A Theory of How We Learn

I first heard about the theory of multiple intelligences (Walters, Gardner & Harvard Univ., 1984) when our school system enthusiastically embraced it as the latest, greatest, most brilliant learning theory to come along. Gardner (1983, 1993) identified seven intelligences: visual-spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, and linguistic.  As we interacted with our students, we were encouraged to follow the tenets of this amazing learning theory. At the time, I could not quite grasp the excitement over this theory. I had always believed that people possessed different learning styles, and I thought, naively, that others believed what seemed so obvious to me.

I believe that people learn best when they absorb information by using a familiar method. Some people are visual learners who need to “see” the lesson; some are literal learners where they prefer a verbal or written presentation; others are logical where information must be presented by using a “building-block” approach.

 

Our experiences in teaching and the experiences expressed by others, usually in empirical studies, influence our beliefs about how people learn. The purpose of an accumulation of empirical studies, referred to as learning theories, is to develop a foundation for defining the recurrence of behaviors in the learning process over a time. Those learning theories may remain constant as other theories build on their findings. What we believe about the learning process may change as later theories emerge.

Gardner, H. (1983, 1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books.

Gardner, H. (1995). Reflections on multiple intelligences: Myths and messages. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(3), 200-03,206-09. Retrieved from http://www.kappanmagazine.org/

Walters, J., Gardner, H., & Harvard Univ., C. o. (1984). The crystallizing experience: Discovering an intellectual gift. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED254544.pdf