A recent article on the Edvocate website (link here) promotes the importance of intrapersonal intelligence. Howard Gardner has described intrapersonal intelligence as one of the least understood intelligences. It involves “knowing oneself” or being aware of one’s own feelings, strengths, and weaknesses. It is an important skill for anyone living in a modern society, where one needs to be able to make decisions, behave, and plan, to achieve goals while being aware of consequences.
To learn more about Howard Gardner’s current thinking on intrapersonal intelligence, read his blog (link here). He has also commented on an article in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience which may provide clues on the part of the brain associated with intrapersonal intelligence (link here).
There are many different ways to engage and support intrapersonal intelligence in students. In the excerpt below, Matthew Lynch, author of the Edvocate article, offers the following helpful suggestions on how to develop intrapersonal intelligence in students.
How Can Students Develop Intrapersonal Intelligence?
It is possible to develop intrapersonal intelligence through writing, mind maps, journaling, and introspection. While these activities might not appeal directly to everyone, they can be a useful way to explore the inner mind, emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Students can develop these skills in the classroom through writing.
There are lots of ways to do them, including:
· Reflection Exercises: Students should be given a thought or reflection exercise. This is when they must think about the topics they’ve been discussing. It can be a useful way to understand literature, even storybooks, and broadens the mind of the child.
· Writing Prompts: Students can be given a daily exercise. Their goal is to write one or two paragraphs on a certain subject. It gets the mind working and once the child writes, it unleashes their creativity. This can work for younger children and even teenagers.
Reference
Lynch, M. (2022, October 30). Intrapersonal Intelligence: Everything you need to know. The Tech Edvocate. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.thetechedvocate.org/intrapersonal-intelligence-everything-you-need-to-know/
Photo by Bianca Berndt on Unsplash