The Nature-Nurture Controversy, it talks about the influence of Nature or Nurture on an individual. Nature versus nurture debate of which factor effects the human development. The nature versus nurture debate involves whether human behaviour is determined by the environment, either prenatal or during a person's life, or by a person's genes. Nature is what we think of as prewiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors.
Definitely the influence of Nature plays an important role but parallel to this Nurture also develop the qualities. Human mind post birth is like a blank slate or like wet cement, what ever is introduced onto becomes a part and parcel for lifetime. This is one of the very reasons why early education is stressed upon.
Now though, as we have come to truly understand the complexity of the relationship between our genetic dispositions and environmental triggers, we no longer focus on one versus the other, but rather the way they interact with and affect each other. While it is certainly helpful in the development of certain conditions for there to be a genetic disposition, there almost always needs to be an environmental trigger that causes the characteristic to manifest in an individual.
As we know human development is never similar for every individual. In my previous blog I have discussed about 'Growth' 'Development' and 'Maturation'. How they are different from each other and the different rates at which they happen in the lifetime of human development. Every individual is unique, special and different from other. All our lives are connected by the bond of humanity but our lives move with different pace.
During my first year as a preschool teacher, I
got into the habit each Friday afternoon of sitting in the class and grading
papers and writing observations. I had been assigned playgroup and later
nursery classes. After a year working for primary and secondary classes, my
observation came to a wonderful understanding of an unexpected benefit which attracted me towards being an educator rather than going back to MNC as a Pharmacist. A
couple of those kids in my class who struggled mightily with subject-verb
agreement and the concepts of biology, had clearly committed several dozen
complex things to memory.
During one particularly impressive series of classes,
I remember thinking, "These guys are really smart! I'm underestimating
what they're capable of!" And over the course of my first year post
maternity break in the classroom, that same thought emerged several more times at
the school’s musical sessions, sports session,
other co-curricular activities and even just watching a couple of students after
school hours.
Without me personally realizing it, my relationship with multiple-intelligences (MI) theory had begun.
Every individual differ from the other on the basis of some potentialities. Everyone is blessed with some inner qualities that takes him/her to a different goal. One of the responsibilities of a parent is to even identify the potentialities of the kid and to motivate him/her in the following direction. In today's world of knowledge explosion we are talking about the same hidden potentialities rather in other terms as intelligence.
Without me personally realizing it, my relationship with multiple-intelligences (MI) theory had begun.
Every individual differ from the other on the basis of some potentialities. Everyone is blessed with some inner qualities that takes him/her to a different goal. One of the responsibilities of a parent is to even identify the potentialities of the kid and to motivate him/her in the following direction. In today's world of knowledge explosion we are talking about the same hidden potentialities rather in other terms as intelligence.
Intelligence
is often defined as our intellectual potential; something we are born with,
something that can be measured, and a capacity that is difficult to change.
In
recent years, however, other views of intelligence have emerged. One such
conception is the theory of multiple intelligence proposed by Harvard
psychologist Howard Gardner. He theorizes
that people do not have just an intellectual capacity, but have many kinds of
intelligence, including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual, and
linguistic intelligences. While
a person might be particularly strong in a specific area, such as visual-spatial intelligence, he or she most likely possesses a range of abilities. For
example, an individual might be strong in verbal, musical, and naturalistic
intelligence.
THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
Gardner
first outlined his theory in his 1983 book "Frames of Mind: The Theory of
Multiple Intelligences, where he suggested that all people have different
kinds of "intelligences." His book began with some
simple but powerful questions: Are talented chess players, violinists, and athletes
intelligent in their respective disciplines? Why are these and other
abilities not accounted for on traditional IQ tests? Why is the term
intelligence limited to such a narrow range of human endeavours?
From these questions emerged
multiple-intelligences theory. Stated simply, it challenges psychology's
definition of intelligence as a general ability that can be measured by a
single IQ score. Instead, MI theory describes eight intelligences that people
use to solve problems and create products relevant to the societies in which
they live.
MI theory asserts that individuals who have a
high level of aptitude in one intelligence do not necessarily have a similar
aptitude in another intelligence. For example, a young person who demonstrates
an impressive level of musical intelligence may be far less skilled when it
comes to bodily-kinesthetic or logical-mathematical intelligence. Perhaps that
seems obvious, but it's important to recognize that this notion stands in sharp
contrast to the traditional and still dominant view of intelligence as a
general ability that can be measured along a single scale and summarized by a
single number.
Gardner proposed that there are eight intelligences
and has suggested the possible addition of a ninth known as
"existentialist intelligence."
Gardner captured the full range of abilities and talents that people possess.
1. VISUAL-SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in good visual-spatial judgement. People
who are strong in visual-spatial intelligence are good at visualizing things.
These individuals are often good with directions as well as maps, charts,
videos, and pictures. People with good visual-spatial intelligence enjoys reading, writing, putting pieces of puzzles together, drawing, painting, visual-arts, directions, graphs, charts and patterning. The best career choices would be Architect, Artist and Engineer.
2. LINGUISTIC-VERBAL INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in use of words, language and writing. People
who are strong in linguistic-verbal intelligence can use words well, both when
writing and speaking. These individuals are typically very good at writing
stories, memorizing information and reading. People with this intelligence are good at
remembering written and spoken information. They enjoys reading
and writing. They are good at debating
or giving persuasive speeches. They are able to explain
things well. They often uses humor
when telling stories. The best career choices would be Writer/Journalist/ Blogger, Teacher and Lawyer.
3.LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in analyzing
problems and mathematical operations. People
who are strong in logical-mathematical intelligence are good at reasoning,
recognizing patterns, and logically analyzing problems. These individuals tend
to think conceptually about numbers, relationships, and patterns. People with this intelligence have excellent problem-solving skills. They enjoys thinking
about abstract ideas. They likes conducting
scientific experiments. They are good at solving
complex computations. The best career choices would be of a Scientist, Mathematician, Computer programmer, Engineer and Accountant.
4. BODILY-KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in physical
movement and motor control. Those
who have high bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are said to be
good at body movement, performing actions, and physical control. People who are
strong in this area tend to have excellent hand-eye coordination and dexterity. People with this intelligence are good at dancing
and sports. Enjoys creating
things with his or her hands. Have excellent
physical coordination and tends to
remember by doing, rather than hearing or seeing. The best career choices would be Dancer, Builder, Sculptor and Actor.
5. MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in rhythm
and music. People
who have strong musical intelligence are good at thinking in patterns, rhythms,
and sounds. They have a strong appreciation for music and are often good at
musical composition and performance. They enjoys singing
and playing musical instruments. They recognizes
musical patterns and tones easily. They are good at
remembering songs and melodies. They have rich
understanding of musical structure, rhythm, and notes. The best career choices would be Musicians, Composer, Singer, Music teacher and Conductor.
6. INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in understanding
and relating to other people. Those
who have strong interpersonal intelligence are good at understanding and interacting
with other people. These individuals are skilled at assessing the emotions, motivations, desires, and intentions of those
around them. People with this intelligence are good at
communicating verbally. They are skilled at nonverbal communication. They see situations
from different perspectives. They create positive
relationships with others. They are good at
resolving conflict in groups. The best career choices would be Psychologist, Philosopher, Counsellor, Salesperson and Politician.
7. INTRAPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in introspection and self-reflection. Individuals who are strong in intrapersonal intelligence are
good at being aware of their own emotional states, feelings, and motivations.
They tend to enjoy self-reflection and analysis, including daydreaming,
exploring relationships with others, and assessing their personal strengths. They are good at analyzing others strengths and weaknesses. They enjoys
analyzing theories and ideas. They have excellent
self-awareness. They clearly
understands the basis for their motivations and feelings. The best career choices would be Philosopher, Writer, Theorist and Scientist.
8. NATURALISTIC INTELLIGENCE:
People with strengths in finding patterns and relationships to nature. Naturalistic is the most recent addition to Gardner’s theory and
has been met with more resistance than his original seven intelligences.
According to Gardner, individuals who are high in this type of intelligence are
more in tune with nature and are often interested in nurturing, exploring the
environment, and learning about other species. These individuals are said to be
highly aware of even subtle changes to their environments. It includes people interested
in subjects such as botany, biology, and zoology. People good
at categorizing and cataloguing information easily. People with naturalistic intelligence May
enjoy camping, gardening, hiking, and exploring the outdoors. They doesn’t
enjoy learning unfamiliar topics that have no connection to nature. The best career choices would be Biologist, Conservationist, Gardener and Farmer.
Education these days, in the fast changing world demands the absolute learning for a successful life. Earlier the competition was less among individuals, now the scenario is vice versa. We as educators need to teach the children on one side about academics for their holistic development and on the other side there lies a huge responsibility of nation building. Achieving so many objectives is possible only if both Parents and Teachers work parallelly towards a similar goal!!!
Your blog is very meaningful and helpful for me. Thanks a lot to share this kind of material.
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