Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard, developed his influential theory of multiple intelligence in 1983. Gardner argued that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, was far too limited; he instead proposed seven types of intelligence to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.
Most recently he added an eighth intelligence: naturalist intelligence, “nature smart”. Charles Darwin, John Muir, and Rachel Carson are examples of this. The core of the naturalist intelligence is the human ability to recognize plants, animals, and other parts of the natural environment, like clouds or rocks. Maybe this explains why some photographers have a natural ability to see and photograph things in nature that others walk right passed.
Naturalist intelligence deals with sensing patterns in and making connections to elements in nature. Using this same intelligence, people possessing enhanced levels of this intelligence may also be very interested in other species, or in the environment and the earth. Children possessing this type of intelligence may have a strong affinity to the outside world or to animals, and this interest often begins at an early age. They may enjoy subjects, shows and stories that deal with animals or natural phenomena. Or they may show unusual interest in subjects like biology, zoology, botany, geology, meteorology, paleontology, or astronomy. People possessing nature smarts are keenly aware of their surroundings and changes in their environment, even if these changes are at minute or subtle levels. Often this is due to their highly-developed levels of sensory perception. Their heightened senses may help them notice similarities, differences and changes in their surroundings more rapidly than others. People with naturalistic intelligence may be able to categorize or catalogue things easily too. Frequently, they may notice things others might not be aware of. As children these people often like to collect, classify, or read about things from nature -- rocks, fossils, butterflies, feathers, shells, and the like.
Mike,
Makes a lot of sense. Many more things should be added I feel. For example, art smart. Artists (including photographers) need to be art smart in order to make great compositions. Some don't need to read the "rules," like rule of thirds and just naturally make great images, while others can study the rules for years and still can't make a good image. There are other "smarts" too, like mechanical: some people can grab some tools and build things easily, while others just bang their thumb with the hammer. I'm sure there are many more, e.g. languages, cooking, etc.
Hey Roger, good point and you are right that many photographers have the natural artistic ability to compose images properly without having to think, it just happens.
I emailed an education professor friend that naturalist intelligence is a discussion thread on a photography forum. I bet she will remind me that visual-spatial intelligence is also rather important to this group (as aluded to in some responses.) She uses Dewitt Jones' "Everyday Creativity" CD when she is teaching about multiple intelligences.
Mike,
This is very interesting.
I think Nature Smarts are the only smarts I have.
Artie Morris once stated in one of his bulletins that my ability to spot wildlife was almost supernatural.
That was a huge honor for me. I pride myself on using my ears as well as my eyes to locate subjects.
I react to shadows as birds fly over head, knowing their location based on the sun angle. Most times I feel like I know what a bird is going to do before it does. After working a location for a while I get to know the rhythms of the place and there are rhythms.
Very interesting Mike and thanks for posting. I will pass this on to my three school teaching daughters.
Darn gorilla beating on chest distracted me so I lost track on number of times ball was passed back and forth. I was up to seven though and know it was more than that.
One gorilla, he walks in from the right, stops in the center and beats his chest, then saunters off to the screen left. The white team makes 12 passes, although if you count the bounces it may be higher. So, what are you counting, actual passes or bounce to the next person as well.
Last edited by Grady Weed; 03-11-2009 at 11:33 AM.
Do You Have The Eighth Intelligence
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