgments

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based on criteria and standards as they check and critique what is presented to them. At the

highest level is creating they are to put all elements together and form a coherent as well as

functional whole. As a teacher Bloom’s can help to keep you classroom education driven,

engaging and student driven. Here is an example of what bloom’s taxonomy looks like from a

Pinterest point of view. It details at each level what should be produced in regards to that specific

level.

REFERENCES:http://www.edudemic.com/how-to-use-pinterest-with-blooms-taxonomy/

> Section on Bloom prepared by Henry Gasaway.

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http://www.edudemic.com/how-to-use-pinterest-with-blooms-taxonomy/


GARDNER’S THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Prior to the research and findings of Howard Gardner, Ph.D., the traditional and only

standard for measuring intelligence was through an easily administered, short-answered test such

as the I.Q. test or the WISC. According to Howard Gardner, intelligence can’t be defined in a

single test that is based upon an equal cognitive standard or that is a simple ranking system of

strengths and weaknesses. In his theoretical work of multiples intelligences, Gardner found the

definition of a standard and solitary “intelligence” to be skewed. In one of Gardner’s most

acclaimed works, he states, “An intelligence is the ability to solve problems, or to create

products, that are valued within one of more cultural settings” (Gardner, 1983).

In Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, there are several key claims that

additionally pose as challenges for the current educational system. First, Gardner states that

every individual has nine intelligences:

Figure 1. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences is often displayed in a circular chart or pie chart form to symbolize the possession of all nine intelligences of some degree in every individual.

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Gardner claims that these nine intelligences, (Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence,

Mathematical-Logical Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Visual-Spatial Intelligence, Bodily-

Kinesthetic Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence, Intrapersonal Intelligence, Naturalist

Intelligence, and Existential Intelligence) can be “nurtured and strengthened, or ignored and

weakened” by every individual (Gardner, 1983). Essentially, Gardner’s Theory of Multiple

Intelligences claims that human potential is directly linked to the individual’s predisposition for

specific learning styles-which in turn creates a distinctive blend of skills and talents

(intelligences). In addition, Gardner’s theoretical model can be used to understand “overall

personality, preferences, and strengths” (Gardner, 2005).

Howard Gardner currently holds the title of Professor of Education at Harvard University

and has been avidly leading a team of colleges for the past two decades who are developing

current application models and implementation programs for multiple intelligences. The goal of

his work is to immediately improve the education system’s testing and teaching procedures as

well as to understand the intricate combinations of intelligences that make up the human race.

Such current multiple intelligence projects include the design of “performance-based

assessments, education for understanding, the use of multiple intelligences to achieve more

personalized curriculum, instruction, and pedagogy, and the quality of interdisciplinary efforts in

education” (Thirteen ed online, 2004). In closing, Gardner hopes to provide research and

framework that help educators to integrate customized curriculum design and teaching strategies.

Based upon the individualized needs of students, implementing Gardner’s Theory of Multiple

Intelligences in the educational system is an innovative and successful way of communicating

understanding.

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REFERENCES:

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Gardner, H. (2005). Multiple Intelligences, website referenced July 29, 2014 (http://howardgardner.net/MI/mi.html).

Thirteen ed online (2004). Tapping into Multiple Intelligences, website referenced July 29, 2014

(http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/index.html)

> Section on Gardner prepared by Hannah Hemby (Jones)

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http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/index.html

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