CHILDREN LEARNING

Comparison of Vygotsky's theory to Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Comparison of Vygotsky's theory to Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Introduction

The multiple intelligence theory was first introduced by Howard Gardner, a professor of cognition and education at Harvard University in his book called Frames of Mind in 1983. Howard Gardner regarded it as a “pluralistic view of the mind” which recognizes many different and discrete facets of cognition and acknowledges that people have different cognitive strengths and contrasting cognitive styles. In designing his theory, Howard Gardner opposes the traditional view of the mind stating that his theory is a new outlook of the human intelligence. Howard Gardner's theory suggests that everyone is capable of learning and knowing about the world around them and he also gave a definition of intelligence. For most of the history of human beings, there had never been a scientific definition of intelligence and when spoken about it was referred to as people being “dull” or “bright with varying degrees.

Vygotsky's Theory of Child Development

Vygotsky focused on the social context of development and the role of the social environment as an important component in the development of the child. He felt social interactions are essential in the development of the child. More recently, there has been a growing interest in the multiple forms of intelligence, as proposed by Howard Gardner. Gardner's model of multiple intelligence has many implications for teaching and learning. The standard view of intelligence according to Gardner was that intelligence is something that an individual possesses at birth. The model of multiple intelligences challenges this view. According to Gardner, “an intelligence entails the ability to solve problems or fashion products that are of consequence in a particular cultural setting or community” (1993, p.15).

Gardner suggested that although individuals have a biological proclivity to solving problems in a particular way, the cultural nurturance of the domain is equally important and plays a large role in a child's proclivity towards certain intelligences. This perspective supports Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory of learning.

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner considers his new concept of intelligence as an expansion of the term intelligence. Howard Gardner's new concept includes areas that had not been considered having any association with intelligence at all. There are many human capacities, talents, or skills which are not considered intelligences at all, such as musical talents, social skills, and bodily skills. Howard Gardner expanded the concept of intelligence to also include such areas as music, special relations, and interpersonal knowledge in addition to mathematical and linguistic ability. Using biological as well as cultural research, he formulated a list of intelligences. This new outlook on intelligence differs greatly from the traditional view which usually recognizes only two intelligences, verbal and computational.

Second, most people can develop each intelligence to a certain level of competency. Everyone has the capacity to learn or become better in a certain intelligence by instruction and encouragement. Third, intelligences usually work together in complex ways. They are always interacting with one ...