A Searcher's Response to Chapter 9: The Brain and Cognitive Functioning

Credit: V. Vera

After reading the chapter, the theory of multiple intelligence really stood out to me. A lot of people talk about intelligence and what it means to be intelligent. Most people think of intelligence as something to do with being "book-smart". Interestingly, intelligence is more than that. Howard Gardner proposed that intelligence is multifaceted and broad.  Gardner proposed that there are 7 main categories of intelligence that are present in "all types of cultures" (Merriam and Bierema, 2013).

These seven types of intelligence include linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. According to Merriam and Bierema (2013), each individual has their own intelligence profile and each have different patterns of these categories. This means that learners have individual skills within each of these categories and each have strength and weaknesses in different categories.

Check out this short video on the basics of Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory. If the video does not play below, you can access the link at Multiple Intelligence.

Credit: T. Otswald-Kowland

In basic terms, adults learn using a wide range of techniques that suit their distinct intelligence profile. This means that as instructors and as leaders of adults in the work place, we must remember to teach and train our adult learners in a way that allows each of them to use their individual strengths. We must develop course work that allows each adult learner to thrive in the classroom. We also must develop training in the workplace with these ideas in mind. This is where I think adult learners really need to have the ability to control their own learning. Whether we are in the classroom or in the workplace, we need to remember that when we are working with adult learners, we must allow them opportunity to have input and control over their learning experience. We must think about how we are teaching them and how we are training them in order to provide the best possible experience for them.
Resources:

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2013). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. John Wiley & Sons.