I work with little kids for a living. The people I see every day are either teachers, parents, or others who are somehow involved in the field of education.   So sometimes it’s easy to forget how much educational theory has been mashed into my brain over the years.  It’s a lot.

Most of the reason I study effectively is not because I have a magic study routine that can solve all the problems you face in massage therapy school; it’s because I have a magic study routine that can solve a lot of MY problems in massage therapy school. I know how I learn best, and I use that knowledge to my advantage. This self-understanding is crucial to finding a study method that works for you.

What is the theory of multiple intelligences?

In the 80s, Howard Gardner decided that the narrow definition of intelligence as defined by IQ wasn’t really helpful. It left a lot of talented, successful people on the not-so-smart end of the scale, and glorified a tiny range of abilities as being what made people “intelligent.”   He developed the theory of multiple intelligences, which gets a lot of flak from researchers because it’s too much common sense to be real psychology.  Honest.

Gardner identified the following types of intelligence:

  • Spatial: good with images and visualizing objects in space
  • Linguistic: good with language and words
  • Logical: good with math, reasoning, and recognizing patterns
  • Kinesthetic: good at physical manipulation
  • Musical: good with rhythm, pitch, and tone
  • Interpersonal: good at dealing with other people
  • Intrapersonal: good at self-reflection and awareness
  • Naturalistic: good at observing one’s natural surroundings

So instead of asking, “Am I smart enough to learn this?” we get productive and ask, “How am I smart, and how would I learn this best?”

Do you know what your primary intelligences are?  If you’ve got a few minutes, take a multiple intelligences assesment here.

I’m strongest in linguistic intelligence, with musical being a close second, so I study primarily by writing and reciting.  Sound agonizing to you?  Some of my classmates really like to look at anatomy diagrams, but these can be virtually unintelligible to me. I can’t visualize things in three dimensions unless I actually have a three-dimensional object in my hands. Spatial relationships are not my strong point. But they might be yours.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be doing a study tip series of posts, one for each intelligence. I can promise a healthy dose of hilarity. I’ll even be audacious here and promise it’ll be useful; I really believe that when people study to their strengths, they can learn faster and more thoroughly.

I’d like to know: how are you smart? And knowing that, how does it change how you function in school and in the world?

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