Intelligence: IQ, Gardner, Sternberg and beyond

Two children sit in the same Class 4. One finishes every maths worksheet first but freezes when asked to speak in assembly. The other struggles with sums but can repair a bicycle chain, settle a playground fight and sing any tune after hearing it once. Which one is "intelligent"? How you answer shapes how you teach, and CTET tests exactly that.

The CTET syllabus lists "multi-dimensional intelligence" under Child Development and Pedagogy. Questions come in three forms: match the theorist to the idea, calculate an IQ, and, most often, pick the teaching choice that respects many kinds of ability.

From one ability to many: how the idea changed

The IQ formula, worked step by step

IQ = (Mental age ÷ Chronological age) × 100

Mental age (MA) is the age level at which the child performs on the test. Chronological age (CA) is the child's actual age. Convert both to the same unit, usually months, before dividing.

Example 1. MA 10 years, CA 8 years. IQ = 10 ÷ 8 × 100 = 1.25 × 100 = 125.

Example 2. MA 9 years, CA 12 years. IQ = 9 ÷ 12 × 100 = 0.75 × 100 = 75.

Example 3 (months). CA 8 years 4 months = 100 months. MA 10 years = 120 months. IQ = 120 ÷ 100 × 100 = 120.

Example 4 (finding MA). A child of 10 has an IQ of 110. MA = IQ × CA ÷ 100 = 110 × 10 ÷ 100 = 11 years.

When MA equals CA, the IQ is exactly 100, the average.

Gardner's multiple intelligences

Howard Gardner set out his theory in Frames of Mind (1983). He listed seven intelligences and added the eighth, naturalist, in the 1990s. He has discussed a possible existential intelligence but has not added it to the list, so for CTET the answer is eight.

Two points examiners like. First, every child has all the intelligences in different strengths, so the theory is not about putting a child in one box. Second, Gardner's point for schools is to teach a topic through several entry points, so more children can reach it.

Sternberg's triarchic theory

Robert Sternberg argued that intelligence has three parts:

• Analytical (componential): analysing, comparing, evaluating. This is what school tests mostly measure.
• Creative (experiential): dealing with new situations and producing new ideas.
• Practical (contextual): adapting to, shaping or choosing an environment. It is often called "street smarts".

The child who runs the family shop after school and handles change quickly may score average on a written test but show high practical intelligence.

Emotional intelligence

Peter Salovey and John Mayer described emotional intelligence in 1990: the ability to perceive, understand, use and manage emotions. Daniel Goleman popularised the idea in his 1995 book. For a teacher it links to the social-emotional learning in NEP 2020 and to the guide on emotions and learning.

Why a single IQ score is not enough

• It measures a narrow band of abilities, mostly linguistic and logical.
• Tests can be culturally biased: items that assume urban, English-medium experience disadvantage other children.
• Scores are affected by health, anxiety, language and schooling, not only ability.
• Intelligence develops through the interplay of heredity and environment (see heredity and environment), so a score is not fixed destiny.
• A label ("low IQ") can lower a teacher's expectations, and the child may then perform to that expectation.

Worked classroom questions

Scenario 1

A child in Class 3 finds reading hard but remembers every song taught and taps out rhythms on the desk. The teacher wants the child to learn the 6 times table. The best approach is to:

(a) make the child write the table ten times
(b) set the table to a rhythm or song
(c) move the child to a lower group
(d) skip tables for this child

Best answer: (b). It uses the child's musical strength as an entry point. (a) is rote, (c) labels, (d) lowers expectations.

Scenario 2

A teacher plans a lesson on the water cycle with a song, a diagram, a role play of water droplets and a short written summary. This reflects:

(a) Spearman's g factor
(b) Binet's mental age
(c) Thorndike's law of exercise
(d) Gardner's multiple intelligences

Best answer: (d). Several entry points for different intelligences.

Scenario 3

A child's CA is 12 years and MA is 15 years. What is the IQ, and what should the teacher conclude?

IQ = 15 ÷ 12 × 100 = 125. The child performs above age level on this test. The teacher should offer enrichment, but should not assume the child is ahead in every area or needs no support, since one test samples only some abilities.

Scenario 4

A child who cannot solve textbook word problems runs the family vegetable stall and calculates change quickly. Sternberg would say the child shows strong:

(a) analytical intelligence
(b) practical intelligence
(c) crystallised intelligence only
(d) intrapersonal intelligence

Best answer: (b). Practical, contextual intelligence. A good teacher would bring shop problems into the maths class.

Practice MCQs

Q1. The concept of mental age was introduced by:

(a) Spearman (b) Gardner (c) Binet (d) Thurstone

Q2. A child aged 10 has a mental age of 8. The IQ is:

(a) 125 (b) 80 (c) 90 (d) 108

Q3. "Intelligence has a general factor and specific factors" is the view of:

(a) Thurstone (b) Guilford (c) Sternberg (d) Spearman

Q4. Which is not one of Gardner's eight intelligences?

(a) Naturalist (b) Interpersonal (c) Emotional (d) Musical

Q5. A child who reflects on their own strengths and sets personal goals shows strong:

(a) intrapersonal (b) interpersonal (c) linguistic (d) spatial intelligence

Q6. Sternberg's three kinds of intelligence are:

(a) fluid, crystallised, general
(b) planning, attention, processing
(c) verbal, numerical, spatial
(d) analytical, creative, practical

Q7. Knowledge of vocabulary and facts built up through schooling is:

(a) crystallised intelligence (b) fluid intelligence (c) practical intelligence (d) the g factor

Q8. The main implication of Gardner's theory for teachers is to:

(a) test children often
(b) stream children by IQ
(c) teach through varied activities and entry points
(d) focus on reading and maths

Answers

1. (c).
2. (b). 8 ÷ 10 × 100 = 80.
3. (d).
4. (c). Emotional intelligence is Salovey and Mayer's idea, not one of Gardner's eight.
5. (a).
6. (d).
7. (a). Fluid intelligence is reasoning on new problems.
8. (c).

What to do next

• Rewrite the theorist table from memory, including the year for Binet, Gardner and Sternberg.
• Solve five IQ questions, two of them in months.
• For one topic you will teach, plan an activity for each of Gardner's eight intelligences.
• Read the guide on individual differences next, since the two topics are often asked together.