Dr. Spencer Kagan & Miguel Kagan
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Dr.
Spencer Kagan directs Kagan Publishing and Professional Development,
a leading educational organization in the United States. |
Most parents dream of having smart children. We
all want the best for our kids. Parents can play a tremendous role in
making that dream a reality.
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Parents
can develop their babies’ intelligence by exposing them
to a wide variety of stimulating activities that span the intelligences. |
Our understanding of intelligence has changed dramatically since our
parents were raising us. The traditional notion of intelligence was that
we were born with a certain level intelligence. Intelligence was fixed
at birth. For our entire lives, our intelligence level for the most part
was predetermined.
If your parents or family were bright, you had
a good chance of being of being smart. You might even become a genius.
Conversely, if your parents were swimming in the shallow end of the
gene pool, chances were, you’d
never reach the deep end either. The traditional notion of intelligence
would have us believe that the potential of each child was limited at
birth. The modern view of intelligence is based on brain plasticity.
That is, we are learning that the experience we provide our children
has a tremendous impact on their intelligence and their potential.
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Is
Mozart less of a genius than Einstein? Or simply a different
kind of genius? |
Dr.
Howard Gardner, a Harvard psychologist, is one of a number of modern
scientists who challenge the theory that intelligence is fixed, and that
intelligence is a unitary entity. These scientists argue quite convincingly
that we are not stuck with the same level of intelligence bestowed upon
us at birth. And even more revolutionary, they suggest that there is
not one thing called intelligence. There are
multiple intelligences — many
ways to be smart.
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Einstein’s
name has become synonymous with genius. But there are many different
ways to be smart. |
Think of Mozart. He was a musical genius. A genius.
His symphonies, operas, and concertos were nothing short of brilliant.
Mozart was music smart.
Einstein, on the other hand, was logic and math
smart. His name is virtually synonymous with intelligence thanks to
his accomplishments in mathematics and physics. Was Mozart less intelligent
than Einstein? It depends on your definition of intelligence. According
to Multiple Intelligences theories, Einstein and Mozart are both smart,
but in very different ways. There are many ways to be smart. Our children
are smart in many different ways too.
Dr. Gardner has identified eight
intelligences. We all possess all eight intelligences and they are
differently developed in each of us. The chart below illustrates the
skills associated with each intelligence and typical professions associated
with each intelligence.
The Eight
Ways to Be Smart
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Intelligence |
Skilled With |
Typical Professions |
Famous Individual |
Verbal/Linguistic |
reading, writing, speaking, listening,
vocabulary |
authors, speakers |
Shakespeare |
Logical/Mathematical |
numbers, logic, computation, analysis,
synthesis |
accountants, lawyers, scientists |
Einstein |
Visual/Spatial |
design, color, detail |
artist, architects |
van Gogh |
Musical/Rhythmic |
playing, composing, singing |
musicians, lyricists |
Mozart |
Bodily/Kinesthetic |
motor skills |
actors, athletes |
Tiger Woods |
Naturalist |
natural world and phenomena |
biologists, oceanologists |
Charles Darwin |
Interpersonal |
relationships |
teachers, politicians, salespeople |
Mother Teresa |
Intrapersonal |
introspection, feelings, beliefs |
psychiatrists, philosophers, theologians |
Mohammed |
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Look at the typical professions for each intelligence.
Aren’t
these valued professions in society? Look at the famous individuals.
They were all very smart, but in very different ways. Each child has
the potential to be smart, but each in different ways. Granted, not every
child has the potential to be an Einstein or Mozart. But as parents,
we can foster the development of each child’s unique pattern of
intelligence.
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Each
child’s mind is unique. Encourage your child to reach his
or her full potential. |
As educators who work to enhance student learning and
achievement, we embrace the multiple intelligences theory. It aligns
very well with our work with teachers and schools. For years we have
been developing instructional strategies to make learning more engaging
and interactive for students. We share our methods with tens of thousands
of teachers each year through our workshops and publications. Schools
that adopt multiple intelligences approaches are reporting impressive
gains on traditional academic tests as well as in the areas of art, music,
physical education, social relations, and understanding of self and nature.
As
a parent, you might be asking, “What can I do to help my child
learn?” The answer is a lot! As parents, we can help our children
become smarter in many ways by exposing our
children to a rich array of learning activities that develop their many ways of being smart. Below
are some ideas for developing babies’ and children’s multiple
intelligences:
Developing your Baby’s Multiple Intelligences
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Intelligence |
Activities |
Verbal/Linguistic |
• Read to your baby
• Develop your baby’s vocabulary by associating your actions and objects
with words |
Logical/Mathematical |
• Count with your
baby
• Point out patterns and numbers
• Use simple addition and subtraction |
Visual/Spatial |
• Draw for you baby
• Share pictures and visuals with your baby
• Allow your baby to scribble with colors |
Musical/Rhythmic |
• Sing to your baby
• Play music
• Expose your child to a wide variety of sounds and musical patterns |
Bodily/Kinesthetic |
• Touch and describe
different body parts
• Encourage baby to manipulate toys and blocks |
Naturalist |
• Take your baby outdoors
to focus on trees and plants
• Get a pet
• Visit the zoo or botanical garden |
Interpersonal |
• Allow your baby
to interact with other babies
• Play imitation games with your baby |
Intrapersonal |
• Allow your baby
occasional quiet and alone time |
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Developing your Child’s Multiple Intelligences
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Intelligence |
Activities |
Verbal/Linguistic |
• Read about it
• Listen to an oral presentation or story
• Keep a learning journal
• Prepare an oral presentation |
Logical/Mathematical |
• Perform an experiment
• Compare and contrast
• Have your child perform calculations —balance a check book, calculate
charges and change |
Visual/Spatial |
• Visit an art museum
• Take and evaluate photographs
• Watch a video program
• Create a drawing |
Musical/Rhythmic |
• Sing together
• Listen to a wide variety of music types
• Play an instrument
• Compose |
Bodily/Kinesthetic |
• Act it out
• Engage in sports, ballet, gymnastics
• Touch it, manipulate it
• Build a model |
Naturalist |
• Investigate flora
and fauna with your child
• Investigate with a magnifying glass, microscope, telescope |
Interpersonal |
• Interact with a
wide range of individuals and personality types
• Discuss why others do what they do
• Understand the point of view of others |
Intrapersonal |
• Allow alone time,
meditation
• Discuss or journal about plans, values, feelings
• Discuss dreams |
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In a series of articles for Kagan Online Magazine,
we will provide ideas and activities to help parents develop their
children’s many
different ways to be smart.
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