A recent profile in Central News Asia (link here) brought our attention to a remarkable early childhood education scholar, Dr. Khoo Kim Choo, who started the Preschool for Multiple Intelligences (PMI), which is comprised of three centers in Singapore. After a long career spent working in early childhood education, often in leadership positions, Dr. Khoo opened the first branch of PMI at the age of 60. She was inspired by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and felt it could be a strong foundation for quality preschool education.
Dr. Khoo watches as two students explore an activity at a PMI center (Photo from CNA)
In the interview with CNA, Dr. Khoo said, “the starting point should be that every child is intelligent.” She structures these schools around students discovering and developing their different intelligences, and building their confidence along the way. At these PMI centers, children are encouraged to explore their interests, and instructors are trained to motivate them to pursue different specializations – nature, music, drama, etc.
Now 77-years-old, Dr. Khoo stays actively engaged at PMI and offers support to her staff whenever needed. We found her work incredibly impressive and are glad to learn that Gardner’s theory is being used in yet another early childhood education setting. Around the world, there are many schools inspired by MI theory – examples can be found in Colombia, the Philippines, India, as well as the United States. We are encouraged to see the theory applied in a way that promotes student learning and provides the opportunity to explore and strengthen different intelligences from a young age.