The Goal of Multiple Intelligences MI The Function and Benefits of MI

26 Gardner’s criteria that considered are evidenced by: 1 The potential isolation of an intellectual competence by brain damage; 2 The presence of highly uneven profiles of abilities of idiot savants, prodigies, and autistic children; 3 The existence of one or more basic information processing mechanisms or core operations on various kinds of input, such as the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic capacities in language, or the rhythmic and pitch abilities in music; 4 The existence of a distinctive developmental history linked to an identifiable set of expert performances; 5 The plausibility of an evolutionary history; 6 The support from experimental tasks showing the difficulty of establishing transfers of learning across tasks; 7 The support from psychometric findings on the high correlation among tasks designed to assess one type of ability; and 8 The susceptibility to encoding in a symbol system such as language, mathematics, and picturing Chan, 2000. Based on these criteria above, firstly, Gardner 1983 initially identified seven intelligences that all individuals possess to varying degrees. These all intelligences can be combined and used in highly personal ways. In his 1999 book, entitled Intelligence Reframed, Gardner considered additional candidate 27 intelligences. The intelligence includes spiritual, existential, and moral ones. Finally, in 1999, Gardner added naturalist intelligence as the eighth intelligence. Below are the definition of the eight intelligences and also the example. Table 2.1 Definition of MI and the Examples Intelligence Definition Example Verbal-linguistic intelligence Ability to think in words and language, and to use in expressing and appreciates complex meanings listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Authors, poets, journalist, speakers, newscasters. Logical-mathematical intelligence This intelligence deals with deductive and inductive reasoning, numbers and relationships. It involves the ability to calculate, to recognize patterns, to work with geometric shapes, to consider propositions and hypotheses, and to carry out complex mathematical operations. Scientist, accountant, engineer, computer programmer. Visual-spatial intelligence This includes the ability to visualize an object and to create mental images. It deals with the visual arts, navigation, architecture, games such as chess, and to producedecode graphic information. Sailor, pilot, sculptor, painter, architect. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence It is related to physical movement, the knowledge of the body and its functions. It includes the ability to manipulate objects, to use the body to express emotions, to play a game, and to interpret and to invoke effective body language. Athletes, dancers, surgeons, Musical intelligence It includes the ability to recognize melody, pitch, rhythm, and timbre. It includes the sensitivity to environmental sounds, the human voice and Composer, conductor, musician, critic, instrument makers. 28 musical instruments. Interpersonal intelligence It is used to understand and to interact effectively with others. It includes the ability to communicate with others, to have empathy for their feelings and beliefs, to work with and relate to others, and to understand their moods, temperaments, motivations, and intentions. Teacher, social worker, actor, politician. Intrapersonal intelligence It refers to the ability to construct an accurate perception of oneself and to use the knowledge in planning and directing one’s life. Theologian, psychologist, philosopher. Naturalist intelligence It consists of observing patterns in nature, identifying and classifying objects, and understanding natural and human made systems. Farmer, botanist, hunter, ecologist, landscaper. Every student may have different intelligences. It means that they cannot be assessed and evaluated in the same way or one way. Below are some activities which can be applied in class according to Christison and Amstrong, as quoted by Freeman 2000: 170. They are: Table 2. 2 Example of Activities for MI Intelligence Examples of activities Logical-mathematical Puzzle, logical games, classifications and categorizations, cards games Visual-spatial Jigsaw puzzle, videos, drawing, maze, map globe, chards and grids Bodily-kinesthetic Fieldtrips, pantomime, magic tricks, hands-on activity Musical Singing, playing music instrument, listen to the music or songs Interpersonal Pair work, group discussion, project work Intrapersonal Self-evaluation, journal keeping 29 Intelligence Examples of activities Verballinguistic Story-telling, debates, crossword puzzle, scrabble, note-taking. Although nowadays there have been nine intelligences found, the writer only used seven intelligences to be covered in her English speaking material design. The seven intelligences are linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, visual-spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence. As the conclusion which is based on the criteria of MI and the ways of assessing the intelligences, it can be seen that MI is a ‘flexible’ method in teaching learning process. It seems flexible since it gives more chances for any new knowledge, techniques, concepts, plans or anything that may help students in developing their dominant intelligences. Through MI, the students’ needs may fulfilled by the teachers. The teaching learning process may become a comfortable zone for the teachers and of course for the students since they can explore themselves in the suitable ways. MI may bring some benefits for the teachers and also the students since it can be applied in any schools and family. It gives chances on some new discoveries techniques, or concept, or the way in understanding. The teachers can be more creative and have initiative to find more ways in helping students to fulfill their needs. On the other hand, the students may get more chances and ways to express their intelligences. Through this way, the students can be more active and successful learners in their own unique ways.