By Amber Strong Makaiau, Ph.D.
At the end of the Fall 2024 semester, I was reminded of the wonderful impact that Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (introduced to me close to 25 years ago) continues to have on my teaching practice. It was the last day of class for the second cohort of our University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy masters students. In addition to the incredible amount of reading, writing, and dialogue they had engaged in over the course of the semester, the group was invited by my co-teacher (Dr. Chad Miller) and I to give a presentation of learning using a modality that would best communicate and illustrate their growth. In the presentation criteria we encouraged them to use a medium that would, “capture the spirit of who you are becoming as a progressive educator and philosopher.” It was a small parameter embedded into this end of semester assessment activity, a piece of criteria that ultimately yielded a very moving set of deliverables.
On the final night of class in December, our entire Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy community of inquiry experienced pure joy and delight as the presentations unfolded. Two members of the class composed original songs, another used her hands to sew a quilt with a group of students, some focused on the scientific rigor of their evolving research methods, another used a video to illustrate the interpersonal qualities of doing philosophy with her middle school students, one student shared a dance performance, and others spoke eloquently about the depth of their personal and professional growth over the course of the semester. If I had to pick one word to describe this “assessment experience,” it would be pluralistic. At the end of our time together, we all left with a more expansive window into the way in which each of the unique individuals in the program had applied what they learned about a number of rigorous academic concepts (e.g. pragmatism, progressive pedagogy, research methods, etc.) to new contexts.
In this blog I make connections between my students’ sharing that night and the small, yet bold move that Howard Gardner (1983) made when he added an “s” to the end of intelligence. Completely aligned to the philosophical underpinnings of the progressive education movement, Gardner’s pluralization of the word intelligence ultimately transformed the way many educators think about teaching and assessing their students (Mineo, 2018). I’ll share a little bit about Howard Gardner’s connections to progressive education, specifically how his theory of multiple intelligences can be applied to articulating the rationale behind a progressive education pedagogy. At the blog’s conclusion, with the permission of our students, I’ll share a handful of artifacts from their end of semester exhibitions. Hopefully–in an effort to develop humans who are more confident in applying their wide range of intelligences to solve the world’s most pressing problems in unique ways–this will encourage more educators to experiment with the value of incorporating diverse assessment products into their teaching practice.
Howard Gardner and Progressive Education
I came of age as a teacher researcher in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Among other scholars and researchers, Howard Gardner was a name I became quite familiar with at the time, often referenced by my professors and mentor teachers. I remember reading The Enlightened Eye in my first qualitative research class, which helped to expand my thinking about the ways in which the diverse approaches to inquiry–carried out in the arts, humanities, and social sciences–could support the research I was doing in my own classroom. Additionally, I remember my educational foundations professor and practicum course instructors introducing my classmates and I to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Much like the summary to follow, they asked us think about the ways we might translate his theory into our emerging classroom practice:
Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory can be used for curriculum development, planning instruction, selection of course activities, and related assessment strategies. Gardner points out that everyone has strengths and weaknesses in various intelligences, which is why educators should decide how best to present course material given the subject-matter and individual class of students. Indeed, instruction designed to help students learn material in multiple ways can trigger their confidence to develop areas in which they are not as strong. In the end, students’ learning is enhanced when instruction includes a range of meaningful and appropriate methods, activities, and assessments (Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2020).
Not surprisingly–as this 2010 interview with Gardner illustrates–the conceptual arguments presented about Gardner’s theories and the practical ways they can be implemented in the classroom resonated with my experiences attending Hanahau‘oli School as a child. Ultimately, Gardner’s theory was and continues to be well-aligned with my progressive philosophy of education.
I’m not sure how Gardner found his way to progressive education, but I’m assuming it might have been through his studies at Harvard and his chance meeting with the cognitive psychologists Jerome Bruner and then Jean Piaget (Mineo, 2018). Bruner and Piaget’s constructivist theories of learning are now commonly used to explain and justify the merits of progressive philosophy and pedagogy. “Dewey (1916), Piaget (1973), Vygotsky (1978) and Bruner (1996) [all] suggested that individuals could be active receivers of knowledge and ‘construct’ the new forms of knowledge they take on [with] earlier forms of knowledge” (Tryantafyllou, 2022, p.1). Today, decades of empirical research (Ayaz & Secerci, 2015) have shown the positive impact of constructivist teaching on student engagement, critical thinking, and academic achievement. As a result, the constructivist views on cognitive development that Gardener was exposed to as a graduate student are still being used to rationalize why progressive education practices such as student-centered learning, inquiry-based approaches, and making learning relevant to real-life situations are trustworthy and effective.
The links between Gardner’s life’s work and the contributions he has made to the progressive education movement deepened when he became a research assistant at Project Zero. Located at Harvard University today, Project Zero is an ongoing initiative with the mission to understand and nurture human potentials–such as learning, thinking, ethics, intelligence and creativity–in all human beings. When Gardner first started at Project Zero, he was also working with brain-damaged patients at the Boston Veterans Administration Hospital:
And so, every day, almost by chance, I’d be working at the VA with brain-damaged patients in the morning, and in the afternoon I’d be doing studies with kids at Project Zero. This was a really transformative experience. Seeing dozens of brain-damaged patients, I realized that the notion of intellect being one thing didn’t make any sense. The first thing that strikes you about brain damage is that it is quite selective. Some patients had lost their language abilities but they were very musical or vice versa. I also worked with kids, and some of them were good in writing, others were good in drawing, and some others in dancing or painting. And people can be very good in music but they can’t write a coherent sentence — or vice versa. All these experiences chipped away at the notion of intelligence as being one, singular…I have never been able to reconstruct when I made the fateful decision not to call these abilities, talents, or gifts, but rather to call them “intelligences.” Because if I had called them anything else, I would not be well known in different corners of the world and journalists like you wouldn’t come to interview me. It was picking the word “intelligence” and pluralizing it…That’s also what shifted me from being a standard experimental psychologist to becoming more interested in education (Mineo, 2018).
This extraordinary move–to apply what he was learning from brain research to challenge widely accepted ideas about the static and singular nature of intelligence in the context of schooling–helped to connect the ideas of many early progressive philosophers and educators to the modern scientific era.
Since then, Howard Gardner has had an expansive and distinguished career “divided loosely into three foci: psychology, education, and now ethics” (Mineo, 2018).
Gardner’s research has explored a range of diverse topics, from the role of experiential learning and the need for individualized education, to the ways apps and technology are altering classrooms from kindergarten through college. His theory of “multiple intelligences”—the recognition that humans learn in different ways and have affinities and strengths that cluster in eight categories (bodily-kinetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, linguistic, logical, musical, naturalist, or spatial)—has led him to oppose pedagogical efforts that “make education uniform” and that apply the same one-size-fits-all metrics to every student. As he writes in On Education, this tendency is both “inappropriate on scientific grounds and distasteful on ethical grounds” (Bader, 2024).
With clear connections to the prescient ideas of early progressive philosophers and practitioners, Gardner has recently taken to referencing the movement when commenting on the current state of the American education system. Just this past December he shared:“I agree with John Dewey that issues of democracy get worked out in school. That’s important, but neither the left nor the right are currently prioritizing the broad education of our children. Even more worrisome for me is the general public’s antipathy toward higher education.… I hold onto the idea that by working together we can turn the tide and once again promote ethical and progressive values” (Bader, 2024).
Connecting Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences to Progressive Education Pedagogy
In celebration of his life’s work, Howard Gardner recently published two new books featuring compilations of a number of essays and research studies that highlight his ongoing contributions to the fields of psychology, education and ethics. They are: The Essential Howard Gardner on Education and The Essential Howard Gardner on Mind (both available from Teachers College Press, 2024). “In The Essential Howard Gardner on Education, Gardner provides readers with his insights on teaching, purposeful curriculum, and assessing student learning. And in The Essential Howard Gardner on Mind, he distills his ideas on intelligence, cognitive strengths, and thinking into one easy to read, and useful book” (Gasman, 2024). We recently purchased both books at the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center, and as I started reading through The Essential Howard Gardner on Mind, I was reminded of the many ways his theory of multiple intelligences is not only connected to my own teaching practice but also key progressive educational principals. Particularly, I was captivated by Essay 17 (pp. 121 - 134) titled, “In A Nutshell.”
In this short chapter he begins with French Psychologist Alfred Binet who “devised the first tests of human intelligence or intellect” for the purpose of identifying “which children would sail through the early grades of school” and “which children were likely to encounter learning challenges” (Gardner, 2024, p. 121). Binet’s work eventually led to the development of the intelligent quotient or IQ test, the Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT, and eventually the “Binet-SAT” (p. 121). As most people are aware of today, this standardized testing enterprise has grown exponentially since its inception. It also paved the way for Charles Spearman’s idea of General Intelligence, also called “g.” Core to “g” is the idea that “if you had a lot of it, [it was believed] you could use it for anything…You could be a politician, a poet, a philosopher, or pianist. Everything was open to you. If you haven’t got a lot of it, forget it. You couldn’t do anything significant” (Gardner, 2024, p. 122). Both Binet and Spearman’s work aligned to and reinforced the traditional forms of education that Dewey explicitly aimed to challenge in books like Experience and Education (1938).
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has helped to build on Dewey (1938) and others’ call for a more progressive approach to education. He applied what he was learning about the brain to develop “an alternative vision…a pluralistic view of the mind, recognizing many different and discrete facets of cognition” (p. 122). Multiple intelligences theory:
…pluralizes the traditional concept. An intelligence is a computational capacity–a capacity to process a certain kind of information–that is a component of human biology and human psychology…An intelligence entails the ability to solve problems or fashion products that are of consequence in a particular cultural setting or community. The problem-solving skill allows one to approach a situation in which a goal is to be obtained and to locate the appropriate route to that goal. The creation of a cultural product allows one to capture and transmit knowledge or to express one’s conclusions, beliefs, or feelings. The problems to be solved range from creating an end for a story to anticipating a mating move in chess to preparing a quilt. Products range from scientific theories to musical compositions to successful political campaigns (Gardner, 2024, p. 123).
For anyone steeped in the progressive education tradition (definitions of which are outlined in this recent blog) the many ways in which Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences can be applied to progressive education teaching abound. This brings me back to my students.
Progressive Education Assessment Practices, Using Multiple Intelligences
Gardner ends Essay 17 (pp. 121 - 134) with this final quote:
We are all different from one another in significant measure because we all have different combinations of intelligences. If we recognize this, I think we will have at least a better chance of dealing appropriately with the many problems we face in the world. If we can mobilize the spectrum of human abilities, not only will people feel better about themselves and more competent; it is even possible that they will also feel more engaged and better able to join the rest of the world community in working for the broader good. Perhaps if we can mobilize the full range of human intelligences and ally them to an ethical sense, we can help to increase the likelihood of our survival on this planet, and perhaps even contribute to our thriving (Gardner, 2024, p. 134).
In harmony with his sentiments, to follow are some examples from the second cohort of our University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy masters students' final presentations of learning. They breathe life into Gardner’s words and demonstrate how his theory can be applied to developing and carrying out progressive education assessment practices.
As I shared above, our students were invited to give a presentation of learning using a modality that would best communicate and illustrate their growth. In addition to presentations about social justice action plans and research studies that focused on teaching empathy, student-centered inquiry, place-based agricultural education, and teacher professional development, we also got to experience a wide range of final products that highlight the multiple intelligences we need to create the better future society that Gardner speaks to in his quote above. To follow are links that take you to their presentations (given after one semester in the program). I hope you enjoy what you see, hear, and feel. Perhaps, they will inspire you to challenge yourself and experiment with how you might apply Gardner’s work to design and implement progressive education assessment practices that support students in cultivating and nurturing their multiple intelligences as well.
Eugene Tunac Marquez, Peer Mentor Coordinator for GEAR UP Hawaiʻi
About My Presentation: My presentation aimed to showcase the knowledge I have gained about philosophy for children Hawaiʻi (p4c Hawaiʻi), a movement that emphasizes the power of critical thinking, self-expression, and philosophical inquiry. It highlighted the importance of asking meaningful questions, engaging in deep thought, and challenging assumptions. This experience allowed me to illustrate how p4c Hawaiʻi can help foster a more reflective society.
Modality Selected: I chose song composition because singing has always been an important part of my life. I appreciate having the ability to create subtleties in the lyrics to encourage listeners to self-reflect and discover their own meaning. This aligns with the values of p4c, which encourages individuals to seek their own truth rather than simply accepting answers.
Dwayne Sakaguchi, Social Studies Teacher at McKinley High School
About My Presentation: This presentation was created to show my journey through my first semester in my MEdCS Progressive Philosophy & Pedagogy Program. It shows the progress made on select assignments and was a mini outline of where I am going as a student in this program, as an educator and civic participant in my community.
Modality Selected: I selected a slide presentation to present my written content and connected it through my skill of lyrical dancing. The goal was to connect my main ideas and themes through movement and song while portraying select emotions to demonstrate the journey through pursuing education as a profession. I chose to use this modality because it is a skill that I am comfortable doing and I thought it was a good way to evidence that there are multiple ways to present work. This progressive approach pushes boundaries to explore different methods to present products and it provides educators a door to explore different forms of assessment styles.
Click here to view Dwayne’s Slide Deck and here to view Dwayne’s Lyrical Dance Performance
Tai Baird, Special Education Teacher at Wailuku Elementary
About My Presentation: Along with several elementary and high school special education students on Maui, we created this quilt. Over the course of the semester I was able to get to know a fabulous and enriching student, by the name of Noreen Varney who passed away on November 15, 2024. Noreen and I became very close and fast friends during our time in the program together. This quilt, made up of many different quilt squares not only tells stories about our first semester in the program together, but Noreen (or “Ms. Noreen” as we all called her) is represented in the beautiful stitches holding us all together.
Modality Selected: Quilting. I wanted to use quilting to teach others about social justice and philosophy through a hands-on concept to make something with my hands!
Emiko George, Music Teacher at Waikiki Elementary School
About My Presentation: I chose to collaborate with my students and compose a song that answered the question: What does Philosophy for Children sound like? Here is a slide show that illustrates our journey.
Modality Selected: Song composition and performance, in collaboration with students at Waikiki Elementary.
Click here to listen to the song Emiko composed and sings with her students
Works Cited:
Ayaz, M.F. & Secerci, H. (2015). The effects of the constructivist learning approach on student’s academic achievement: A meta-analysis study. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 14(4), 143-155. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1077612.pdf
Bader, E. J. (2024, December 4). Howard Gardner on education today: The psychologist known for his theory of multiple intelligences speaks about the state of education in the United States.The Progressive Magazine. https://progressive.org/public-schools-advocate/howard-gardner-on-education-today-bader-20241204/
Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. New York: MacMillan.
Gardner, H. (2024). The Essential Howard Gardner on education. Teachers College Press.
Gardner, H. (2024). The Essential Howard Gardner on mind. Teachers College Press.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences. New York, Basic Books.
Gasman, M. (2024, November, 26). Howard Gardner’s thoughts on education and the mind. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marybethgasman/2024/11/26/howard-gardners-thoughts-on-education-and-the-mind/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-80CNd4rrnhCCZSyYpVWialuFZuslUJCCrYSbAXVnhwJ3VyhVp_0zfrKw7PBc2GBW5_G8FL8gKLPjDDkUU_8zBp7quEdg&_hsmi=338090121&utm_content=338090121&utm_source=hs_email
Mineo, L. (2018, May 9). The greatest gift you can have is a good education, one that isn’t strictly professional. The Harvard Gazette.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/05/harvard-scholar-howard-gardner-reflects-on-his-life-and-work/
Piaget, J. (1973). The affective unconscious and the cognitive unconscious. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 21(2), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/000306517302100201
Tryantafyllou, S. A. (2022). Constructivist learning environments. International Conference on Advanced Research in Teaching (pp. 1-6). https://www.dpublication.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2-4042.pdf
Vygotsky LS (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is a Specialist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Director of Curriculum and Research at the Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education, Director of the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center, and Co-Director of the Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy MEd Interdisciplinary Education, Curriculum Studies program. A former Hawai‘i State Department of Education high school social studies teacher, her work in education is focused around promoting a more just and equitable democracy for today’s children. Dr. Makaiau lives in Honolulu where she enjoys spending time in the ocean with her husband and two children.
