Multiple Intelligences

By: Syamsul Kurniawan

In the old theory of intelligence, most authors signaled intelligence in at least three senses: first, the ability to learn; second, the overall knowledge gained; and third, the ability to adapt to new situations or the environment in general. In short, intelligence is the ability to solve problems faced by life, deal with problems, and make or do something useful in life.

The multiple intelligences proposed by Gardner can be said presently to perfect previous theories related to human intelligence. Later, Gardner's theory was used as a reference for teachers, school education practitioners, and parents.

Gardner, who pioneered the theory of multiple intelligences, was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1943. His parents once wanted to send Gardner to Philips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, but he turned it down and instead attended the nearby prep school in Kingston, Pennsylvania (Wyoming Seminary). Except for this preparatory school, Gardner had a history of education at Harvard University, and here he had the opportunity to learn a lot from several experts such as Erik Erikson (psychoanalyst), David Riesman (sociologist), and especially Jerome Burner (cognitive psychologist) who researched a lot about human knowledge. Gardner learned a lot from several of these experts, especially about his investigations of human nature, which included how humans think. Gardner completed his education at Harvard in 1971 with a dissertation on style sensitivity in children. Graduating from his Philosophical Doctoral, Gardner remained at Harvard and served as a teacher. During this time, Gardner did a lot of research, such as one he worked on with David Perkins, A professor in education. Frames of Mind,  published in 1983, was Gardner's first book about the theory of multiple intelligences.

Regarding the theory of multiple intelligences, Gardner defines intelligence as the ability of a child to solve and provide solutions to problems faced in real life, which tend to be diverse and complex. But for Gardner, intelligence is not enough to be defined as a child's ability to solve IQ test questions in the classroom. However, as Gardner suggests, intelligence as a theory of multiple intelligences is the ability of a child to solve problems in the real world and various situations.

Gardner emphasizes the ability to solve problems in the real world because, according to him, a person is said to have high intelligence if he can solve real problems in his life; it is not just a theory. The more a child is skilled and able to solve life problems with diverse and complex situations, The higher the intelligence.

By Gardner, intelligence was redefined. Gardner, who is a psychologist from Project Zero at Harvard University, as said by Daniel Muijs and David Reynolds in their book Effecting Teaching quoted by Munif Chatib, through the concept of multiple intelligences, managed to break the dominance of IQ theories and tests which since 1905 are widely used by psychologists in the world to measure intelligence.

Multiple intelligences is an assessment that wants to look descriptively at how a child uses his intelligence to solve problems and produce things. In general, Gardner's theoretical approach examines how the mind operates in the concrete and abstract world. In the book Frame of Mind, Gardner says,  'Intelligence is the ability to find and solve problems and create value products in one's own culture.'

The theory of multiple intelligences proposed by Gardner did not rely on a standard psychological test but on habits to measure a child's intelligence. At least, this refers to two things: first, a child's problem-solving pattern (problem-solving), And second, the habit of creating products with cultural value (creativity).

In short, in the theory of multiple intelligences, a child's intelligence should be seen from many dimensions, not only logical or verbal intelligence. That's why he called the concept of multiple intelligences. Gardner has deliberately not given a particular label to the meaning of intelligence, as did other originators of intelligence theorists, such as Alferd Binet with IQ, Daniel Goleman with EQ, and Paul Scholtz with the Adversity Quotient. The use of 'multiple intelligences' diction is more flexible and allows the realm of intelligence to continue to expand. As we know, previously, intelligence was classified by Gardner into six forms intelligence (first coined this concept) and then into 9 bits of intelligence. Regarding multiple intelligences, Gardner always describes three things that he thinks are important, namely core components, competence, and the best end conditions. And this is very relevant in the world of children's education, which parents should realize well during the period of being with children amid this pandemic.

Each area of the brain called the lobe of the brain, is said to have a core component in the form of potential sensitivity that arises from that area of the brain when given the right stimulus. As a result of the proper motivation, this sensitivity will produce competence. And if these competencies are honed continuously in education, depicted on the correct syllabus, the competencies will emerge as the best final condition of an individual. This best absolute condition is what most people call it, as seen from the child's talent. But if the stimulus is inappropriate, the competence will not appear prominent in the sense of 'mediocre.'

There are 9 bits of intelligence classified by Gardner, such as first, linguistic intelligence, which is a person's ability to use and process words effectively both orally and in writing. An individual with high linguistic intelligence should be able to speak well and fluently, quickly develop his language knowledge/ability and easily learn many languages. Those with this linguistic intelligence include poetry/song creators, editors, journalists, drama actors, literati, novelists, and so on. Second is logical-mathematical intelligence, the ability to use numbers and logic effectively. Individuals with logical-mathematical intelligence generally stand out and can easily do thought work, for example, related to the abstract. They can understand mathematics and philosophy and learn to count, calculate, and play with numbers. Even in many findings, those with this intelligence tendency prefer complex number symbols to long book sentences. Third, visual space intelligence (spatial intelligence) is the ability of an individual to capture the world of visual space precisely. Profiles of individuals who have this kind of intelligence are usually hunters, architects, navigators, and decorators. Those with visual space intelligence are generally sensitive to balance, relationships, colors, lines, shapes, and spaces. Fourth, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, which is the ability of a person to use the body or gestures to express ideas and feelings, such as actors, dancers, athletes, sculptors, and surgeons. Fifth, musical intelligence, namely the ability to develop, communicate and enjoy various kinds of music and sound, including sensitivity to rhythm, melody, and intonation, the ability to play musical instruments, sing, compose songs, and the ability to judge songs or music, and so on. Sixth is interpersonal intelligence, which is the ability to understand and be sensitive to the feelings, intentions, desires, dispositions, temperaments of others and the like. The ability to establish relationships and communicate with various people is a hallmark of individuals with this intelligence, as demonstrated by most communicators, mediators, facilitators, and mass mobilizers. Seventh, intrapersonal intelligence is the ability related to knowledge of oneself and the ability to act adaptively based on self-knowledge. Eighth, environmental intelligence/naturalist (naturalist intelligence), namely the intelligence to understand the world of flora and fauna well, understand and enjoy nature, and use this ability productively, as done by farmers, ranchers, and so on. Ninth, existential intelligence concerns a person's sensitivity and ability to answer existential problems or his existence.

This theory of multiple intelligences proposed by Gardner has marked the emergence of a new paradigm in education or learning. As noted earlier, in our educational world, it is often categorically separated children who are considered competent on the one hand and children who are deemed stupid on the other, by cognitive measures. Thus, with the concept of multiple intelligences, there should be no more smart or stupid children; What exists is their intelligence that is not the same alias different from one another. In this area, parents should be aware and wise that some children may have one or two intelligence and be weak in what some other children master. Consequently, parents educating their children are more varied because they can no longer focus on strengthening one or two intelligence as they perceive it. It could be that what he perceives is far from the potential intelligence that their children already have.***