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In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Multiple Intelligences
Does your child have a favorite subject, activity, or hobby? Children learn in multiple ways, and educator Thomas Armstrong has shown hundreds of thousands of parents and teachers how to locate those unique areas in each of our children where learning and creativity seem to flow with special vigor.
In this fully updated classic on multiple intelligences, Armstrong sheds new light on the "eight ways to bloom," or the eight kinds of "multiple intelligences." While everyone possesses all eight intelligences, Armstrong delineates how to discover your child's particular areas of strength among them.
The book shatters the conventional wisdom that brands our students as "underachievers," "unmotivated," or as suffering from "learning disabilities," "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," or other "learning diseases." Armstrong explains how these flawed labels often overlook students who are in possession of a distinctive combination of multiple intelligences, and demonstrates how to help them acquire knowledge and skills according to their sometimes extraordinary aptitudes.
Filled with resources for the home and classroom, this new edition of In Their Own Way offers inspiration for every learning situation.
In this fully updated classic on multiple intelligences, Armstrong sheds new light on the "eight ways to bloom," or the eight kinds of "multiple intelligences." While everyone possesses all eight intelligences, Armstrong delineates how to discover your child's particular areas of strength among them.
The book shatters the conventional wisdom that brands our students as "underachievers," "unmotivated," or as suffering from "learning disabilities," "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," or other "learning diseases." Armstrong explains how these flawed labels often overlook students who are in possession of a distinctive combination of multiple intelligences, and demonstrates how to help them acquire knowledge and skills according to their sometimes extraordinary aptitudes.
Filled with resources for the home and classroom, this new edition of In Their Own Way offers inspiration for every learning situation.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
35 people are currently reading
451 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Armstrong
54 books108 followersI am the author of 20 books, including my latest The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Neurodivergent Brain (Completely Updated and Revised Second Edition), which is a complete rewrite of a book I wrote with a similar title but slightly different subtitle in 2010.
My other books include: The Myth of the ADHD Child, 7 Kinds of Smart, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, and The Power of the Adolescent Brain. I've also written for Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and the AMA Journal of Ethics.
I see myself as a reader as much as, or even more than, a writer. Some of the books which I've enjoyed recently include Joseph and His Sons by Thomas Mann, The Story of the Stone/Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, the complete Arabian Nights (3 volumes), translated by Malcolm C. Lyons, The Studs Lonigan Trilogy by James T. Farrell, and From Here to Eternity by James Jones.
Beyond literature and writing, my hobbies and pursuits include improvising on the piano, doing mindfulness meditation, watching great movies on The Criterion Channel, doing yoga, and cooking Mediterranean cuisine.
Married for twenty-five years, and now divorced, I live in a cute Victorian style home on a hill in Sonoma County, California with my dog Daisy.
My other books include: The Myth of the ADHD Child, 7 Kinds of Smart, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, and The Power of the Adolescent Brain. I've also written for Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and the AMA Journal of Ethics.
I see myself as a reader as much as, or even more than, a writer. Some of the books which I've enjoyed recently include Joseph and His Sons by Thomas Mann, The Story of the Stone/Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, the complete Arabian Nights (3 volumes), translated by Malcolm C. Lyons, The Studs Lonigan Trilogy by James T. Farrell, and From Here to Eternity by James Jones.
Beyond literature and writing, my hobbies and pursuits include improvising on the piano, doing mindfulness meditation, watching great movies on The Criterion Channel, doing yoga, and cooking Mediterranean cuisine.
Married for twenty-five years, and now divorced, I live in a cute Victorian style home on a hill in Sonoma County, California with my dog Daisy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 11, 2012
The general premise of this book is good. But it was EXTREMELY long winded! A little 20 page report of the highlights would have been sufficient rather than almost 300 pages of blah blah blah repetitiveness. I ended up just skimming and skipping a lot at the end. There is also a lot of negativity about the teaching system too. I prefer not to read negativity. Instead teach me skills to make things positive.
What I liked:
Kids learn in different ways, some ways better than others. (Adults too!) Sometimes, the school system (or any teaching mechanism) teaches any given skill in a particular way. This particular way will not necessarily work with all students. Armstrong than explains "eight intelligences" as penned by "Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner in his book 'Frames of the Mind.'" (Maybe "In Their Own Way" is a deeper rehashing of "Frames of the Mind." If so, I might enjoy the original better!)
The Eight Intelligences or Eight Kinds of Smart are:
1. Linguistic or Word Smart
2. Logical-Mathematical or Number Smart
3. Spatial or Picture Smart: visual learner
4. Bodliy-Kinesthetic Smart: learns better through movement
5. Musical Smart
6. Interpersonal or People Smart
7. Intrapersonal or Self Smart
8. Naturalist or Nature Smart
The book describes these intelligences, how do discover them in your child, activities you can do to teach skills using their strong intelligences, and how to develop each intelligence in your child.
As a piano teacher, what can I do to discover these in my students, and how do I direct my musical teaching to them through these means?
What I liked:
Kids learn in different ways, some ways better than others. (Adults too!) Sometimes, the school system (or any teaching mechanism) teaches any given skill in a particular way. This particular way will not necessarily work with all students. Armstrong than explains "eight intelligences" as penned by "Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner in his book 'Frames of the Mind.'" (Maybe "In Their Own Way" is a deeper rehashing of "Frames of the Mind." If so, I might enjoy the original better!)
The Eight Intelligences or Eight Kinds of Smart are:
1. Linguistic or Word Smart
2. Logical-Mathematical or Number Smart
3. Spatial or Picture Smart: visual learner
4. Bodliy-Kinesthetic Smart: learns better through movement
5. Musical Smart
6. Interpersonal or People Smart
7. Intrapersonal or Self Smart
8. Naturalist or Nature Smart
The book describes these intelligences, how do discover them in your child, activities you can do to teach skills using their strong intelligences, and how to develop each intelligence in your child.
As a piano teacher, what can I do to discover these in my students, and how do I direct my musical teaching to them through these means?
Read
August 17, 2017I skimmed over much of this book but came away with some really great ideas.
June 28, 2013
We recently took on home educating our boys and I decided to read this book in an attempt to help me find ways to help our "struggling learner" to reach his full potential. I also needed to find ways to help restore their ���natural love for learning'���
It had me hooked from the first chapter & I���ve just finished it. 294 pages in 1 day, a new personal record for me. WOW, what an amazing source of useful information. It has helped me ���see��� why the system has failed our sons so miserably & why it has killed their love for learning. I ���saw" many areas in which to amend my teaching strategies to better fit in with their learning styles & preferences. It has given me insight on how to restructure their next school year in a way that would make our home education journey less stressful and yet more productive���
This is an absolute MUST read for ALL parents as well as educators. I believe if all schools implemented teaching strategies that addressed ALL learning styles in the classrooms, schooling in our country could be revolutionized. Unfortunately regular educators care only about competence in its most traditional & bookish sense ��� reading, writing, science, social studies & Maths in boring text and worksheets. Students who are talented in art, music, dance, mechanical repair, computer programming, or are creative in not-traditional ways wither away & become the underachievers, learning disabled & ADHD labelled.
Parents will be able to discover where their children ���fit��� into the system. They will be able to determine whether the school is nurturing their children���s multiple intelligences. Textbooks (and their accompanying worksheets) structure 75% to 90% of all the learning in our schools whereas the part of the brain that thrives on lectures and worksheets probably takes up less than 1% of the total available for learning. The current ���worksheet wasteland��� would be transformed and instead we would have happier & less stressed children in our schools. Less children would struggle through school and end up labelled ���learning disabled��� or ���ADD/ADHD���, instead their true gifts and abilities will be drawn out & developed. These stale teaching methods are referred to as being ���brain-antagonistic��� and shut down potentials rather than open them up.
Parents with children that have been labelled "learning disabled" or ���ADD/ADHD��� will receive insight into the reasons why your kids have been labelled and equip you with information & ideas on how to change their learning experience. It will enable you draw out their inner strengths and abilities in order to help them learn.
After reading this book, parents will be more aware of labelling and the affects that psychological testing can have on their children. Parents will be able to make more informed decisions regarding testing, instead of willingly accepting educators��� recommendations.
In short there are 8 different kinds of intelligence and we need to teach all relevant to our children in order to help them reach their full potential.
1. Linguistic ~ Word Smart / ability to use words effectively
2. Logical-Mathematical ~ Number Smart / capacity to work well with numbers and / or be adept at logic or reasoning
3. Spatial ~ Picture Smart / ability to visualise pictures in one���s head or to create them in some two- or three dimensional form
4. Body-kinaesthetic ~ Body Smart / using the whole body & hands
5. Musical ~ Music Smart / capacity to carry a tune, remember musical melodies, have good sense of rhythm or simply enjoy music
6. Interpersonal ~ People Smart / ability to understand and work with other people
7. Intrapersonal ~ Self Smart / self-understanding & knowing who you are, what you���re good at & what you���re not good at
8. Naturalist ~ Nature Smart / ability to identify the natural forms around us
Address all these areas whilst teaching & your children are bound to succeed.
It had me hooked from the first chapter & I���ve just finished it. 294 pages in 1 day, a new personal record for me. WOW, what an amazing source of useful information. It has helped me ���see��� why the system has failed our sons so miserably & why it has killed their love for learning. I ���saw" many areas in which to amend my teaching strategies to better fit in with their learning styles & preferences. It has given me insight on how to restructure their next school year in a way that would make our home education journey less stressful and yet more productive���
This is an absolute MUST read for ALL parents as well as educators. I believe if all schools implemented teaching strategies that addressed ALL learning styles in the classrooms, schooling in our country could be revolutionized. Unfortunately regular educators care only about competence in its most traditional & bookish sense ��� reading, writing, science, social studies & Maths in boring text and worksheets. Students who are talented in art, music, dance, mechanical repair, computer programming, or are creative in not-traditional ways wither away & become the underachievers, learning disabled & ADHD labelled.
Parents will be able to discover where their children ���fit��� into the system. They will be able to determine whether the school is nurturing their children���s multiple intelligences. Textbooks (and their accompanying worksheets) structure 75% to 90% of all the learning in our schools whereas the part of the brain that thrives on lectures and worksheets probably takes up less than 1% of the total available for learning. The current ���worksheet wasteland��� would be transformed and instead we would have happier & less stressed children in our schools. Less children would struggle through school and end up labelled ���learning disabled��� or ���ADD/ADHD���, instead their true gifts and abilities will be drawn out & developed. These stale teaching methods are referred to as being ���brain-antagonistic��� and shut down potentials rather than open them up.
Parents with children that have been labelled "learning disabled" or ���ADD/ADHD��� will receive insight into the reasons why your kids have been labelled and equip you with information & ideas on how to change their learning experience. It will enable you draw out their inner strengths and abilities in order to help them learn.
After reading this book, parents will be more aware of labelling and the affects that psychological testing can have on their children. Parents will be able to make more informed decisions regarding testing, instead of willingly accepting educators��� recommendations.
In short there are 8 different kinds of intelligence and we need to teach all relevant to our children in order to help them reach their full potential.
1. Linguistic ~ Word Smart / ability to use words effectively
2. Logical-Mathematical ~ Number Smart / capacity to work well with numbers and / or be adept at logic or reasoning
3. Spatial ~ Picture Smart / ability to visualise pictures in one���s head or to create them in some two- or three dimensional form
4. Body-kinaesthetic ~ Body Smart / using the whole body & hands
5. Musical ~ Music Smart / capacity to carry a tune, remember musical melodies, have good sense of rhythm or simply enjoy music
6. Interpersonal ~ People Smart / ability to understand and work with other people
7. Intrapersonal ~ Self Smart / self-understanding & knowing who you are, what you���re good at & what you���re not good at
8. Naturalist ~ Nature Smart / ability to identify the natural forms around us
Address all these areas whilst teaching & your children are bound to succeed.
September 21, 2016
El autor hace una extensión de las ideas tan boga hoy en día sobre las inteligencias múltiples aplicadas al proceso de aprendizaje de los niños haciendo un valioso aporte. Solo por mencionarlas, toda persona tiene inteligencia lógica, lingüística, kinestesica (aprende con el cuerpo, con su movimiento), musical, naturalista, espacial, introspectiva y social. En algunas escuelas y sociedades se presta atención únicamente a las 2 primeras con lo cual hay una parte de las inteligencias que no se fortalece en la escuela y a veces tampoco en los hogares. Conocer las posibilidades de que se dispone al entender que no todos aprendemos de la misma forma, permite tener unas expectativas diferentes sobre el proceso de aprendizaje, evitando caer en simplificaciones y encasillamiento de personitas en categorías como hiperactivos o con dificultades de aprendizaje. Importantísimo destacar que todos tenemos los 8 tipos de inteligencia según los autores unas más desarrolladas que otras. Buen libro, abre la mente.
October 12, 2012
Among other things, this was a great reminder that it is unlikely my son's brain works the same way mine does.
November 16, 2013
This is a great book for helping parents discover and encourage their children's multiple intelligences.
August 17, 2017
This book had some great ideas about teaching kids with various learning types.
May 8, 2023
Really interesting and very informative and transformational
April 13, 2025
A classic that I first read in an under-grad class for education majors and minors, that remains an extraordinary must-read for every parent and teacher.
September 27, 2020
This book was a godsend when I first started homeschooling. It is a book you read once and refer to many times, especially if you hit a bump in the road with home learning.
You think you know your child. You see they are struggling to master a new skill/topic but you don’t know why. This book gets into multiple intelligences and how to tap that potential.
Once you recognize everyone learns differently, you realize why school systems fail students. Public school systems require each student to learn the same thing at the same pace. Some students can’t or won’t be able to do that successfully and are “labeled”, often inappropriately. With homeschooling the same thing can happen (except you probably won’t label your child) if you’re pushing a subject they aren’t interested in or you are presenting it in a way they can’t receive it.
You do have to understand a little bit about multiple intelligences and I’d recommend Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner as a prerequisite.
You think you know your child. You see they are struggling to master a new skill/topic but you don’t know why. This book gets into multiple intelligences and how to tap that potential.
Once you recognize everyone learns differently, you realize why school systems fail students. Public school systems require each student to learn the same thing at the same pace. Some students can’t or won’t be able to do that successfully and are “labeled”, often inappropriately. With homeschooling the same thing can happen (except you probably won’t label your child) if you’re pushing a subject they aren’t interested in or you are presenting it in a way they can’t receive it.
You do have to understand a little bit about multiple intelligences and I’d recommend Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner as a prerequisite.
August 5, 2015
Meh. The author makes a case that many of the children who have been diagnosed as learning disabled really have much to offer and have been unfairly characterized because of the way government schools function. While I think there is a lot to this assertion, I was really hoping to learn more about the theory of multiple intelligences and how it could apply to our children. I'll probably need to read more on this topic in other books. Also, I disagree with the import of the quotes below; I see the proliferation of "learning disabled" children as due more to their exposure to inferior methods of education than to any evolution of the species to a new-millennium kind of learning. It's to be antiquated education for us, and all the discipline and attention to detail that goes along with it.
Commonplace entries:
"Our public schools still look to the past for solutions to their educational dilemmas even as we pass into the new millennium. Locked within a still-archaic structure, they struggle to make learning relevant to today's youth by leaning on past achievements yet discover to their dismay that millions of youngsters have already moved into the future and left them far behind. The emergence of a new kind of learner has been taking place across the country over the past three decades, and the schools appear to be all but blind to this plain fact" (186).
"Today's kids appear to be processing information in a very different way than yesterday's children. Perhaps as a way of coming to grips with the sheer volume of information that enters their lives every day, they've rejected the linear, classifying, and categorizing methods of parents and teachers and embrace instead a learning style based on quick, multisensory scanning strategies... It's ironic that the youngsters who appear to be most suited to the new demands of information overload could well be the so-called learning disabled or attention deficit disordered" (186-7).
Commonplace entries:
"Our public schools still look to the past for solutions to their educational dilemmas even as we pass into the new millennium. Locked within a still-archaic structure, they struggle to make learning relevant to today's youth by leaning on past achievements yet discover to their dismay that millions of youngsters have already moved into the future and left them far behind. The emergence of a new kind of learner has been taking place across the country over the past three decades, and the schools appear to be all but blind to this plain fact" (186).
"Today's kids appear to be processing information in a very different way than yesterday's children. Perhaps as a way of coming to grips with the sheer volume of information that enters their lives every day, they've rejected the linear, classifying, and categorizing methods of parents and teachers and embrace instead a learning style based on quick, multisensory scanning strategies... It's ironic that the youngsters who appear to be most suited to the new demands of information overload could well be the so-called learning disabled or attention deficit disordered" (186-7).
August 16, 2012
This book describes eight different types of intelligence, which everyone has but in different amounts. This is organized like a resource book, which is not exactly what I need right now so I ended up skimming huge sections.
I would recommend this book for parents whose children are having trouble fitting into mainstream school, and may have been been possibly hinted at having learning disabilities (which they may or may not really have). ADHD is mentioned frequently in this book since that seems to be a "catch all" category right now. This book would offer some hope and alternative tips for helping your child learn in different ways and eventually to help point them towards an appropriate career path that best suits their area of greatest intelligence.
If you are just looking to supplement traditional school, you may also want to consider reading "Guerilla Learning" by Grace Llewellyn.
I would recommend this book for parents whose children are having trouble fitting into mainstream school, and may have been been possibly hinted at having learning disabilities (which they may or may not really have). ADHD is mentioned frequently in this book since that seems to be a "catch all" category right now. This book would offer some hope and alternative tips for helping your child learn in different ways and eventually to help point them towards an appropriate career path that best suits their area of greatest intelligence.
If you are just looking to supplement traditional school, you may also want to consider reading "Guerilla Learning" by Grace Llewellyn.
March 16, 2015
Great book! I believe every parent, teacher, administrator, and policymaker should read this book. Armstrong makes a strong case for the crippling nature of public (and many private) schools, suggesting that schools are setup for only one or two of the seven types of intelligence - linguistic and logical-mathematical. The other students either find a way to cope or fake their way through, while the others are failed completely. The author attempts to elevate the status of the other five intelligences, and offers hope and practical suggestions on ways to help children master certain concepts based on their personal intelligence. If everyone read this book we could begin to make necessary changes in the way schools operate, and save our children from years of boredom, torture, and negative conditioning.
April 23, 2009
In this indictment of the current state of education ("the worksheet wasteland"), Armstrong uses Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences to discuss a new blueprint for helping all our children learn. He is particularly thought-provoking in coming up with ways to help those who are strong in "bodily-kinesthetic" intelligence.
The chapter about "honoring your child's learning rate" was was reassuring to me as I have children going at their own pace in math and reading respectively and was beginning to get edgy. Now, thanks to Armstrong, I know not to panic! More than that, I have good ideas on how to help and strengthen them.
The chapter about "honoring your child's learning rate" was was reassuring to me as I have children going at their own pace in math and reading respectively and was beginning to get edgy. Now, thanks to Armstrong, I know not to panic! More than that, I have good ideas on how to help and strengthen them.
October 29, 2007
Buku ini very-very recommended buat para orangtua agar kita bisa menilai anak2 kita dengan lebih jernih dan fair. Sekolah bukanlah segalanya. Tugas kitalah sebagai orangtua dan pendidik untuk menemukan cara belajar yg fun bagi si anak sesuai dengan minatnya. Diharapkan si anak ke depannya akan menjadi anak yg lebih mudah memahami pelajaran, periang dan percaya diri. Saya rasa prinsip inilah yg diterapkan oleh kepseknya Totto-chan.
June 29, 2009
Another learning style book, but one with lots of compelling research and proof--especially of the disservice of public schools and formal testing. Emphasizes really knowing each child and embracing their uniqueness. Lots of practical applications for the different learning styles (i.e. "multiplication the linguistic way," "multiplication the spatial way," etc.) There's a section, "How to Teach Anything 7 Different Ways."
February 27, 2013
Easy read, easy to understand, helpful. Encourages not focusing on one method of teaching your child and not labeling children as either learning disabled or gifted as both limit and cause stereotyping.
Great tips on how to incorporate various types of learning into any subject. Also has a plethora of resource lists. Extremely helpful in reminding of what teaching is and looking at the individual but not so much that it wouldn't work for a typical classroom as well.
Great tips on how to incorporate various types of learning into any subject. Also has a plethora of resource lists. Extremely helpful in reminding of what teaching is and looking at the individual but not so much that it wouldn't work for a typical classroom as well.
December 27, 2013
I’m not going to employ my usual review system, since this is non-fiction, but I’ll say that I got a lot out of this book and have been able to make practical application. I’ll probably read it again in a year or so. I think it’s a good idea for parents and teachers to read it, even if their kids aren’t having trouble in school. It could only help. There were some things in it that I don’t think I really agree with, but they’re still worth considering.
August 10, 2009
Maybe a 2.5. I was interested in the different ways to educate a child...beyond what is normally taught in school. I've used a few techniques with my kids and liked them.
I didn't like how the guy bashed the public school system to the point that he seemed like he just had to vent his personal frustrations through a book. Save that stuff for a journal.
I didn't like how the guy bashed the public school system to the point that he seemed like he just had to vent his personal frustrations through a book. Save that stuff for a journal.
June 9, 2013
Although it would be considered somewhat outdated by many educators, it makes perfect sense and I have seen this with my own eyes from my child who isn't given the ability to work to her style because schools are so focused on testing and have lost all sight of creativity. Sadly, it isn't even so much all teachers, but more the school districts themselves. Kind of sad.
October 31, 2009
Eight intelligences that we all have, but in different ratios. When a child, (most likely a boy) is labeled ADD/ADHD, chances are he has a lot of bodily/kinesthetic learning.
There are suggestions for games, software, and supplies for each lesson as well as further reading.
There are suggestions for games, software, and supplies for each lesson as well as further reading.
December 24, 2012
This book helped me not only understand the needs of my own child, but helped me better understand how to reach my piano students individually. I teach each child differently, because each child IS different.
February 3, 2008
This book confirms all I've begun to believe about children and the standard American educational system.
It is a must read for every parent who takes an interest in their child's education.
It is a must read for every parent who takes an interest in their child's education.
August 28, 2008
everyone is smart
May 3, 2011
Bacaan suplemen buat para orang tua agar tidak mendoktrin anak dengan kalimat kalimat penghinaan "kamu bodoh!". Karena semua anak itu Cerdas. :)
March 5, 2014
Because it showed me how to understand my child's personality and thus method of learning, it has saved me years of frustration. This book is absolutely priceless!
January 5, 2013
Always good to remind oneself and be inspired to honor your own kid's way! The book could stand an update re: resource section at the end but it was still helpful!
January 5, 2013
Excellent book for parents and teachers.
February 9, 2014
A must have in every parent's library. Extremely helpful for me to recognise each child's 'intelligence' and extend their learning according to their strength.
May 29, 2014
This is a secular book but it made a lot of good points about seeing your children as individuals and how they learn in different ways rather than one size fits all methods often used in schools.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews