Information and communication technologies in schools: a ...

Unfortunately, as Gardner and Papert never miss the chance to point out,
the school system, which largely reflects yesterday’s Western culture, teaches,
tests, reinforces, and rewards primarily only two intelligences: verbal and logical-mathematical.
These two intelligences are, of course, essential for effective
functioning in a knowledge society, but so are all the other intelligences. Not
only have the other kinds of intelligence been highly developed by gifted
graphic artists, dancers, musicians and writers, they may also be pathways to
learning for many poorly achieving students who do not learn in legitimate
ways. For everyone, developing these multiple intelligences increases creativity,
flexibility of thinking, and the broad cultural and humanitarian background
that enriches living.
The resources for this enrichment are typically thought of as material artifacts
like books, textbooks, and computer files. However, other individuals are part of
one’s distributed intelligence also. Most workers do not depend exclusively on their
own skills and understanding; rather, they assume the presence of others in their
work environments. This view is brought home vividly when one considers an office
or a classroom that is being computerized and has access to the WWW.
Testing abilities
Another approach to the nature, structure and functions of intelligence(s) has
been proposed by Robert Sternberg, who suggests three kinds of intelligence:
1 componential, which is assessed by many traditional tests used today;
2 contextual, which is the source of creative insight, and
3 experiential, which is the street smarts of intelligence. (Sternberg 1985;
1988)
Sternberg’s latter two intelligences do not often show up on traditional
tests, and are not always highly valued in the classroom, since curious and creative
students and those who learn by doing tend to take up more of a teacher’s
time and attention. Such students are later valued in the adult world, however,
as creative thinkers and process-oriented employees who often affect the bottom
line in productive ways.
Sternberg feels that some people’s major intelligence is in the traditionally
tested/graded area of critical thinking (generating new innovative thought and
connection), and that people who are able to make things really work for them
out there in real life are contextual thinkers. Sternberg’s theory is too complex to
be elaborated here in full detail. One of its outcomes is the Sternberg Triarchic
Schools in Transition
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