Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

by Peter C. Brown

One countervailing idea, put forward by the psychologist Howard Gardner to account for the broad variety in people’s abilities, is the hypothesis that humans have as many as eight different kinds of intelligence: Logical-mathematical intelligence: ability to think critically, work with numbers and abstractions, and the like; Spatial intelligence: three-dimensional judgment and the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye; Linguistic intelligence: ability to work with words and languages; Kinesthetic intelligence: physical dexterity and control of one’s body; Musical intelligence: sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones, and music; Interpersonal intelligence: ability to “read” other people and work with them effectively; Intrapersonal intelligence: ability to understand one’s self and make accurate judgments of one’s knowledge, abilities, and effectiveness; Naturalistic intelligence: the ability to discriminate and relate to one’s natural surroundings (for example, the kinds of intelligence invoked by a gardener, hunter, or chef).