from "Writing and Multiple Intelligences," A Working Paper

by Gerald Grow, Ph.D.
School of Journalism, Media & Graphic Arts
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee FL 32307 USA
Available at: http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow

 

In Frames of Mind Howard Gardner replaces the standard view of intelligence with the idea that human beings have several distinct intelligences. Using an elaborate set of criteria--including evidence from studies of brain damage, prodigies, developmental patterns, cross-cultural comparisons, and various kinds of tests--Gardner identifies seven intelligences, listed in Table 1.

Gardner reaches several conclusions about these "intelligences" (which he is willing to call intellectual competencies, thought processes, cognitive capacities, cognitive skills, forms of knowledge, or even useful fictions [284]):

(1) Human beings have evolved to have several distinct intelligences and not one general intelligence;

(2) Each intelligence is relatively independent of the others;

(3) Any significant achievement involves a blend of intelligences;


(4) These intelligences are valued by cultures around the world, though not always to the same degree.


In Gardner's view, every human achievement is permeated by intelligence of a kind far more supple and complex than commonly believed. These multiple intelligences "are present in virtually every realm of human activity" and not just in the verbal and analytical activities commonly called "intelligent" (285). This conclusion leads Gardner to criticise our educational system for its bias toward the linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences--the two components of "IQ" as it is commonly understood.

Others with similar objections have proposed that the verbal and analytical intelligences are "left brain" functions which need to be balanced through a development of "right brain" methods, such as spatial and wholistic thought. Gardner gives us a long look at the next level of complexity beyond the simplicity of the left-brain/right-brain concept. In fact, he derives many of his conclusions from reexamining the same studies of brain damage that have been used to derive the "two-brain" theory. Looked at from his perspective, there are, in effect, seven "brains" instead of two--except Gardner divides the mind into functional, not anatomical, units. From the perspective of Frames of Mind, the two-brain theory lumps together some faculties that are not connected; two intelligences are not necessarily related just because they happen to share the right hemisphere. Such lumping is understandable; "in ordinary life," Gardner writes, "...these intelligences typically work in harmony, and so their autonomy may be invisible." And the theory of the left-right brain--whatever its shortcomings--has led to some intriguing work on the nature of writing and creativity, such as Rico's Writing the Natural Way and Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

Even though it was first published in 1983, Gardner's theory has not made an impact on the teaching of writing--though it has influenced some innovative research like John-Steiner's study of creativity. This article introduces Gardner's 7-part theory of mind with the hope that it will stimulate new ways of thinking about writing and the teaching of writing. I am most familiar with college-level writing of the kind that requires considerable research and organization, such as magazine non-fiction. When this article refers to "writing" in general, that is usually the kind meant--though the theory should apply fruitfully to other kinds of writing as well.

Writing can be seen as a blend of several distinct human capacities--and Gardner offers useful descriptions of what some of those may be. Clearly, good writing cannot be guaranteed by increasing the quantity of anything--including the number of "intelligences" at work. Following each section below, however, I have included a few suggestions for engaging each of the seven intelligences in the writing classroom, in same spirit a teacher might ask students to isolate other elements of writing, such as description, dialogue, or revision.

The theory of multiple intelligences does not deal with such concepts as motivation, attention, persistence, learning strategies, learning styles, adaptability, practical intelligence, inspiration, and wisdom, though Gardner discusses how the theory might relate to some of these. Because it is concerned primarily with cognitive operations, Gardner's theory is strong on intellectual operations and weaker in accounting for emotional, creative, and spiritual life. And like most other Western theories, it does not consider altered states of consciousness. There are loose ends; yet, confronted by the magnitude and originality of Gardner's synthesis (as well as his remarkable humility about it), one is not bothered by loose ends. Gardner's thought is richly and responsibly speculative. He marshals page after page of of intriguing evidence, proposes bold ways to synthesize it, and views the entire enterprise with passionate detachment. He even insists that "there is not, and there can never be, a single irrefutable and universally accepted list of human intelligences" (60). His approach enriches our view of mind without overwhelming us with unrelatable bits of data. This theory might not be the last word on the subject, but some theory of such magnitude is needed to account for the evidence he discusses.

At many points in Frames of Mind where writing and writers would provide apt illustrations of Gardner's theories, he does not mention them; he had other purposes in mind. In using the theory of the 7 intelligences as a lens onto writing, I have had to fill in with a wide range of speculation. Four of Gardner's intelligences seem clearly related to writing, and I discuss them first (not in the order he presents them). They are the linguistic, the logical-mathematical, and the two personal intelligences.


Forward to Linguistic Intelligence
Table 1: The Intelligences as Characterized by Howard Gardner
Contents