READING JOURNAL Final Draft: “MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES” by Fred Mednick

by Betina Ortiz

Types of Reading Material

This reading selection is from a textbook.

I know this because its primary purpose seems to be to educate me.  It is fact-based, uses research, and includes a table that I can refer to later to quickly remind myself about the different types of intelligences.  The author of this writing seems to want to teach me about multiple intelligences, and doesn’t seem to expect that I know a lot about this topic already.

Reading Strategies

When I was scanning this document, I focused primarily on the headings of the text, the words in bold, the table, and external links.

Just from scanning, it seems like this is going to be a balanced article about the concept of multiple intelligences. It’s got an overview section, which seems to contain history of the subject. The next two sections appear to be a Pro/Con discussion—“The appeal of multiple intelligences” and then “Some issues and problems.” I like the table of the various types of intelligences that appears about mid-way through, and am interested in the external link for exploring what my own intelligences are. It seems like the concept of emotional intelligence might have been added later, since it wasn’t on the table, but does have two extra sections about it at the end of the document. That might be important, since it’s got a lot written about it overall.

Specialized Reading Strategies

Option A

My reading selection does contain a table. It has two columns: one is “Multiple Intelligences” and the other is “Overview.” Each row defines a specific type of intelligence that Howard Gardner identified, and then gives a demonstration of what type of intelligence is and how it works. I think a table is a nice way to convey this information, because it lets you see what all the types of intelligences are at a glance, and get a sense of how each one works. I get the feeling that it would be easy to consult that table again later, like if I had to study to prepare for a test on this subject. There are 7 types of intelligences listed on this table. The rest of the article goes on to describe a few more types, and it would be nice if all of those appeared on the table, too, so that we could see them all in one place.

Vocabulary

#1: Linguistic

From the text, it describes “linguistic intelligence” as “sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals.”

Therefore, I would describe linguistic as meaning, having to do with language.

#2: Kinesthetic

When I looked for “Kinesthetic” online, all the answers had to do with “kinesthetic learning.” Dictionary.com defined “kinesthesia” as “The sensation of movement or strain in muscles, tendons, and joints; muscle sense.” So it seems to me that the word has more to do with movement of the body, rather than just the body itself.

Therefore, I would describe kinesthetic as a type of learning involving the movement of the body.

#3: Amoral

I recognize the word “moral,” but I didn’t know amoral before reading this. I do remember that the letter a at the beginning of a word means “without.”

Therefore, it would seem that the word amoral means without morals. The article presents this as a neutral thing, rather than a good or bad thing.

Thesis

In the essay, the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph seems to say something very similar: “The readings and assignments that follow discuss multiple intelligences, provide an opportunity for you to apply them, and a way of determining how to assess students.”

Topic sentence #1: “Mindy L. Kornhaber, a researcher at Harvard University, has identified a number of reasons why teachers and policymakers have responded positively to Howard Gardner’s presentation of multiple intelligences.” This sentence indicates that the paragraph that follows will be explaining an application of multiple intelligences, which is the 2nd part of the thesis statement.

Topic sentence #2: “To explore your intelligences, visit ‘Lessons for Hope.’” This sentence addresses the last part of the thesis statement, “a way of determining how to assess students.”

Supporting Claims

This paragraph is supported by research. It doesn’t use quotes, but clearly all the information in the paragraph comes from Kornhaber’s work. So it paraphrases her findings about how teachers react to multiple intelligences. It also seems to summarize her thesis at the end of the paragraph.

Topic sentence #2: “To explore your intelligences, visit ‘Lessons for Hope.’”

This paragraph turns out to be quite short (only 1 more sentence after the topic sentence), so I’m going to also address the paragraph immediately after this one. Between the two short paragraphs, they describe what a user will see when you visit the external link. It is supported by fact: its descriptions of the multiple intelligences self-assessment activity are all verifiable when a reader visits this website for herself.

Since this is a reading from a textbook, it makes sense that the author uses facts and outside research as supporting details in his paragraphs. He wants us to learn from the reading, and we can trust that what he says is true because it’s easy to confirm his facts elsewhere.

Logic and Structure

In addition, this essay also uses the mode of Definition. It takes something we think we know the meaning of (intelligence) and uses it in a slightly different way, one that I personally find rewarding to those of us who aren’t always book-smart. Really, each one of the types of multiple intelligences becomes a new definition for what it means to be intelligent or not.

Summary Skills

According to Medick, the founder of this idea was Howard Gardner, who defined the first seven intelligences in his book Frames of Mind: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. These intelligences are not accepted by psychologists, but are welcomed by educators. Some see drawbacks to multiple intelligences because most cannot be measured or tested for improvement.

The article encourages readers to take an online test to determine their own strengths across the intelligences. It concludes by addressing additional intelligences that have been proposed by others: naturalistic, spiritual, moral, and emotional. Emotional intelligence in particular seems to have a large impact on people’s success in life, and Daniel Goleman is referenced to explain what emotional intelligence is and why it is so valuable in school and beyond.