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Akeelah and the Bee: Demonstrations of Multiple Intelligence

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I know the 8 kinds of Intelligence, I can describe and explain them but where I need help is identifying clear and specific examples of each type of intelligence as illustrated in the movie Akeelah and the Bee. I don't need definitions of the different types of intelligences, I need to apply that information to the movie.

Dr. Howard Gardner developed a theory of multiple intelligences in the mid-1980's. Review the movie Akeelah and the Bee to find and describe at least one example for each of Gardner's "eight kinds of smart":

1. Linguistic intelligence
2. Logical/mathematical intelligence
3. Spatial intelligence
4. Bodily kinesthetic intelligence
5. Musical intelligence
6. Interpersonal intelligence
7. Intrapersonal intelligence
8. Naturalist intelligence

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Solution Summary

This answer gives examples of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences from the film Akeelah and the Bee.

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Breaking down the multiple intelligences by type:

Linguistic intelligence:
The first and most obvious modality, linguistic intelligence, is present throughout the film. Akeelah has a natural propensity for words that is demonstrated all through the movie, including when she is talking to Dr. Larrabee as he's gardening. Her vocabulary is extensive, and the director wastes no time demonstrating her love for the written word. In fact, in one scene, you get a slow pan of the small library in her room. The shelves are filled with classics, not your average 11-year-old fare. She is a reader, a talker, and a linguistic communicator on top of being a natural born speller.

Logical/mathematical intelligence :
While math intelligence is a bit harder to place within the movie, she does use rhythm when she spells. The very idea of iambic pentameter for example, and the concept of how the letters flow together to form a single word, all come down to a basic understanding of numbers, ratios, and math. Tapping her leg as she says each letter is an example of logical and mathematical modality.

Spatial intelligence:
In the film, we see several examples of Akeelah's spatial intelligence. Basically, spatial intelligence is the ability to see within the mind's eye; to visualize. We see a great example of this at the climax of the film when she is trying to spell a very difficult word that has been taught and used correctly by her coach. She visualizes the word he wrote on the whiteboard. It takes her back to the time when she learned the spelling. Spatial intelligence is not only useful for musicians, artists, and architects, but also for the learner that needs to recall specific facts. When Laurence Fishburne's character taught her that word, he implanted a bit of information into her psyche which was then available through her spatial intelligence. I think the movie sums this up quite nicely by ...

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