Educational Implications of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences

A new approach to the conceptualization and assessment of human intelligences is described. According to Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, each human being is capable of seven relatively independent forms of information processing, with individuals differing from one another in the specific profile of intelligences that they exhibit. The range of human intelligences is best assessed through contextually based, "intelligence-fair" instruments. Three research projects growing out of the theory are described. Preliminary data secured from Project Spectrum, an application in early childhood, indicate that even 4- and 5-year-old children exhibit distinctive profiles of strength and weakness. Moreover, measures of the various intelligences are largely independent and tap abilities other than those measured by standard intelligence tests.