Intelligence - What do we know?

"It’s not how smart you are. It’s how you are smart" (Walter Mckenzie. 1999 www.surfaquarium.com) Traditional views of ‘intelligence’ have tended to pigeon hole those who ‘are’ and those who ‘aren’t’. Fortunately scientists are now increasingly unlocking some of the mysteries surrounding ‘intelligence’ and turning the traditional view somewhat ‘on its head’.

Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University has, for example, identified 9 intelligences and speculates that there may be more. He posits that we all possess these intelligences to some degree but are stronger in some than in others. Recognising and tapping in to our strong intelligences should therefore enhance our learning.

Gardner’s Nine Intelligences
- Visual/Spatial - those who learn best by seeing what is being discussed by having it illustrated and by organizing things spatially.
- Verbal/linguistic - those who demonstrate strength in language expression via speaking, listening, reading and writing. These people have normally been successful in the ‘traditional’ view of intelligence because their strength lends itself to traditional teaching.
- Mathematical/logical - those who display an aptitude for numbers, reasoning and problem solving. They too have traditionally been successful as traditional teaching is logically sequenced and students are expected to conform.
- Bodily/kinesthetic - those who learn best through movement, games, hands-on tasks.
- Musical/Rhythmic - those who learn best through music, song, rhythmic chants etc.
- Intrapersonal - those who are in touch with their own feelings, ideas and values.
- Interpersonal - those who are outgoing and learn better cooperatively in pairs and groups
- Naturalist - those who are at one with nature, the outdoors, animals.
- Existentialist - those who seek the ‘big picture’ - why we are here and our role in the world

And what of emotions?
Parents and teachers have long been aware of the affective dimension in learning and for many years now humanistic approaches to language teaching have highlighted the value of positive emotions and interpersonal relationships. As early as 1920 Thorndike ‘s concept of ‘social intelligence’ was a forerunner to Salovey & Mayer’s ‘emotional intelligence’ much popularised by the writings of Goleman and also reflected in Gardner’s inter- and intra- personal intelligences. So what is emotional intelligence? Goleman defines it as "the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships" (Goleman, D. 1996). With specific reference to the Young Learner ELT situation Carol Read suggests developing emotional intelligence in the following ways:

- Developing self-esteem by emphasising what children can (rather than what they can’t) do, by valuing their contributions and efforts.
- Helping them become self-aware by integrating learner training and self-evaluation into our teaching and by providing opportunities for them to develop their own learning styles drawing on different aspects of their multiple intelligences
- Helping them to manage their feelings by modelling positive behaviour, providing opportunities for them to talk, act and illustrate their feelings and listen to what they say.
- Motivating them by demonstrating enthusiasm, optimism and a belief in their abilities.
- Providing a positive role model by encouraging children to notice (through stories, role play etc.) how they and others feel and react at different moments and in different situations
- Helping them to handle relationships by being sensitive to friendship groupings, using pair and group work and promoting cooperation as well as autonomy

How many brains?
Most of us believe we have one brain - the one inside the cranium. However, according to Robert Cooper we have three. Whenever we have an experience it apparently does not go to brain no.1 in the head but to the neurological networks in the intestinal tract. Every interaction we have creates an initial reaction in the gut before it traverses the synapses to reach the brain. The feeling may represent itself as fear, excitement, butterflies and some may be so trained in intellectually processing that they do not recognise their ‘gut feeling’. Known as the enteric nervous system, this second brain in the gut works on its own but also in conjunction with the brain in the head. Scientists who carefully examine the elaborate system of nerve cells and neurochemicals found in the intestinal tract say that there are more neurons there than in the entire spinal column - at least 100 million. This gives the intestine the ability to help tell the body and mind what may be best to do or not to do. We tend to view gut reactions as those which have not been rationally examined and are therefore less reliable. Not necessarily so as they have been reached unclouded by the clutter of information in our heads.

The sensory path to the brain has three steps. The first in the gut which then sends it to the heart and yet another another dimension of hidden intelligence. Neurocardioligists have discovered that the brain in the heart contains more than 40,000 nerve cells called baroreceptors. This heart brain is as large as many key areas in our head brain. It also has highly sophisticated computational abilities. The heart also generates many neurochemicals that influence the way we act. One such chemical, atrial peptide, is a primary force in motivation and commitment to goals. In order to achieve, we need to believe and the heart has more to do with our sense of believing than any other brain we have. Also the heart’s electromagnetic field is by far the most powerful produced by the body - 5,000 times more powerful that that produced by the brain. People ten feet away may sense exactly what you are feeling, even over the phone, despite the words you are saying! Hearts believe the feelings underneath the words. This means that those people who are most in touch with their own feelings and those of others may be the most attuned to what is really happening in life. Caring for and respecting those feelings will enhance learning and subsequent success.

Clearly what we know about intelligence is crucial to how we learn and enhance the learning of others. We are on a path of discovery which should be encouraged and continued if we are to maximise our best potential and that of others.

Cooper, Robert. The other 90%. How to Unlock your Vast Untapped Potential.Crown Publishing Group. 2001.
Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. Bloomsbury 1996
Read C. Emotional Intelligence in the Primary Classroom. IATEFL Young Learners SIG Newsletter Spring 2001
Saloey, P. & Mayer, J.D. Emotional Intelligence.Imagination, Cognition and Personality 9, 1990