Assessing Through Multiple Intelligences

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Are you looking for new ways to move beyond traditional written tests and quizzes? This issue provides practical tips and strategies for how to integrate all eight intelligences (as defined by Howard Gardner) into the assessment process.

Are you looking for new ways to move beyond traditional written tests and quizzes? This issue provides practical tips and strategies for how to integrate all eight intelligences (as defined by Howard Gardner) into the assessment process.

Tips

Howard Gardner, creator of the theory of multiple intelligences (MI), defines assessment as "the obtaining of information about the skills and potentials of individuals, with the dual goals of providing useful feedback to the individuals and useful data to the surrounding community" (1993, p. 174). In other words, the purpose of assessment is to provide useful feedback to students, educators, and parents about students' performance and abilities. Since students are intelligent in multiple ways, it follows that the most accurate and meaningful assessments are based on multiple intelligences as well.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES ASSESSMENT MENU

BODILY-KINESTHETIC

(Involves physical movement and knowledge of the body; usually large-muscle activity; coordinated.)

INTRAPERSONAL

(Identifies with intuition and introspection; self-knowledge [not necessarily introverted].)

INTERPERSONAL

(Oriented toward social or group relationships; affectively communicative; cooperative.)

LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL

(Oriented toward thinking: inductive and deductive logic, numeration, abstract patterns; contemplative problem solver.)

MUSICAL-RHYTHMIC

(Responds to acoustic patterns, sounds, rhythms, and tempo.)

NATURALIST

(Recognizes and classifies plants, animals, and minerals including a mastery of taxonomies.)

VERBAL-LINGUISTIC

(Focuses thinking on language, both aural and symbolic.)

VISUAL-SPATIAL

(Depends on visual and proximity thinking; thinks in images; imaginative.)

BUILDING A MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES ASSESSMENT PROFILE

Develop well-rounded assessments in your classroom by drawing from all eight categories. See below for a sample profile.

SAMPLE:

Subject: American History
Topic: President Thomas Jefferson

Bodily-Kinesthetic: Act out a scene and/or event from Jefferson's life.

Interpersonal: Stand in the shoes of Jefferson and discuss a modern issue (i.e., his thoughts about our treatment of the environment).

Intrapersonal: Choose a problem you are facing and imagine what Jefferson would advise you to do.

Logical-Mathematical: Create a timeline of the key events of his life and presidency.

Musical-Rhythmic: Create a song based on the key events of his life and presidency.

Naturalist: Identify and describe the impact of Jefferson's naturalistic beliefs and "inventions."

Verbal-Linguistic: Write an interview with President Jefferson, including your questions and his probable answers.

Visual-Spatial: Present the costumes, art, and architecture for which Jefferson was known. Designing assessments that involve multiple intelligences ensures that students are being assessed fairly, regardless of their strengths and weaknesses in the different areas.

Source: The above concepts are based on the PLS graduate course Purposeful Learning Through Multiple Intelligences™.

References:

Chen, J.Q., & Gardner, H. In D.P. Flanagan, J.L. Genshaft, & P.L. Harrison (1997). Alternative assessment from a multiple intelligences theoretical perspective. Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests, and issues, , 105-121.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: BasicBooks.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: BasicBooks.

Rothman, R. In D.D. Marsh & J.B. Codding (1999). Standards and assessment: the foundation of high student achievement. The new American high school , , 37-61.

Trice, A.D. (2000). A handbook of classroom assessment. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.