It's a great theory . . . wish it were true. So-called 'researchers' (otherwise known as academics who need to publish something) push multiple intelligence onto an unsuspecting public and into our educational system and tout it as gospel. The bad news is that multiple intelligence is not based on any real scientific evidence, it's simply a great story that has created it's own market.
Here's the quiz to find out what kind of 'SMART' you are.
WORD SMART
I love to read
I like to tell stories
I write stories or poetry
I enjoy learning foreign languages
I have a good vocabulary
I spell well
I like to write letters or email
I enjoy talking about ideas with others
I have a good memory for names or facts
I play word games such as word scrambles, hidden word puzzles, Scrabble, or crossword puzzles
I like to do research and read about ideas that interest me
I have fun playing with words (puns, tongue twisters, and rhymes)
MUSIC SMART
I enjoy singing
I like listening to music
I play an instrument
I read music
I remember melodies or tunes easily
I easily recognize many different songs
I hear the differences between different instruments being played together
I hum or sing while thinking or doing tasks
I easily pick up rhythms in the sounds around me
I like making musical sounds with my body (humming, clapping hands, snapping fingers, or tapping feet)
I make up or write my own songs or raps
I remember facts by making up a song for them
LOGIC SMART
I find numbers fascinating
I like science
I easily do math in my head
I like solving mysteries
I enjoy counting things
I like estimating or guessing the amounts of things
I remember numbers and statistics easily (sports scores, height of the worlds tallest building)
I enjoy games that use strategy like chess and checkers
I notice the links between actions and their results (know as cause and effect)
I spend time doing brainteasers or logic puzzles
I enjoy discovering how computers work
I love to organize information on charts and graphs
I use computers for more than playing games
PICTURE SMART
I remember faces better than names
I like to draw out my ideas or make sketches to help me figure out problems
I think in pictures and easily see objects in my mind
I enjoy building things
I like taking things apart and putting them back together
I work with art materials like paper, paint, and markers
I enjoy watching movies or video
I play lots of video games
I notice the styles of clothing, hairstyles, cars, bikes, or other everyday things
I read or draw maps for fun
I enjoy looking at photos and pictures and talking about them
I see patterns in the world around me
I draw or doodle a lot
I draw things in great detail or realistically
I remember in pictures or images things that I have learned
I learn by watching people do things
I do visual puzzles, mazes, and optical illusions
I like building models or things in 3D
BODY SMART
I like to move around and be active
I learn physical skills easily and quickly
I move while I think
I enjoy acting in skits or plays
I mimic or imitate people’s expressions
I play sports or do well in one particular sport
I do crafts or build models with skill
I dance gracefully
I use movement to help me remember things
I have good coordination or a good sense of timing
I love being outside and running at recess
PEOPLE SMART
I like to watch people
I make friends easily
I offer to help when someone needs it
I enjoy group activities and lively conversations
I help other people around me get along better
I feel confident when meeting new people
I like to organize activities for my friends and myself
I easily guess how people are feeling just by looking at them
I know how to get people excited about working together or get them involved in things I’m interested in
I prefer to work and learn with other rather than alone
I enjoy getting people to see things my way
I get concerned about issues of fairness and right and wrong
I enjoy volunteering for causes that help other peoples
SELF SMART
I prefer to work on my own rather than with others
I like to set and meet my own goals
I stand up for my beliefs, even if they’re not popular
I worry less about what other people think of me than most kids
I know how I feel and why most of the time
I spend time thinking deeply about things that matter to me
I have a strong sense of what I’m good at and not so good at
I enjoy keeping a diary or writing in my journal
I write about my ideas, memories, feelings, or personal history
I have a good sense of who I am
I think about the future and what I’d like to be someday
NATURE SMART
I like animals
I have a “green thumb” ( I am good at growing plants)
I care about nature and environmental causes
I like going to parks, zoos, and aquariums
I enjoy camping or hiking in nature
I notice nature wherever I am
I have a garden at home or in my neighborhood
I adapt to different places and events well
I enjoy taking care of pets (at home or in the class)
I have a good memory for details of places I’ve been and the names of animals, plants, people, and things
I ask a lot of questions about people, places, & things I see in my environment or in nature to understand them
I have “street smarts” (the ability to understand and take care of myself in new or different situations or places
I pay attention to my environment in and around my neighborhood, school, and home
I enjoy figuring out what things are and then placing them into categories (keeping lists - bird watching or cars)