TODAY, MOST PEOPLE KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT learning styles. It is not uncommon to hear someone explain to someone else "Oh, I’m a visual learner," or "I’ve got to actually do it to remember it." What is not well known outside of the world of education is that Howard Gardner has actually indentified eight ways in which learning takes place.

Historically, reading, writing and arithmetic have been the staples of American educational programs. The reasoning behind developing a strong foundation in these areas lies in the pre-Gardner theories that the best, and often only, way to teach content is through the traditional linguistic and logical-mathematical methods. In fact, these are the styles of thinking most often measured on psychological tests. But as Gardner theorizes, there are more that just a few ways to teach seemingly unreachable learners. 




In 1983, Howard Gardner went beyond these traditional styles of thinking and learning to begin to identify what have now become eight different styles of thinking and learning:

Elizabeth Shepherd, Department of Educational Technology, San Diego State University