Harvard University professor and writer of many books and articles. Howard Gardner ( 1983 ) changed our positions about intelligence everlastingly when he proposed in his celebrated book. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. that there are really seven sorts of intelligences as opposed to the remarkable type of familial intelligence that had built the foundation of the Stanford-Binet IQ Test.
Harmonizing to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. it is possible for a kid to be a mastermind in footings of interpersonal intelligence. and a swot in logical-mathematical intelligence. and yet fail in school because his or her greatest strength lies in a high degree of bodily-kinesthetic consciousness and the instructor of the student does non cognize how the kid must be taught with particular mention to his or her chief abilities.
Thomas Armstrong. the writer of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. provinces that kids with a higher than usual grade of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence should be taught spelling. for illustration. by tie ining it with motion. As an illustration. “a instructor might seek to link sitting with consonants and standing with vowels” ( Willingham. 2004 ) . Indeed. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has led non merely to new thoughts like the one put Forth by Armstrong. but it has besides led to a revolution in the survey of intelligence.
In his groundbreaking book. Frames of Mind. Gardner discussed the following seven sorts of intelligences that the academic universe was particularly required to pay attending to for pupil ratings every bit good as instruction ( that is. for particular acquisition manners based on specific sorts of intelligences ) : ( 1 ) lingual intelligence. described as a “sensitivity to the significance and order of words ; ” ( 2 ) logical-mathematical intelligence. or the “ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems” such as package scheduling ; ( 3 ) musical intelligence. which is “the ability to Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 2
understand and create music ; ” ( 4 ) spacial intelligence. defined as the “ability to ‘think in images. ’ to comprehend the ocular universe accurately. and recreate ( or alter ) it in the head or on paper ; ” ( 5 ) bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. or “the ability to utilize one’s organic structure in a skilled manner. for self-expression or toward a end ; ” ( 6 ) interpersonal intelligence. besides called societal intelligence. which is “an ability to comprehend and understand other persons – their tempers. desires. and motives ; ” and eventually. ( 7 ) intrapersonal intelligence or “an apprehension of one’s ain emotions” via self-contemplation ( Guignon. 1998 ) .
Besides harmonizing to Frames of Mind. an person does non hold to possess all of the above seven intelligences in order to be “smart. ” Rather. anybody who possesses and/or expresses a higher than usual degree of a peculiar type of intelligence happens to be smart in her or her ain manner. The organic structure smart people. harmonizing to Gardner’s theory. are those who possess and/or show a higher degree of consciousness with regard to the usage of the organic structure. Gerald Grow explains Gardner’s bodily-kinesthetic intelligence theory further:
The nucleus elements of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are control of one’s bodily gestures and capacity to manage objects skilfully. Gardner elaborates to state that this intelligence besides includes a sense of timing. a clear sense of the end of a physical action. along with the ability to develop responses so they become like physiological reactions. Along with these. you frequently find a high grade of fine-motor control and a gift for utilizing whole organic structure gestures. These abilities may non look really impressive. at first glimpse. Bodily intelligence is non widely appreciated in our civilization.
Naming it an “intelligence” is about startling. though less Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 3 so after Gardner has called upon Marcel Marceau. jocks. histrions. discoverers. and terpsichoreans to do his instance for a bodily intelligence. Gardner cites a dancer’s strong belief that we all have the capacity “to apprehend directly” the actions. feelings. or dynamic abilities of other people. without aid from words or images. Dancers and histrions draw on this ability ; so do designers. who speak of “feeling in their bodies” the mass and proportion of a edifice. Surely this ability is at work when I waltz out
of an early Charlie Chaplin film. feeling as though my whole being has been taught to dance. What light does it project on composing if you assume–with Gardner–that people function with a bodily intelligence of equal position to the lingual and logical intelligences? See how many kinaesthetic looks apply to the experience of reading. We speak. for illustration. of being “touched. ” “taken. ” “gripped. ” “led. ” “held. ” We “grapple” with hard topics. and have “gut wrenching” experiences. Our stomachs bend. Our Black Marias leap. Our external respiration quickens.
We may tremble. sigh. and be “moved. ” These responses are rooted in kinaesthetic experience. One of the chief ways of analyzing the development of a kid is to look at his or her motor coordination. which is really an indispensable portion of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. In order to successfully execute assorted motor accomplishments in their mundane life. human existences have to “coordinate motions of different organic structure parts. ” There are infinite “combinations of movements” that worlds can execute with single parts of the organic structure. Furthermore. it has been Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 4
found that worlds are capable of bring forthing precise every bit good as consistent forms of motion in countless state of affairss ( Planinsec & A ; Pisot. 2006 ) . M. T. Turvey ( 1990 ) clearly linked motor coordination with general intelligence when he wrote that there are two specifying features of coordination. that is. the usage of appropriate parts of the organic structure or limbs. and the connexion of coordination with clip every bit good as infinite. In other words. an jock or a terpsichorean must non merely cognize how to utilize the organic structure for an effectual public presentation. but besides how to clip the bodily motion in the given infinite with maximal truth.
This requires a high grade of “cognitive functioning” for certain. harmonizing to Planinsec & A ; Pisot. who published a survey in the diary. Adolescence. to assist us understand the relationship between motor coordination and general intelligence in striplings. Harmonizing to K. A. Leithwood ( 1971 ) . the procedure of larning new bodily motions is an rational 1. Furthermore. research workers have found that kids with above mean cognitive accomplishments are better performing artists of motor coordination undertakings than are kids with below mean general intelligence.
More significantly. it is known to psychologists today that kids with greater intelligence are better able to execute complex motor coordination activities ( Planinsec & A ; Pisot ) . Planinsec & A ; Pisot likewise found that there is decidedly a relationship between motor coordination and intelligence degree. Their survey confirmed the being of Gardner’s proposed bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. and that. in fact. this type of intelligence is an of import portion of general intelligence.
The research workers besides found that after taking an intelligence trial that measured “fluid intelligence” in peculiar – that is. “the general neurophysiologic capacity of the Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 5 cardinal nervous system for information processing” – striplings with a higher degree of unstable intelligence performed better on the motor activities presented to all adolescent participants in the survey. While persons with high degrees of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence may be by and large intelligent. it is possible for them to miss accomplishments in other countries that are of import to mundane life.
Research workers can anticipate intelligent people to manage their bodily motions better than the norm. All the same. it is possible that a first terpsichorean is musically unskilled or really hapless at interpersonal dealingss. A skilled instrumentalist may likewise hold jobs larning new words or a dance measure. even though he or she is musically gifted. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences does non ask an overall intelligence integrating all types of abilities.
What is more. the writer has been adding to the multiple intelligences over the old ages ( Aborn. 2006 ) . The fact remains. nevertheless. that there may be an limitless figure of accomplishments that a human being may larn with the usage of the different intelligences propounded by Gardner. Not all of the intelligences have to be high at the same clip. Alternatively. it is possible for an person to be musically gifted every bit good as by and large intelligent. at the same clip that it is possible for an person to be a extremely gifted terpsichorean and rather low at intrapersonal intelligence.
Peoples who are gifted in any country of intelligence. such as bodily-kinesthetic. are most likely to be high in other type ( s ) of intelligence. although they do non hold to be high in all countries of intelligence to be body smart. Additionally. even though it is possible for a organic structure smart single to do first-class trades. it may be that the same single finds it hard to larn concert dance. Bodily- Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 6 kinaesthetic intelligence may non be ‘overall’ either ; it may be concentrated in a individual portion of the organic structure or particularly expressed through a peculiar bodily motion.
Another of import feature of Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences is that these particular abilities may be learned. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence may be improved through athleticss and dance instruction. in add-on to school theater. trades. cookery. and computing machines ( Seitz ) . Children may besides increase their bodily-kinesthetic intelligence by interrupting and repairing things ( Keith. 2007 ) . Even so. there are many bodily gifted individuals who do non necessitate formal preparation to show their bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.
Michael Jordan. Jackie Joyner Kersey. and Babe Ruth are among the many people who did non necessitate formal preparation to demo their high degrees of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Scientists are to boot cognizant that organic structure motions are controlled by the two hemispheres of the encephalon. In apraxia or other encephalon conditions. it may go impossible for the sick persons to command their musculus motions ( Carvin ) . Hence. it may be possible that some people would ne’er turn in bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. while others with encephalon circuitries conducive to high accomplishment in athleticss may be able to demo high grades of the same intelligence.
Psychology has no manner of commanding the biological bases of intelligence. Nevertheless. the scientific discipline of the encephalon does let for gradual sweetenings in the encephalon circuitry when an single learns or patterns certain undertakings. and improves public presentation in those undertakings. Although Gardner’s construct of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is said to be “controversial” because people like to take bodily motions in their pace – the fact is that bodily-kinesthetic intelligence continues to be an highly of import standard for the rating of pupils’ Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 7 public presentation in early school old ages ( Carvin ) .
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence besides remains a cardinal portion of our ocular civilization. Hence. Gardner and others continue to analyze this type of intelligence to increase our apprehension of its relationship with overall intelligence. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 8 References Aborn. Matt. ( 2006. September 22 ) . An intelligent usage for belief. Education. Carvin. Andy. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence. Ed Web. Available 14 May 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. edwebproject. org/edref. myocardial infarction. th2. hypertext markup language. Gardner. Howard. ( 1983 ) . Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York. New york: Basic Books. Grow. Gerald.
“The Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence. ” Writing & A ; Multiple Intelligences. Working Paper. Florida A & A ; M University. Available 14 May 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. longleaf. net/ggrow/7In/Bodily. hypertext markup language. Guignon. Anne. ( 1998 ) . Multiple Intelligences: A Theory for Everyone. Education World. Available 14 May 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. education-world. com/a_curr/curr054. shtml. Keith. Kimberly L. ( 2007 ) . Activities for the Kinesthetic Child. About. Available 14 May 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //childparenting. about. com/cs/k6education/a/kinesthetic_2. htm. Leithwood. K. A. ( 1971 ) . Motor. cognitive. and affectional relationships among advantaged preschool kids.
Research Quarterly. 42 ( 1 ) . 47-53. Planinsec. J. . & A ; Pisot. R. ( 2006. Winter ) . Motor coordination and intelligence degree in striplings. Adolescence. Seitz. Jay A. The Development of Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence in Children: Deductions for Education and Artistry. School of Education. Adelphi University. Available 14 May 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //york. cuny. edu/~seitz/HolisticEd. hypertext markup language. Turvey. M. T. ( 1990 ) . Coordination. American Psychologist. 45. 938-953. Willingham. Daniel T. ( 2004. Summer ) . Reframing the head: Howard Gardner became a hero among pedagogues merely by redefining endowments as “intelligences. ” Education Next.
