Howard Gardner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Howard Gardner

Born Howard Earl Gardner

July 11, 1943 (age 74)

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Nationality American

Alma mater Harvard College

Known for Theory of multiple intelligences

Spouse(s) Ellen Winner

Website www.howardgardner.com

Scientific career

Fields Psychology, education

Institutions Harvard University

Influences Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Nelson Goodman[1]

Part of a series on
 Psychology

 Outline
 History
 Subfields

Basic types[show]

Applied psychology[show]

Lists[show]

 Psychology portal

 v
 t
 e

Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and the John
H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of
Education at Harvard University. He is currently the senior director of Harvard Project Zero, and since
1995, he has been the co-director of The Good Project.[2]
Gardner has written hundreds of research articles[3] and thirty books that have been translated into more
than thirty languages. He is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, as outlined in his 1983
book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.[2]

Contents
[hide]

 1Early life
o 1.1Career
o 1.2Theory and criticism
 2Achievements and awards
 3Personal life
 4References
 5Further reading
 6External links

Early life[edit]
Howard Earl Gardner was born July 11, 1943, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Ralph Gardner and Hilde
(née Weilheimer) Gardner, German-Jewish immigrants who fled Germany prior to World War II.[4]
Gardner described himself as "a studious child who gained much pleasure from playing the
piano".[5] Although Gardner never became a professional pianist, he taught piano from 1958 to 1969.[3]
Education was of the utmost importance in the Gardner home. While his parents had hoped that he
would attend Phillips Academy Andoverin Massachusetts, Gardner opted to attend a school closer to
his hometown in Pennsylvania, Wyoming Seminary. Gardner had a desire to learn and greatly excelled
in school.[6]
Career[edit]
Gardner graduated from Harvard University in 1965 with an AB in social relations, and studied under
the renowned Erik Erikson. He would go on to obtain his PhD in developmental psychology at Harvard
while working with psychologists Roger Brown and Jerome Bruner, and philosopher Nelson Goodman.[4]
For his postdoctoral fellowship, Gardner worked alongside Norman Geschwind at Boston Veterans
Administration Hospital and continued his work there for another 20 years.[3] Gardner began teaching at
the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1986. Since 1995, much of the focus of his work has been
on The GoodWork Project, now part of a larger initiative known as The Good Project that encourages
excellence, ethics, and engagement in work, digital life, and beyond.
In 2000, Gardner, Kurt Fischer, and their colleagues at the Harvard Graduate School of
Education established the master's degree program in Mind, Brain and Education. This program was
thought to be the first of its kind around the world. Many universities in both the United States and
abroad have since developed similar programs. Four years later in 2004, Gardner would continue
writing about the mind and brain and would publish Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing
Our Own and Other People's Minds, a book about seven forms of mind-change.[4]
Theory and criticism[edit]
According to Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, humans have several different ways of
processing information, and these ways are relatively independent of one another. The theory is a
critique of the standard intelligence theory, which emphasizes the correlation among abilities, as well as
traditional measures like IQ tests that typically only account for linguistic, logical, and spatial abilities.
Since 1999, Gardner has identified eight intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial,
bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.[7] Gardner is informally considering two
additional intelligences, existential and pedagogical.[8][9] Many teachers, school administrators, and
special educators have been inspired by Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences as it has allowed for
the idea that there is more than one way to define a person's intellect.[10]
Gardner's definition of intelligence has been met with some criticism in education circles[11] as well as in
the field of psychology. Perhaps the strongest and most enduring critique of his theory of multiple
intelligences centers on its supposed lack of empirical evidence.[12] Gardner responds that his theory is
based entirely on empirical evidence as opposed to experimental evidence, as he does not believe
experimental evidence is appropriate for a theoretical synthesis.[13][14]
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences can be seen as both a departure from and a continuation of
the last century's work on the subject of human intelligence. Other prominent psychologists whose
contributions variously developed or expanded the field of study include Charles Spearman, Louis
Thurstone, Edward Thorndike, and Robert Sternberg.
In 1967, Professor Nelson Goodman started an educational program called Project Zero at the Harvard
Graduate School of Education, which began with a focus in arts education and now spans throughout a
wide variety of educational arenas.[15] Howard Gardner and David Perkins were founding Research
Assistants and later Co-Directed Project Zero from 1972-2000. Project Zero's mission is to understand
and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines
at the individual and institutional levels.[16]

Good Project founders. From left: William Damon, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and Gardner
For almost two decades, in collaboration with William Damon, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and several
other colleagues, Gardner has been directing research at The Good Project on the nature of good work,
good play, and good collaboration. The goal of his research is to determine what it means to achieve
work that is at once excellent, engaging, and carried out in an ethical way. With colleagues Lynn
Barendsen, Wendy Fischman, and Carrie James, Gardner has developed curricular toolkits on these
topics for use in educational and professional circles.[17]

Achievements and awards[edit]

In 1981 Gardner was the recipient of a MacArthur Prize Fellowship. In 1990 he became the first
American to receive the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Education.[18] In 1985, The
National Psychology Awards for Excellence in the Media, awarded Gardner The Book Award
for Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which was published by Basic Books.[19] In
1987, he received the William James Award from the American Psychological Association.[20] In 2000 he
received a fellowship from the John S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Four years later he was
named an Honorary Professor at East China Normal University in Shanghai. In the years 2005 and
2008 he was selected by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines as one of the top 100 most influential
public intellectuals in the world.[21] In 2011, he won the Prince of Asturias Award in Social Sciences for
his development of multiple intelligences theory.[21] In 2015, he received the Brock International Prize in
Education.[22]
He has received 31 honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the world, including
institutions in Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, South Korea, and
Spain.[23]

Personal life[edit]
Howard Gardner is married to Ellen Winner, Professor of Psychology at Boston College. They have one
child, Benjamin. Gardner has three children from an earlier marriage: Kerith (1969), Jay (1971), and
Andrew (1976); and four grandchildren, Oscar (2005), Agnes (2011), Olivia (2015), and Faye
Marguerite (2016).[5]

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Winner, Ellen. "The History of Howard Gardner". Archived from the original on 2007-06-29.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Gordon, Lynn Melby. "Gardner, Howard (1943–)." Encyclopedia of Human Development.
Ed. Neil J. Salkind. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2006. 552-553. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c Doorey, Marie (2001). Bonnie R. Strickland, executive editor, eds. Gardner, Howard
Earl. The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology (2nd ed.). Detroit, MI: Gale Group. pp. 272–273,
699. ISBN 0-7876-4786-1. Retrieved 2014-12-07. a part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c Anderman, Eric; Anderman, Lynley, eds. (2009). Psychology of Classroom Learning: An
Encyclopedia. 1. Detroit, USA: Macmillan Reference. pp. 423–425. Retrieved 28 Dec 2014. a part of the
Gale Virtual Reference Library.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b "Howard Gardner Project Zero Biography". Pz.harvard.edu. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
6. Jump up^ Webber, Jacob. "Gardner, Howard." Encyclopedia of the History of Psychological Theories.
Ed. Robert W. Rieber. Vol. 1. New York: Springer, 2012. 464-465. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.
10 Dec. 2014.
7. Jump up^ "Understanding Multiple Intelligences Theory". Retrieved 7 August 2016.
8. Jump up^ "The Theory of Multiple Intelligences: As Psychology, As Education, As Social Science
Howard Gardner" (PDF). Howardgardner01.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
9. Jump up^ "Home - Mi Oasis". Mi Oasis. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
10. Jump up^ Gordon, Lynn Melby. "Gardner, Howard (1943–)." Encyclopedia of Human Development. Ed.
Neil J. Salkind. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2006. 552-553. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
11. Jump up^ http://educationnext.org/reframing-the-mind/
12. Jump up^ Klein, Perry D (1998). "A Response to Howard Gardner: Falsifiability, Empirical Evidence, and
Pedagogical Usefulness in Educational Psychologies". Canadian Journal of Education. 23 (1): 103–
112. doi:10.2307/1585969.
 13. Jump up^ Gardner, Howard. "On failing to grasp the core of MI theory: A response to Visser et
al". Intelligence. 34 (5): 503–505. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2006.04.002.
14. Jump up^ Gardner, Howard; Moran, Seana. "The science of multiple intelligences theory: A response to
Lynn Waterhouse". Educational Psychologist. 41 (4): 227–232. doi:10.1207/s15326985ep4104_2.
15. Jump up^ "Project Zero: History". Pz.harvard.edu. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
16. Jump up^ "Harvard Project Zero". Pzweb.harvard.edu. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
17. Jump up^ "Educating for Good Work: From Research to Practice". British Journal of Educational
Studies. 61: 453–470. doi:10.1080/00071005.2013.829210. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
18. Jump up^ "1990 - Howard Gardner". Grawemeyer.org. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
19. Jump up^ "National psychology awards for excellence in the media". Retrieved 2014-10-12.
20. Jump up^ "Howard Gardner, 2011 Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences - The Prince of Asturias
Foundation". Fpa.es. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
21. ^ Jump up to:a b "Howard Gardner, 2011 Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences - The Prince of
Asturias Foundation". Fpa.es. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
22. Jump up^ "Brock International Prize in Education Laureates". BrockPrize.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
23. Jump up^ "Howard Gardner". Pz.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-08-15.
Retrieved 2012-08-13.

Further reading[edit]
 Kincheloe, Joe L., ed. (2004). Multiple Intelligences Reconsidered. Counterpoints v. 278. New York:
Peter Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-7098-6. ISSN 1058-1634.
 Howard Gardner (2006). Schaler, Jeffrey A., ed. "A Blessing of Influences" in Howard Gardner
Under Fire. Illinois: Open Court. ISBN 978-0-8126-9604-2.
 Howard Gardner (1989). To Open Minds: Chinese Clues to the Dilemma of American Education.
New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-08629-0.
 Howard Gardner; Vea Vecchi; Carla Rinaldi; Paola Cagliari (2011). Making learning visible. Italy:
Reggio Children. ISBN 978-88-87960-67-9.
 M. Kornhaber (2001). Palmer, Joy, ed. "Howard Gardner" in Fifty Modern Thinkers in Education.
New York: Routledge. ISBN 041522408X.
 Tom Butler-Bowdon (2007). "Howard Gardner, Frames of Mind" in 50 Psychology Classics. London
& Boston: Nicholas Brealey. ISBN 978-1-85788-386-2.
 Gordon, L. M. (2006). Howard Gardner. "The encyclopedia of human development." Thousand
Oaks: Sage Publications, 2, 552-553.
 Gardner, Howard (2011). Truth, beauty, and goodness reframed: Educating for the virtues in the
21st century. New York: Basic Books.
 Gardner, H.; Davis, K. (2013). The App Generation: How Today's Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy,
and Imagination in a Digital World. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300196214.
 Schneider, Jack (2014). From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse: How Scholarship Becomes
Common Knowledge in Education. Harvard Education Press. ISBN 978-1612506692.
 Gardner, Howard (2014). Mind, Work, and Life: A Festschrift on the Occasion of Howard Gardner's
70th Birthday. Create Space. ISBN 978-1499381702.

External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations
related to: Howard
Gardner

 The Good Project

 The Official Howard Gardner Website
 The Official Website of Multiple Intelligences Theory
 Project Zero
 Faculty Profile — Harvard Graduate School of Education website
 Appearances on C-SPAN