Multiple Intelligences News from Asia

Two news stories published in October 2014 from countries in Asia have focused on spreading awareness of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory.

First, The Philippine Star, the most circulated daily newspaper in the Philippines, discussed multiple intelligences in its piece on mothers becoming more involved in their childrens' educations by advocating for more inclusive conceptions of intellect and a broader spectrum of activities. Quoting from Gardner's book Frames of Mind, which introduced the theory of MI in 1983, the article makes the case that there are many different ways children can understand skills and that education can foster these multifaceted interpretations.

Read the full article here via The Philippine Star.

Second, the English-language Indian newspaper The New Indian Express highlighted a two-day workshop for teachers at St. John's Public School in Chennai, India. The conference exposed participants to multiple intelligences theory and informed teachers about how to incorporate new ways of teaching into their classrooms in order to touch upon all students' strengths.

Visit The New Indian Express to read more.

These exciting developments in Asia indicate the relevance of MI theory to the educational landscape today across national borders.

Howard Gardner on "Beyond Wit and Grit"

As part of the Bold Ideas & Critical Conversations event held during the Harvard Graduate School of Education campaign launch on September 19, 2014, eight faculty members were each given eight minutes to discuss research-based ideas that they think will have an impact on the field.

Howard Gardner chose to talk on the topic of "Beyond Wit and Grit," synthesizing his life's work from Multiple Intelligences to the Good Project and coming to the conclusion that wits (intellectual capacities) and grit (work ethic and perseverance), directed towards "good" aims, will have a positive impact on society.

Watch the video of this lecture on YouTube below!

To view the other seven talks by HGSE faculty, click here.

Multiple Intelligences and The Good Project

Howard Gardner has written a guest article in Valerie Strauss’s “Answer Sheet” blog on educational topics in The Washington Post.

In this piece, Gardner asks, “What does it take to succeed?” Relating his earlier work on multiple intelligences to more recent research on The Good Project, he concludes that one needs wits (plural), by using our various intellectual capacities, as well as grit, a quality that denotes work ethic and perseverance, so long as it is directed in a positive direction, in order to achieve success. In this way, Gardner meshes his theory of MI with the excellence, ethics, and engagement of the Good Project enterprise and presents them as complementary keys to serving our communities well.

Gardner’s final takeaway is a short statement that encapsulates these ideas: “Multiple Wits and Good Grit Lead to a Success Beyond Selfies.”

Read the full article via The Washington Post’s “Answer Sheet.”

Multiple Intelligences Receives Attention in France

In the latter half of 2014, two periodicals in France have published articles devoted to multiple intelligences , bringing an exciting level of attention to the theory among French-speaking readers.

First, L'Express devoted it's August 2014 cover story to multiple intelligences, which included a significant series of articles on the nature of intelligence and learning through the lens of MI. An MI test to help readers conceptualize their intelligences, as well as a personal spotlight of a man with varying interests and abilities across several intelligences, were included. A PDF is available here.

Second, the magazine Bio Info ran a story in their Family/Education section about developing the eight intelligences of MI among children, with a breakdown of each component and an explanation of how incorporation of an MI perspective may help to increase educational capacity. See a PDF of the story here.

Turkish Magazine Speaks with Gardner on Multiple Intelligences

In the summer of 2014, BUMED, the monthly alumni magazine of the Turkish school Boğaziçi University, interviewed Howard Gardner about his theory of multiple intelligences.

Drawing from a previous interview with the Israeli periodical Educational Echoes, Gardner discusses MI theory, its implications, and his ideas about educational policies.

Read the interview in it’s entirety here.