As contribuições da teoria das inteligências múltiplas na educação infantil

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the contributions of Howard Gardner's theory to the development of children's intelligence in Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Education is the initial stage of Basic Education, where children aged 4 to 5 have the opportunity to develop in all aspects, such as cognitive, motor, affective, and social. Depending on the motivations received from their environment, children may develop more comprehensively or not. Thus, for Gardner, it is essential that schools provide children with a stimulating environment, prepared to welcome them and respect their prior knowledge, ensuring that pedagogical activities enable the development of their intellectual capacities in both an individualized and collective manner. This approach prevents the creation of an educational gap due to individual differences. By recognizing the various types of intelligence, Gardner developed the theory of Multiple Intelligences, identifying nine types of intelligence. According to him, this recognition helps reduce the gap among children, especially those who may not excel in areas such as mathematics and language. His expanded proposal includes the following types of intelligence: logical-mathematical, linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic, and existential intelligence.