Summary of a Presentation at the IVU World Vegetarian Congress,
July 27-August 2, 2008, Dresden , Germany
by
George Jacobs
Vegetarian Society (Singapore
www.vegetarian-society.org
Acknowledgements
The basic ideas presented here come from the work of Howard Gardner (www.howardgardner.com) , a professor of Cognition (thinking and perceiving) and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and from the works of these other educators:
- Thomas Armstrong www.thomasarmstrong.com
- David Lazear, New Dimensions in Learning: www.multi-intell.com
- Spencer and Miguel Kagan, Kagan Publications: www.KaganOnline.com.
Introduction
This presentation includes a very brief history of Multiple Intelligences (MI), an explanation of what is meant by MI and each of the eight currently identified intelligences, and an opportunity for readers to reflect on their own MI profile. Then, the final and most important part of the presentation involves consideration of how to apply MI in vegetarian education work.
Briefly, MI can be summarized in the following rhyme adapted from Kagan and Kagan:
The more ways we teach, the more people we reach
And, the more ways we reach each
And, the more deeply what we teach will reach
In other words, by teaching the what, why and how of vegetarianism in a variety of ways, we are more likely to connect with more people, and each person is likely to better grasp and remember the ideas presented.
A Brief History of MI
The first IQ (Intelligence Quotient) test was developed about 1900. For many years thereafter, the concept of a single measure of intelligence was widely accepted in education and psychology. Then, in the 1960s and 1970s, cognitive theories became dominant in psychology and education. In education, cognitive theories highlight the internal workings of each person’s brain, rather than the external workings of teachers and education materials.
Another aspect of cognitivist theories that is particularly relevant to MI is their emphasis on diversity: while all humans share many similarities and everyone is entitled to the same rights and opportunities, all humans are also different based both on their genetic makeup, as well as their unique individual experiences. This diversity, when understood and appreciated, provides a great source of strength.
In the 1980s, Howard Gardner, a proponent of cognitivist perspectives, developed MI theory based on eight criteria for deciding what constitutes an intelligence:
i. Potential isolation by brain damage.
ii. The existence of idiot savants, prodigies and other exceptional individuals.
iii. An identifiable core operation or set of operations.
iv. A distinctive development history, along with a definable set of 'end-state' performances.
v. An evolutionary history and evolutionary plausibility.
vi. Support from experimental psychological tasks.
vii. Support from psychometric findings.
viii. Susceptibility to encoding in a symbol system.
Other theorists, such as Robert Sternberg, have developed other theories involving a variety of intelligences.
What MI Theory Says
MI is a very optimistic intelligence theory. It states that intelligence is not a unitary construct, that instead there are many ways to be smart. Indeed, everyone is smart, and in different ways. On another optimistic note, Gardner
Exactly what constitutes an intelligence is a matter of some debate. Nonetheless, it should be understood that ‘intelligence’ is not a synonym for ‘skill’ or ‘ability’. Intelligences are also about preferences, how people enjoy doing things, what their favourite modes of learning are. Furthermore, intelligences seldom work alone; almost any task involves two or more intelligences.
An MI Survey
One excellent way to understand MI is to take the MI survey found in Armstrong’s book Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom (second edition), 2001, published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Below is a much-shortened and somewhat modified version of the survey, with three questions for each of the eight intelligences currently identified by Gardner. Answer Yes (1) or No (0) to each of the questions (if you must, you can answer .5).
1. Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence
- Do you enjoy putting thoughts on paper or in the computer?
- Do you enjoy playing with words, such as rhymes, puns and word games?
- Do you enjoy reading books and magazines?
2. Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
- Do you enjoy chess, checkers, or other strategy games?
- Do you ask questions about how things work?
- Do you feel more comfortable when something has been measured or quantified in some way?
3. Interpersonal Intelligence
- Do you enjoy teaching others?
- Do you enjoy doing things as part of a group?
- Are you good at seeing the points of view of others?
4. Intrapersonal Intelligence
- Would you be described as someone who in well-organized and in control of yourself?
- Do you often set goals and reach them?
- Do you feel good about who you are?
5. Naturalist Intelligence
- Are you good at recognizing patterns, similarities, differences, anomalies?
- Do you enjoy spending time with nature, including animals
- Do you have keen sensory skills - sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch - and notice things that others often miss?
6. Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence
- Can you play a musical instrument?
- Do you enjoy listening to music?
- Do you sometimes do things in a rhythmic way?
7. Visual/Spatial Intelligence
- Do you like maps, charts and diagrams better than words?
- Do you have a good sense of direction?
- Do you often doodle and draw?
8. Bodily/Kinaesthetic
- Are you good at some sports?
- Do you like working with your hands?
- Do you enjoy being on the go - running, moving around, walking - instead of sitting or standing still
Two points should be noted when interpreting this survey. First, this is a shortened version of an unvalidated instrument. Another point is that, as can be seen even from this abbreviated survey, each intelligence has many facets. Thus, it would be inaccurate to say someone is high or low in a particular intelligence. For instance, with Bodily/Kinaesthetic Intelligence, someone might enjoy and be good at racquet sports but dislike and be rather poor at sports that demand a great deal of strength, such as weightlifting, or sports that require great accuracy, such as basketball.
