Multiple Intelligences in Fiji

Dr. Rosiana Lagi, the Deputy head of the School of Pacific Arts at The University of the South Pacific (USP), is a proponent for incorporating multiple intelligences theory into the education system in Fiji, an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. In a recent interview with FBC News, Dr. Lagi describes why she believes an MI-based approach to education gives children the best opportunity to thrive and grow.

“It helps students be creative in their thoughts and in the things that they do,” Dr. Lagi says. “[They] have a high self-respect for themselves…because they know what they are doing is useful and important.”

Dr. Rosiana Lagi

In the interview, Dr. Lagi raises a few potential concerns she has for children receiving an education in Fiji—issues she has observed in her time as a leader in various academic spaces. “When our children are growing up,” she says, “they learn through play, they speak to objects, they speak to an imaginary audience…when it comes to school, these things are discouraged because we are content-driven.”

Dr. Lagi believes schools should incorporate exploration of students’ multiple intelligences into the curriculum. At USP, she encourages other teachers to build into their lesson plans diverse activities that use various intelligences and strengths. She highlights the arts—particularly singing and dancing—as engaging mediums to experiment with.

Learning of Dr. Lagi’s advocacy, we were reminded of the good work being done by MIS (Multiple Intelligence School), a private primary and secondary school based in Suva in the Fiji Islands. You can find more information about MIS’s efforts on their website’s welcome-page. 

It’s always exciting to discover new examples of MI theory’s widespread impact, and to hear that it’s being considered and applied in places far beyond the U.S. We are glad to read about Dr. Lagi’s championing of MI theory as a way to enhance early childhood education in Fiji. We hope that both her ideas and drive to improve student learning continue to find support.

Recognizing Musical Intelligence

A new study published in the International Journal of Music in Early Education provides new evidence for musical intelligence as an independent cognitive strength. The research was led by Tim Brown, a researcher in the University of California San Diego School of Medicine Department of Neurosciences and Director of the Sentia Laboratory for Childhood Systems Neuroscience.

Brown and his team asked four and five-year old children in transitional kindergarten to sing back a musical note played to them, matching the pitch and syllable e.g. “daa” as they heard it. They found that children doing less well in school were able to do this on a similar level compared to higher performing peers. This ability was not linked to the usual socioeconomic predictors of early learning success, such as maternal education, household income, or household language, and is not correlated with reading or math ability.

By demonstrating that musical ability is an independent strength for students, the study reinforces Howard Gardner’s MI theory that intelligence is multi-faceted and that standardized assessments do not fully capture a child's potential. The study implies that integrating arts, especially music, into educational curricula could be particularly beneficial for some children. Recognizing that children who perform poorly in standard academic settings might excel in other areas could help reduce the stigmatization of these students and provide them with more opportunities to succeed.

Read an article about this study here.

Singapore Education Scholar Founds MI Pre-School

A recent profile in Central News Asia (link here) brought our attention to a remarkable early childhood education scholar, Dr. Khoo Kim Choo, who started the Preschool for Multiple Intelligences (PMI), which is comprised of three centers in Singapore. After a long career spent working in early childhood education, often in leadership positions, Dr. Khoo opened the first branch of PMI at the age of 60. She was inspired by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and felt it could be a strong foundation for quality preschool education.

Dr. Khoo watches as two students explore an activity at a PMI center (Photo from CNA)

In the interview with CNA, Dr. Khoo said, “the starting point should be that every child is intelligent.” She structures these schools around students discovering and developing their different intelligences, and building their confidence along the way. At these PMI centers, children are encouraged to explore their interests, and instructors are trained to motivate them to pursue different specializations – nature, music, drama, etc.

Now 77-years-old, Dr. Khoo stays actively engaged at PMI and offers support to her staff whenever needed. We found her work incredibly impressive and are glad to learn that Gardner’s theory is being used in yet another early childhood education setting. Around the world, there are many schools inspired by MI theory – examples can be found in Colombia, the Philippines, India, as well as the United States. We are encouraged to see the theory applied in a way that promotes student learning and provides the opportunity to explore and strengthen different intelligences from a young age.

MI and Capoeira

How MI theory can enhance the teaching of martial arts

We recently heard from Venceslau Augusto de Oliveira, who is a social worker and teacher of capoeira to at-risk youth in Brazil. Capoeira is a form of Brazilian martial art combined with dance and music. It originated in around the 16th century when West African slaves were brought to Brazil by Portuguese colonialists. Forbidden from practicing martial arts, they were able to continue their cultural practices in the guise of dance. Capoeira thus became a form of dance and self-defense, but also a way of preserving cultural identity.

Drawing upon these traditions, Oliveira sees capoeira as a means of empowerment and transformation. He encourages his students to explore and develop their intelligences using capoeira in the following ways.

Linguistic intelligence: Children practice self-expression using song lyrics and stories, expanding their vocabularies and improving their communication skills.

Spatial intelligence: Capoeira involves learning to be aware of one’s own body space and how physical positions are affected by movement.

Musical intelligence: Children learn instruments and songs, understanding rhythm and developing musical expression. 

Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: Capoeira teaches complex physical movements involving acrobatics, strength, and balance. 

Intrapersonal Intelligence: Children are encouraged to explore their own emotions and become self-aware which leads to greater self-knowledge and confidence. As they overcome challenges and improve their ability, they come to recognize their own strengths.

Interpersonal Intelligence: As capoeira is a group activity, children must know how to be part of a team, cooperating with others, valuing diversity, and learning mutual respect.

Existential Intelligence: Teaching children about the history and traditions of capoeira stimulates questions about their own identity and culture. Oliveira encourages children to reflect on their values and role in society, asking themselves the big questions of life. 

Naturalist Intelligence: When capoeira is practiced outdoors, children learn to appreciate and be aware of the environment around them. 

Logical-mathematical intelligence: Oliveira argues that children also use logical-mathematical intelligence to analyze movements, calculate distances, and work together to coordinate their actions. However, these skills require more spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and interpersonal intelligence than logical-mathematical.

Through awareness of MI theory, Oliveira demonstrates how one subject: capoeira, can provide opportunities to develop multiple skills.  

Oliveira teaches in deprived areas, such as Belo Horizonte, where children face the challenges of social inequality and violence in their communities, with limited access to education. He believes that helping children develop their multiple intelligences through capoeira will lead to empowerment. As he says,

“ children can discover their potential, develop social and emotional skills, strengthen their cultural identity and build a better future for themselves and for society as a whole”

We wish Oliveira the best in his endeavors and applaud his efforts to nurture multiple intelligences in his students through the art of capoiera.

Photos provided by Venceslau Augusto de Oliveira

Autism Community Inspired by MI Theory

In a recent article (link here), we learned how educators in the autism field were inspired by ideas from the theory of multipe intelligences. The author of the article, Mike Briggs, is President of Little Friends, an organization with a mission to empower people with autism and other developmental differences to thrive. While attending a recent conference on how best to support learners with autism, Briggs was struck by this quote attributed to Howard Gardner,

It is not how smart you are that matters. What really counts is how you’re smart.

Briggs understood that the goal for those working in autism education should be to recognize the strengths, or intelligences, of each person and to give them the tools to succeed in life. The presenter who quoted Gardner was from League School for Autism in Massachussets, a school founded in the 1960s to explore the most innovative educational approaches for children with autism.

We are very pleased to hear that the autism education community finds inspiration in Gardner’s work. MI theory has educational applications, not just for children with autism, but all learners through individuation and pluralization. Education should be personalized as far as possible so that individuals can learn to the best of their ability using their own unique balance of intelligences; and students should be taught using different methods to take advantage of different intelligences.

Photo by Peter Burdon on Unsplash