He conceived of multiple intelligences
No one would be talking about it 25 years later, Howard Gardner says, if he had used another word to describe his theory on the different kinds of minds. "Faculties," might have worked, he says, but he chose "intelligences." His 1973 book "Frames of Mind," announced his "theory of multiple intelligences."
At the time, Gardner was a respected though far-from-famous 40-year-old Harvard psychologist, and he thought the book might be of interest to other psychologists. But by using that very complex and powerful word - intelligence - Gardner says he inadvertently picked a fight "with people who think they know what intelligence is and how to measure it."
In the process, he established himself as a hugely influential thinker in a field he hadn't, until then, given much thought to - education.
Gardner's theory contradicted the idea that there was a single intelligence, and instead argued that there were seven core intelligences, which he identified as: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal (in 1997, he added an eighth, naturalist, for people with environmental aptitude.)
"Most people think there is a single computer in the mind," Gardner said recently while sitting in his office at Harvard, where he's been "a lifer" since arriving as an undergraduate in 1961. "I think we have several relatively independent computers in the mind, and I've done the research to back it up."
Gardner said the theory was his attempt to explain why human cognitive profiles were so "jagged" - people who excelled in one area could falter in another. But when it made its way into pedagogical discussions, it became "the most important thing since chalk", according to NYU globalization and education professor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco.
"It articulated and gave a persuasive narrative to something parents and teachers intuitively know about their children - that kids engage learning through multiple intelligences - and his theory gave them permission to engage different learners in different ways," Suarez-Orozco said. "Globally, the breadth of his impact at every cardinal point is breathtaking . . . The sun never sets on the theory of multiple intelligences."
Gardner describes his scholarly approach: "When I study something, I like to make taxonomies, or grids," he said, while sitting in an office where paperwork was divided onto chairs whose backs he'd labeled "high priority," "medium priority" and "low priority."
The theory of multiple intelligences was simply his attempt to divvy up the mind, and he believes it achieved wide success specifically because he offered it without an agenda attached. "Multiple intelligences is just a meme, or idea unit," he said. "And any meme can be put to wide use."
While MI, as multiple intelligence is known, has had effects on academic curriculums, student tracking and so-called "gifted" programs, Gardner believes that, a quarter-of-a-century later, his theory has had two major implications for education.
"Individualize education as much as you can . . ." he said. "And when you want to teach something important, teach it in many different ways because people learn in different ways."
In the 25 years since "Frames of Mind," Gardner has written more books; he served for many years as codirector of Project Zero - a long-term Harvard endeavor that investigates learning processes, particularly in the arts; and he helped found the GoodWork Project, which looks in to "how to be creative and responsible at the same time."
But no matter what he does, "my happy frustration is that I'm the MI guy," Gardner said with a can't-complain smile. "I cannot count the number of people all over the world who said 'I feel affirmed thinking about your work.' "
And being the "MI guy" is a title that has its privileges; several times, he's had the rare honor of having a school named after him in his lifetime.
Not long ago, he was back in his hometown of Scranton, Penn., visiting one of those schools, when a 7-year-old pointed him out.
"He said, 'That's the guy who was named after our school,' " Gardner said. "How do you top that?"
Hometown: Scranton, Penn.; lives in Cambridge.
Education: At Harvard, he received a bachelor's in social relations in 1965, and a doctorate in social psychology in 1971.
Family: Wife, Ellen Winner, is a psychology professor at Boston College. They have four kids: Kerith, 39, an administrator at Columbia University Business School; Jay, 37, a photographer and editor; Andrew, 32, an education technologist at The School at Columbia University; Benjamin, 23, a worker in marketing.
Hobbies: Playing piano and serving on the board of the Museum of Modern Art. 