MI+B2+Chapter+14

Abstract-
The last chapter of the MI book is about a possible ninth intelligence. It is called the [|existential intelligence] and it deals with the big philosophical questions that all humans ask. This intelligence is often controversial though because many cultures answer these big life questions with religious beliefs. However, this intelligence isn’t about being extremely religious but rather about looking for meaning in life, looking for similarities in beliefs between cultures, and in the capability to see the big picture. It does meet many of Gardner’s criteria for being an intelligence but there has yet to be enough evidence to support this idea.

[|Synthesis-]
The class agreed that it is worth thinking about incorporating [|Howard Gardner’s ninth intelligence] into their lessons whether or not it has been made officially. Many of us thought that it would not be long before it was added to the list of intelligences and were willing to accept it as such. The class thought that it would be fairly easy to incorporate into classes because its nature involves looking for deeper meaning which is what teachers should be asking their students to do. Many of us linked it to science because so many scientists have been inspired by life questions in their research and experiments. There were also connections made to history and literature because both of those subjects deal with why things happen.

Cam
The last chapter of MI briefly goes over Howard Gardner’s last intelligence that tends to be overlooked because of its touchy subject. Existential intelligence is one that Gardner wants individuals to see as a way to uncover oneself. He is not saying that this is how it is, but only specifying a brisk theory of his intelligence. The existential intelligence is a particular one that is sometimes used, but sometimes not. If it is applied to a class, then the teacher might find themselves making up the criteria. As far as science, the existential intelligence could trace back to the very first scientist who were driven by religion. The idea of Darwinism could also come into play here as students may ask, ‘where do things come from?’ This impacts me as a teacher because it definitely has a huge part in science. Darwin who study the lives of many species, mainly concentrated on the Galapagos Island. My students are impacted by this because without Darwin’s discoveries, then they would not be learning half of the sciences that they are today. It is an important intelligence that can be excused from the list, but never forgotten.
 * Chapter 14; MI and Existential Intelligence **

Dani
Chapter 14 Chapter 14 discusses the possibility of a ninth intelligence, existential. This intelligence focuses on the “ultimate life concerns” or in other words the big questions that every culture tries to answer and no one can agree on. The chapter also gives a few ideas on how that intelligence can best be activated in the classroom. This intelligence is pretty interesting because it involves thinking about the unanswerable in many different ways. It affects my classroom because as a teacher it really should be my goal to do this anyway. In order to help students understand other cultures, ideas, people, beliefs and motivations these questions are important to look at.

Jason
Until reading this chapter, I did not know that Gardner was working on a ninth intelligence, that of the existential. Having read the chapter, I would have to agree that he is right in thinking about the existential because all people think about it; there is a great push to figure out who we are and where we came from. People also think about why evil exists and “why am I here?”. I do question whether or not he could count the existential as an actual intelligence because it is not really something that people use to learn. I would say that this existential belief definitely impacts our way of thinking and learning, but it is not a medium through which we learn best. I would be a liar if I said I did not think about these concepts that existentialism brings up; it also affects how I learn because if I do not think something is important than I might not bother to learn it. As far as the classroom, I think that he brings up good ways of incorporating the existential into the curriculum, but I would say that it is a slippery slope to try and teach it in school. We live in a world that is obsessed with political correctness, and for many, existentialism sounds too much like religious beliefs to teach in school.
 * MI Chapter 14: MI and Existential Intelligence **

Lindsey
The final chapter of this book deals with Gardner’s defense of his assertion that the existential should be considered the ninth intelligence. Rather than viewing this as a religious matter, he merely reflects that we must be capable of coming to terms with our external existence. This potential intelligence deals within the realm of philosophy and the way in which we exist within our universe. A look at the criteria through which a concept becomes intelligence shows that existential fits the criteria of cultural value, developmental history, symbolism, savants who have displayed the intelligence, psychometric studies, evolutionary plausibility and brain research. While there are questions of controversy surrounding existential intelligence, these can be quieted by assurance that the topic does not cover religion, but instead world meaning. In addition, it has proven itself applicable to all topics, thus we as teachers will probably be looking at existential intelligence in the future!

Marcy
This chapter discusses the possible new intelligence that Howard Gardiner is considering adding to the intelligences. It is important to take this in consideration because a student in my class might exhibit these characteristics. This last intelligence is called existential intelligence and it is concerned with the deep philosophical questions. Teachers might be afraid to address this kind of thinking because it could step over into the religious realm and cause controversy in the community. However, students should have opportunities to think about what they believe and science is a good opportunity to introduce those kinds of ideas. This affects me as a teacher by giving my students the opportunity to think about controversial issues. This will help my students formulate their own opinions about matters that in the future they will have to decide on.

Andrew D
This chapter talks about the MI theory and possibly adding existential intelligence to the other eight intelligences. Howard Gardner defines existential intelligence as “a concern with ultimate life issues (127).” Gardner himself has said that existential intelligence does not fit all of the criteria in becoming a part of the MI theory. It does however, fit some of the criteria and is the reason why it is up for debate on whether or not it should be added. The chapter gives a number of ideas on how existential intelligence could be added in the classroom. Existential intelligence can be integrated into essentially every subject. History and literature are the two subjects where this intelligence can be greatly incorporated. This impacted me because it reminded me of my 12th grade English class where we spent a lot of time discussing existentialism. This will impact my classroom because of how easily existential intelligence can be used in a history classroom.

Jenna
Chapter fourteen of __Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom__ discussed Howard Gardner's belief that there is a ninth intelligence: existentialism. Existentialism is not aiming towards a spiritual, religious, or moral intelligence, but it is more about addressing humanity's long-standing ultimate questions of life. The existential intelligence fits into the criteria through cultural value, developmental history, symbol systems, exceptional individuals (savants) psychometric studies, evolutionary plausibility, and brain research. While there are many controversial issues when it comes to the possibilities of integrating the existential intelligence into classrooms, there are ways in which it is possible. If teachers and school administrations ensure that the curriculum focuses not on religion but on world meaning, then existentialism can be tied into every subject! This will be useful to me as a teacher because I will be able to help students construct deeper meaning in content and their own lives. If I can enable students to understand why they are learning the material in class, then the students will have a deeper meaning and appreciation for learning. Existentialism is definitely a possible intelligence that the future should consider integrating into the classroom.

Nicholas
**Chapter 14:** Within this chapter there is discussion about existential intelligence and how it fits into education. I enjoyed reading and learning about how existential intelligence relates to the classroom. The book appears to be ignoring one subject that I feel is very important when discussing subjects and their relationship to existential intelligence. After I read about the other subjects it became clear to me that health has a strong tie to existential intelligence. There are two aspects of health that really jumped out at me when reading about existential intelligence. Spiritual health and existential intelligence are like peanut butter and jelly. Spiritual health is all about humans trying to find peace within themselves whether it be through meditation, yoga, singing, reading inspirational books, taking a nature walk, having some quiet time alone, or playing a sport. For whatever reason those activities lead to reduced stress and anxiety for most people. By getting involved in those activities you may also be improving your physical, mental/intellectual, emotional, and spiritual health. Health and existential intelligence are incredibly interrelated and I hope that my teaching may allow my students to realize the connection between the two.

Lizzie
This chapter was incredibly interesting because it introduced a new intelligence that is not mentioned in the rest of the book. Howard Gardner proposed this intelligence, called existential, in 1999 and it revolves around how a person deals with major life questions such as the meaning of life or life in relation to death, many questions that no one has an answer to. Gardner believed that it fit all of the requirements, all seven, that are considered when dealing with intelligence, but also believed that it may not fit all seven exactly right. One of the major reasons why he believed that the addition of the existential intelligence is up for major debate is due to the ever debatable topic of religion in schools. Application of this intelligence carries through on almost every level within schooling. However, even thought this intelligence could have significance in each subject area and could help to emphasize the motivations behind the acts of history, science, math, and literature, it seems to be lacking something, maybe just more evidence. Howard may have had valid points and reasons for this intelligence but maybe just understanding that each child or student has the ability to be on an existential level and learn that way is enough. I believe that this is more of a belief than an intelligence. I believe that if someone where to have an inclination towards one intelligence almost everyone could have a tendency towards this one as well as their other dominant intelligence. I believe that all other intelligences could be improved upon for others and within others but this seems to be more of an internal feeling not an outward idea that needs to be solidified and taught to within schools. This idea seems a littler out of reach considering it in relation to the other intelligences.

Andrew F.
The final chapter in the book is the discussion about Howard Gardner considering adding a 9th intelligence to the list. This intelligence is called Existential Intelligence, which is in my mind sort of someone who has a great philosophical depth in their thought. It is used to describe someone who thinks about the big questions in life such as "who are we?" "what is the meaning of life" "what does the future hold for mankind?" The chapter goes on later to discuss whether or not this final intelligence really fits with the other 8 that are already developed. On a personal level I think it is great to be a deep thinker (I would like to consider myself well rounded in this potential intelligence.) I can see the use in all of the core content areas and I feel if Gardner were to add this intelligence to the list, it would be easy to integrate within a classroom. I feel that the 9th intelligence is definitely one to add, because although generally logical in nature, this intelligence is in a league all its own. I guarantee while I am teaching I will get one or maybe a handful of students that are philosophical thinkers, I see this as a challenge to engage these students, and I feel it is one that will be very beneficial to both myself and the other students in my classroom.

Ben
This chapter introduces Gardner's latest theory about the MI's: the existential MI. The book states this as "the capacity to lose oneself with respect to the furthest reaches of the cosmos-infinite and the infinitesimal..." This relates to those people over time who have learned in a different style. These people have become pastors, priests, shamans, ministers, philosophers, writers, artist, even scientists. People who wonder the "big questions", and some how can learn better through that mystical presence of the unknown. This impacts me not because I think I am a existential learner, but the proof that there are still more intelligences out there. As a future teacher, I need to be conscious of students that are even more removed the traditional way of thinking, then the students who are just discovering their thought process is not stupid. Soon, soon as in like 10-30 years from now, the normal way of thinking will be able to process information through all eight intelligences, or have the ability. The problem we will face as teachers will be the emergence of new intelligences like the existential that we as teachers will need to adapt to and overcome, since we need to give each student a fair and equal chance.

Ted
I was really excited to read Chapter 14 of MI in the Classroom, because I’ve always related as an existentially involved individual since before I became heavily interested in music or literature, and have always kept existential concerns at the forefront of my thoughts. It probably didn’t hurt that my human behavior teacher in high school preemptively included this as one of Gardner’s intelligences. I’m glad that the chapter did not dismiss Existential Intelligence as ridiculous, even backing it up in fields like math and science. I really hope that study of existential intelligence develops further. To my own experience, people who identify as existentially intelligent can feel alienated by a curriculum that could seem useless not only to real life, but to something larger than life. There’s a reason many existential thinkers have pushed away from schooling, or sought to educate themselves.