Tools Used 
Overview
How do we know if someone has particular talents? Is there a tendency for teachers to pick out those learners who are conventional high achievers, articulate and able to work independently? There is a danger that we overlook other skills because they are less obvious to the untrained eye or because we do not provide contexts in our classrooms where such talents can flourish.This is where the notion of multiple intelligences comes into play. Multiple Intelligence Theory was developed by Howard Gardner. He worked with people who were brain-damaged and looked at how different parts of the brain affected the learning process. He identified a number of different talents: language, numbers and patterns, ability to get on with others, ability to know oneself, visual, kinaesthetic, musical, awareness of the natural world. All human beings possess different intelligences in varying amounts. Each person has a unique intellectual composition and by identifying strengths we can provide more effectively for individuals.
The multiple intelligences part of the Birmingham Grid for Learning site is useful for identifying different intelligences and can be used by primary or secondary pupils. The profiles it produces are useful to both learners and teachers:
- Learners who may not be succeeding at school can see where their talents lie: this can boost their confidence and help them choose suitable options at KS3/4 which play to their strengths. However, it may also give a clear indication of areas which are holding them back and this awareness can be the first step to improvement.
- The information produced can also help educators. If we know someone is strong in kinaesthetic areas, it may encourage us to find ways of cutting back on listening and writing and devising more practical, ‘learning by discovery’ activities. If an individual’s intrapersonal skills are weak then self-evaluation is going to be a struggle so we need to look at alternatives, perhaps team evaluations if interpersonal skills are stronger.
Note:
Since it's launch, the Multiple Intelligences tool has been used by over 2.8 million people all over the world. It is the number 1 tool for calculating multiple intelligences on the net.