by Marc Morgenstern, Richmond Hill High School

The Multiple Intelligences WebQuest has been designed to introduce students to the concepts and ideas inherent in the theory of multiple intelligences, based on the work and research of Howard Gardner of Harvard University.

Introduction

Dear Student,

This WebQuest has been designed to make you familiar with the many, often conflicting, ideas and theories about what intelligence is, how intelligence is measured, how people learn, and, in a practical manner, what is the right approach for you, as an individual learner, to follow, in order to maximize your success as a student and lifelong learner.

This WebQuest is based on the research and theories of Dr. Howard Gardner, a psychologist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For many years, Dr. Gardner has been conducting research in the area of the nature of human intelligence, how intelligence is demonstrated, and how intelligence can be assessed and evaluated.

Dr. Gardner has developed a theory of intelligence that is quite different from traditional theories of intelligence. He has named this the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a psychological and educational theory espousing that seven kinds of "intelligence" exist in humans, each relating to a different sphere of human life and activity. Educators, the theory states, can reach all of their students only by adapting their teaching program to meet all the types of intelligence that their target audience possesses.
 
During the course of this WebQuest, you will be asked to complete several tasks:
 
1. Do some online research on educational testing in several areas: personality, intelligence, and aptitude.
 
2. Take several commercially available online personality, intelligence, and aptitude tests, and evaluate the relevancy and importance of these tests to your own personality, intelligence, and aptitude.
 
3. Create a graphic (poster) based on your findings and conclusions, and report these finings and conclusions to your classmates.
 
During the course of this WebQuest, you will engage in individual research, pair work, and group work.
 
I hope your research and findings will be fruitful and useful to you.
 
Good luck, and enjoy learning more about your learning!
 
Marc Morgenstern