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Franklin's Philosophy of Life
in His Own Words

312 Pages $14.95

Emotional Intelligence

What is It? Who Needs It?

The concept of Emotional Intelligence is an outgrowth of the theory of Multiple Intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner, a Harvard Professor of Developmental Psychology in his 1983 book titled Frames of Mind.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences
In addressing the questions of why and how people learn differently, Gardner and his team of research associates challenged the concept of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as a measurement of intelligence. They argued that it was a reliable predictor of academic success but that it was not particularly helpful in identifying individuals who would succeed in other endeavors.

They argued that the standardized tests that measured IQ really only measured one's ability to perform well in tests utilizing linguistic and logical-mathematical skills. Their research on children and brain damaged adults indicated that the brain operates on a broader spectrum. They concluded and provided substantial evidence that there are several different skills, aptitudes, talents, or intelligences that individuals may evidence in the learning process which do not employ the linguistic and logical mathematical skills measured by tests that evaluate IQ.

Gardner's vision of the ideal school was one based on two assumptions: 1)" that not all people have the same interests and abilities" and 2) "not all of us learn in the same way."

This perspective should be of great interest to those of you who home school. In sum Gardner proposed seven specific forms of intelligence two of which are relevant to the effect of a persons emotions on their ability to think and act. One was interpersonal intelligence having reference to a person's ability to effectively interact with other people and the other was intra personal intelligence which has to do with a person's ability to understand oneself.

Twelve years later, a friend and former classmate of Gardner by the name of Daniel Goleman, drawing on emerging brain and behavioral research published his highly influential book titled "Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ."

Goleman's book shows why people with high IQ's sometimes flounder while those with modest IQ's do remarkably well.

Interestingly both the work of both Gardner and Goleman have been largely ignored by behavioral, educational, and developmental psychologists and more widely accepted by educators. Ironically, the politics of public education, is pushing it the other direction placing greater emphasis on performance on standardized tests.

Unfortunately, neither author fully addresses the missing piece in education, though Goleman's work comes closer. The fact is that nowhere in our educational systems do we give enough attention to helping young people develop the emotional, social and thinking skills necessary to effectively function in the world as we know it today.

Your reasons for homeschooling are becoming more and more relevant every day. I invite you to learn more about the missing piece in education by entering your name and email address in the box to the right. You will immediately receive 7 of the most important lessons any child can ever learn and additional information on how you can become part of the conversation and process for helping children learn what will matter most to them in the coming years.

Click here for more information on Emotional Intelligence and Multiple Intelligences.