The details of these theories do not matter here as much as their success in weakening older conceptions of intelligence. They open up the idea that we are all intelligent in various ways. They propose that no one form of intelligence is superior to another, and reject the idea that one can properly call some people more intelligent than others. This implies that what schools have traditionally emphasized, which is above all the ability to use language and numbers (the first two of Gardner’s seven intelligences) and to think critically, are not and should not be the only priorities in schooling. It also implies that schools should design curricula to foster the development of all seven intelligences in all children, and indeed a few schools, though so far mostly in the United States, not in Canada, have set out to do precisely that. Even in Canada, however, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has struck a chord with teachers, who appreciate being able to reward students whose talents lie outside the linguistic and numeric aspects of conventional schooling, and it is increasingly common to see lesson plans and teaching units making specific reference to his work.

Checkout http://www.can-roof.ca.

It is still too early to tell how all this will play out. There is a risk that the new views of intelligence will lead to a reduced emphasis on literacy, numeracy and other basic school priorities, as teachers seek to give equal priority to all seven intelligences. However, this need not be so. Gardner insists that none of the seven intelligences should be neglected. He also insists that some of the seven will be more useful in some cultures than in others, and in our culture linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence are obviously extremely important. Perhaps the most important consequence of these new views of intelligence is that they help lay to rest the long-standing idea that some students are just naturally less intelligent than others and therefore there is nothing much schools can do for them. Long ago, before education was taken over by psychologists, teachers used to say (certainly mine did) that effort was more important in learning than intelligence, that, at least as far as schooling was concerned, anyone could succeed if they worked hard enough. The new views of intelligence might prove them right.