Application of multiple intelligences theory in the Ghanaian classroom

Education is a valuable component of human development throughout the world. Ghana is not an exception. Respective governments of Ghana have strived to improve eminence of tutelage in the nation and to make it accessible to all citizens of school going age. Many reforms have been formulated in the past to ensure that future leaders acquire the best form of education in order to survive in the ever expanding and dynamic world. These reforms generally looked at the period or duration for acquiring the needed knowledge as well as the content given to the students. Little work is done on the ability of the pupil/student to absorb and understand the needed content. The intellectual proficiency of the teacher to convey knowledge to the students built on the interest and strength of the student is usually overlooked. The level of intelligence of the students is measured based on the old and the traditional approach of the logic/mathematic and linguistic styles. Ghana inherited this approach from the British after colonization. This method has discouraged and made aspirations and skills of many students go into the drain. The inability of many students to achieve higher education in Ghana is because of this old way of assessing and determining who an intelligent student is. This work has proven that Ghana is still using the old and the outmoded approach of determining an intelligent pupil/student. The research has shown that the current teachers do not use the several intellect approach established by Gardner in preparation of lessons and delivery of instruction in the classroom. The questions asked in this work are; do the teachers know the theory of multiple intelligences? Do they know their students' multiple intelligences strength? Do the teachers capitalize on the students' multiple intelligences strength in their teaching and lessons in the classroom? Do the teachers try to use other ways and styles of teaching apart from the traditional linguistic and logical/mathematical method of teaching? The observation and the answers to the questions above testify that Ghana is still using the traditional approach of logical/mathematical and linguistic approach in determining the intelligence of pupils/student. An observation conducted on the students using multiple intelligences survey, indicated that all the students used have traits of all the nine intelligences. Secondary sources of information such as article, journals and official webpages of institutions and bodies that had connections with the writing and preparation of this thesis were assessed.