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Valuing the Theory of Multiple Intelligences in Formal
Curriculum.
New Trends
MARIANA NOREL, RODICA MARIANA NICULESCU, DOINA USACI, DACIANA
LUPU
Psychology and Educational Sciences Faculty
Transilvania University of Braov
Address: Str. Nicolae Blcescu, nr. 56, Braov, 500019
ROMANIA
[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected]
http://www.unitbv.ro
Abstract: - The paper present how curricular reform from
Romanian educational system provided an adequate
framework capable to implement new trends of differential and
individualised education, in order to valorise theintellectual
potential of each student. There are disseminated the results of a
questionnaire applied to teachers from
pre-university educational system, in order to establish the
manner in which they approach the issue of differential
learning using the theory of multiple intelligences in the
educational process.
Key-Words: - multiple intelligences, curricular reform, formal
curriculum, differential education, student centred
education
1 Introduction25 years ago, Howard Gardner created for the
first
time the theory of multiple intelligences [2]. As an adept
of high standards and simulative expectances, Gardnerstarts with
a critical approach of the American model of
education considered uniform a set of competenciesand basic
acquisitions of (logic-mathematical and
linguistic) for each student to be obtained [2]; therefore,the
same curriculum, the same methods and procedures,
the same standardized evaluation methods on which
students, teachers and schools are assessed.
Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligenceshas found a
place in Romanian educational system
especially in primary education- a fertile field, open tomodern
approaches and to collaboration between all the
educational actors (teachers, professors, students,
councillors, parents).
One can say that the implementation of multipleintelligences
theory was conducted almost simulta-
neously with Gardners one in the American educationalsystem
(even though in the last decade of the former
century, the Romanian teachers were intuitively using
the multiple intelligences theory in the
teaching-learning-assessing process).
It must also be mentioned the manifested interest intranslating
the following books: The Disciplined
Mind, in 2005, at Sigma Printing Press and Multiple
Intelligences. New Horizons, in 2006, at only several
months after the American edition. This synchronicity
can also be observed at the level of teachers training the
reform project in Pre-university education initiated by
National Ministry of Education from Romania incollaboration with
of Educational Development Centre
Boston, SUA.There were organised special trainings for
national
trainers pointing to differentiation of learning and
applications of multiple intelligences theory. TheAmerican
trainers experience was valorised by nationaltrainers in their
disseminations; the translated papers and
books represented an important resource for teachersinterested
in implementing TIM in educational process.
Through the new concept school centred on
individuals- the Howard Garners theory of multiple
intelligences has, according to his statement,
importanteducational influences. [3]
Education must aim to develop the human
personality to its full potential and to strengthen the
respect for both human rights and for its fundamentalfreedom.
[7], therefore, the child has the right to be
treated differentiated so as to ensure a harmonious
development of his personality, according to his owntype of
personality. Differential pedagogy an them
introduced by de L. Lengrand (1973)- has as foundation
R. Cousinet, C.Freinet, J. Piaget, Ed. Claparde, H.
Wallon, C. Rogers and L. Lengrands ideas. In this typeof
pedagogy the student is considered a person with his
own representation about educational situation. It can be
said that its a various pedagogy that recommends a
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changes that would affect the educational process alsotheir
work.
In fact the answer at the following question: Does
the curricular reform in the Romanian educationalsystem is just
an aspiration or does it been achieved? is
reflected in each teacher didactical activity, in students
and their parents attitude towards school and learning, in
community involvement in education.To analyse how differential
learning is used while
valorising the theory of multiple intelligences in
theeducational process, we applied a questionnaire taken
from Differential Instruction. Using Multiple
Intelligences Theorys Application. A Guide for Trainers
and Teachers. [1]. We establish a value of .808 for theAlpha
Cronbach coefficient, representing the
questionnaire reliability because there wasnt made such
an analyse. The study has a descriptive character.
Its objectives are: identifying the differentperspectives of
teachers about differentiated work
modalities used in pre-university education; establishingthe
extent to which teachers identify, develop andencourage the
students native talents thorough
adaptation of the teaching-learning- assessment methods
at the dominant intelligence and/or at students personal
aptitudes.The questionnaire has 14 items. The respondents
answer by ticking on a scale starting from 1 to 5 (from 1very
high to small measure), as follows:
(1) Individual differences(2) Adapted Teaching for each
student(3) Proper environment for differentiated teaching-
learning-assessment
(4)Use of active learning strategies(5)Intelligence type
knowledge
(6) Learning situations adequate to dominantintelligence
type
(7) Support for recognising personal talents(8) Activities for
all types of intelligence(9) Specific criteria for
assessment(10)Environmental design for all individual learning
styles(11) Use of multiple intelligence(12) Informing parents about
students skills(13) Involving parents in valorising the
dominant
intelligence type(14) Valuing Howard Gardners multiple
intelligence
theory in teachingThe research lot has 119 subjects, teachers in
pre-
university education as follows: 29 pre-school teachers(22.69%),
36 primary school teachers (30.25%) and 56
secondary school teachers (47.06%).
The first assessed aspect was the attitude towards
multiple intelligences theory. From the comparativeanalyses of
means reported to global results (the sum of all
items between 14 and 70) we can see there arentsignificant
differences between nursery school teachers and
primary school teachers regarding the perception andvalorisation
of multiple intelligences theory, demonstrated
by an insignificant T test. But there are significant
differences between primary school teachers and secondaryschool
teachers, a T test of -2.349 with a signification of
0.021 showing secondary school teachers are less
interested in multiple intelligences theory.
As a conclusion there can be said that teachers from
secondary school are less receptive at the theory ofmultiple
intelligence even though they declare it is
important to know the individual differences because each
person is unique in her/his own way (R.7) and represents
an individual with his/her skills and aptitudes(R.8).
Comparatively analysing the importance degree for theseniority
with the global score of the scales, we can see
that: teachers who are working for more then 10 years
(41.18%) have a wider perspective reported to multiple
intelligences theory and want to create more educationalcontexts
where students can demonstrate their dominant
type of intelligence, but when they have more then 10years in
the work filed (11-25 years at their workplaces-40.34%) while
teacher that are working in the system or
more then 25 years have a even more low consideration for
the theory of multiple intelligences. (Fig1).
3,532,521,510,5
Global_score_scale
50
40
30
20
10
0
Frequency
3,532,521,510,5 3,532,521,510,5
321
lenght of service 3
Fig.1
The comparative analyse between those 14 items and
the extent to which teachers teach, generated the
following conclusion (Table 1): preschool teachers and
those from the primary school consider that is the mostimportant
thing is to inform parents about their talents,
to recognise your students their individual differences
and also, to use in the educational activity, activelearning
strategies.
Preschool
Teachers
Primary
School Teachers
Secondary
School Teachers
mportance
egreeItem Mean Item Mean Item Mean
12 1,33 12 1,47 7 1,79
4 1,52 4 1,53 1 1,80
Most
important
1 1,59 1 1,64 4 1,84
2 2,33 14 2,67 9 2,79
11 2,74 9 2,67 11 2,93
Lessimportant
14 2,96 11 2,94 14 3,88
Table 1
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Although teachers are informed about the importanceof
recognising the individual differences, however, there
is a weak responsiveness in order to adapt teaching
approach in a way that allows the valorisation ofstudents
dominant intelligence types.
There are also lots of teachers (especially those from
primary school) that use and valorise TIM because they
became interested in teaching-learning -assessingmethods using a
multiple intelligence manner or because
their interest was risen by the trainings and they want
toexperiment a new method, found in the special literature
(first of all we are talking about Howard Garners
books) or because of good practice exchanges to which
they participated as members of different national
andtransnational project (as results from the questionnaire).
The global scores regarding the responsiveness
degree of secondary school teacher, at the idea to
improve the educational activity using multipleintelligences,
were analysed by reference to curricular
area language and communication manifest thehighest receptivity
for valorising students dominantintelligences (the values
distribution is between 10 and
40); this receptivity is relatively low for teachers
teaching disciplines from the following curricular areas
Technologies, Arts, Physic Education and Sport,and for teachears
that teach Mathematics and Sciences
there is a large distribution (between 40 to 70).
70605040302010
Global_Score
6
4
2
0
Frequency
70605040302010 70605040302010 70605040302010 70605040302010
PsysicalEducation and
SportArtsTechnologiesMathematicsand Sciences
Language andCommunication
Curricular_Area
Fig. 2
Analysing the global scores registered on curricular
areas results that 80 % of subjects, no matter to which
curricular area their disciplines belong, they considerthat
modern lesson efficiency consists in the class
created climate, in creating various possibilities of
approaching by using the students dominant
intelligence.Most of the subjects like to adapt educational
activities to the dominant intelligence type of eachstudent, to
designing the learning environment according
to individual types of learning, but they think that
parents have a decisive role in the development ofstudents
talents: parents must know about their children
talents, in order to support and encourage him also a
parent must be supported in order valorise their childrentalents
(R.16).
Here we found, however, a certain shallowness
regarding differential education for students, because
some respondents considered very important to informand to
involve parents in valorisation of childrens
dominant intelligence but less important teachersinterventions
for this purpose. This minus can be
covered by introducing, during the continuous teaching
trainings periods, some modules presenting those new
tendencies found in student centred education.
4 ConclusionsBy comparing the obtained results of the
questionnaire with the direct observations, it is shown
that at the educational activities developed by primaryschool
teachers, the theory of multiple intelligences is
applied in various Romanian schools. Forming and
developing the students trust in his/her forces, change a
lot his/her evolution, also encourages the activeparticipation
in the educational activities proposed by
teachers and develops their responsibility.
We think that because each student is unique, the
primary school teachers duty is to adept learningenvironment at
pupils needs, by using strategies of
teaching-learning-assessment that develop each childscapacities
and in the end the students scholar success
increases. While using various differential activities we
teach students to think, to act, to create abilities andscholar
skills, to acquire intellectual work techniques, to
develop the capacity to implement acquired acquisitions
in various ways.
In a school where students are motivated to learn,first of all,
activities they are gifted for we can say that
student centred education happens not just at a
declarative level, but it represent a reality: school
oriented towards childrens needs aims to maximiseeach student
intellectual potential. [4]
In student centred education, the curriculum
facilitates the development of different intelligencesprofiles
for all students, but depends on preschool
teachers, primary school teachers and secondary schoolsteachers
to find adequate methods and procedures
forteaching-learning-assessment process in order to
stimulate the combination of intelligences at students.
Acknowledgement:
This paper and the research behind it is done under the
project ID_203, funded by CNCSIS Romania
MATHEMATICAL METHODS AND APPLIED COMPUTING
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References:
[1] Education and Research Ministry, National Council
for Teachers Training, Differential Education.
Multiple Intelligences Theory Applications. A Guide
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Spiro), Series Quality in Education , Bucharest, 2002
[2] Gardner, H., Frames of Mind: The Theory of
Multiple Intelligences, Published by Basic Books,10th Edition,
1993
[3] Gardner, H., Multiple Intelligences. New Horizons,Published
by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus
Books Group, 2006, trans in Romanian and
published by Sigma Printing Press, Bucharest, 2006
[4] Gardner, H., The Disciplined Mind: Beyond FactsAnd
Standardized Tests, The K-12 Education That
Every Child Deserves, New York: Simon andSchuster (and New York:
Penguin Putnam), 1999,
2000, translated into Romanian and published at
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in National Curriculum. Educational Strategic Plan,
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[6] Stanciu, M., Reform in educational system contents,Polirom
Printing Press, Iai, 1999
[7] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights[8] Vlsceanu, L.
(coord.), School at a Crossroad.
Change and Continuity in Education-An Impact
Study, vol. I, Polirom Printing Press, Iai, 2002
MATHEMATICAL METHODS AND APPLIED COMPUTING
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