ESL Education and Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

A size does not fit all approach to ESL education can help meet individual differences in cognition and how these variances affect students’ ability to acquire and learn a second language. There are many teaching methodologies and theories that have been integrated into ESL classrooms throughout the years to help ESL students attaint academic achievement. One of the most popular theories in the education field has been Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner, a Harvard neuropsychologist, proposed the Theory of Multiple Intelligences to demonstrate that we have “a multiplicity of intelligences that are relatively independent of each other” and that these intelligences help us “know the world, solve problems, create things, understand other individuals, and understand of ourselves” (Hashemian & Adibpour p. 30 and Lane, 2010).

The major differences lies “in the strength of these intelligences” and “in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains" (Lane, 2010). Gardner’s originally defined intelligence as “the ability to solve problems or to create products that are valued within one or more cultural settings” (Hashemian & Adibpour p.29). Gardner initially proposed seven intelligences, which are linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily- kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Later in 1999, he redefined intelligence “as the bio-psychological potential to process information in certain ways which allows the individual to solve problems and fashion products that are valuable within a cultural context” (Hashemian & Adibpour p.30). In addition, he proposed an eighth intelligence, which he called naturalist intelligence. Furthermore, he suggested a probability of the existence of another intelligence, which he referred as existential intelligence.

Gardner’s theory is fundamental in learning because it “specifically caters to the diversity characterizing individuals, and hence leads to more effective and sensible approach to address unique learners in the classroom” (McFarlane p. 3). Knowing students’ strengths can help teachers design lessons that correlate, nurture, and optimize these assets. This is very beneficial for ESL instruction because it allows teachers to present and engage students in second language learning that enables “learners to assimilate new information into their existing mental structures or schemata” (Hashemian & Adibpour p. 27).

References:

Hashemian M., & Adibpour M. (2012). Relationship between Iranian L2 learners’ multiple intelligences and language learning strategies. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 3(1), 25-43. Retrieved from http://rals.scu.ac.ir/article_10369_0.html

Lane C. (2011). Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved from http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html

McFarlane, D. (2011). Multiple Intelligences: The most effective platform for global 21st century educational and instructional methodologies. College Quarterly, 14(2), 1-8. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ962362.pdf