Top 12 quotes by Howard Gardner

A collection of famous quotes from the author of multiple intelligences.

The figure of the American psychologist Howard Gardner (Scranton, United States, 1943) will always be linked to his theory of multiple intelligences.

This revision of the concept of intelligence, which he proposed in the 1990s, inaugurated a broader vision of the cognitive potential of every human being. As criticized as he is revered, Howard Gardner is still a professor at the prestigious Harvard University..

Howard Gardner's phrases to understand his thinking.

In this article I wanted to capture the thoughts and reflections of this brilliant researcher through several of his famous phrases and quotations.

1. The purpose of education is to make people want to do what they should do.

A phrase critical of the educational system. Although it has different interpretations, it seems that Gardner points here to the influence on the control of motivation exercised by the school in our societies.

2. Our limitations not only make possible the first vital learning, but also allow occasional creative ruptures

It is also from limitation that we build and advance in the learning process.

3. Each human being has a unique combination of intelligence. This is the fundamental educational challenge: to stimulate each student in a personalized way.

In this sentence he clearly alludes to his thesis on multiple intelligences. Each type of intelligence deserves special attention.

4. It is very important to evaluate intelligences, but standardized tests are not the solution.

Intelligence tests can be used correctly, but they often have the disadvantage of stigmatizing and reducing potential.

5. The design of my ideal school of the future is based on two hypotheses: the first is that not everyone has the same interests and abilities; we do not all learn in the same way. The second assumption may hurt: it is that no one can learn everything there is to learn in our days.

Another famous quote from one of his books.

6. A school centered on the individual would have to be rich in the evaluation of individual capacities and tendencies. It would seek to associate individuals not only with curricular areas, but also with particular ways of teaching those subjects.

Here he lays out several precepts for an educational system that is capable of exploiting students' capacities and abilities.

7. Intelligence, what we consider intelligent actions, is modified throughout history. Intelligence is not a substance in the head like oil in an oil tank. It is a collection of potentialities that complete each other.

On the need to put context to the concept of intelligence.

8. The irruption of new technologies forces us to educate children in a different way.

A truism: the irruption of social networks, the latest generation of cell phones and other gadgets force us to rethink the way we educate our children.

9. In the future, we will be able to individualize, to personalize education as much as we want.

This should be the goal, according to Howard Gardner.

10. Perhaps the amalgam of youth and maturity is an identifiable characteristic of the creative scientific genius.

What is the personality of geniuses like? Gardner proposes an approach.

11. It would be desirable to have, in one volume, a reliable synthesis of the work on the education of the structures of the mind.

A reflection on the need to bring together the knowledge of educational psychology in a single work.

12. In most nations of the world schools are organized in a uniform way. The same subjects are taught and assessed in very similar ways, to all students alike, because it seems fair to be able to treat all students as if they were the same.

If we want an education that results in an improvement in society, it is unfeasible for us to continue to approach each student's educational experience without providing a guarantee that his or her needs, talents and expectations will be supported institutionally and socially.