Eight Intelligences

One of the many interesting points made in the Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods, dealt with the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

This is a small summary from that chapter in the book:

Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard, developed his influential theory of multiple intelligences in 1983. (He) argued that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on the I.Q. testing, was far too limited; he instead proposed seven types of intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These included: linguistic ("word smart"); logical-mathematical ("number/reasoning smart"); spatial ("picture smart"); bodily-kinesthetic ("body smart"); musical ("music smart"); interpersonal ("people smart"); intrapersonal ("self smart"). More recently, he added an eighth intelligence: naturalist ("nature smart").

I can think of two strong intelligences that I claim as my own with bits of other ones as well. Whether you agree with Gardner or not, the author was challenging the reader not to overlook each child's (or your own) possible intelligence and how they may best be able to learn.

I can only imagine if I had more training in the naturalist intelligence of how much more knowledgeable I'd be. Many children today are lacking a nature education form of training to heighten their own nature intelligence.

- Quote from page 71 in the book.