One of the worrisome aspects of vocational training in India has been that the final outcome of the huge spend – the so-called trained youth is not found acceptable by the industry. There are several other serious flaws affecting the program adversely. The focus on numbers ensures that quality is the first casualty. Several dubious training institutions with ill-trained and ill-equipped faculties/trainers are another concern. Institutions funded by the government at prohibitive cost have morphed themselves into other paper and file-pushing departments. Industry associations have confined themselves to holding annual (usually in winter months) global skill conclaves with one of the big 4 or 5 auditing firms bringing the white paper that does not go beyond the obvious. Needless to add that the ministry to manage the skill development process is busy managing headlines. For the readers, it may appear to be a harsh critique but if one takes out the newspapers of the last 5 years and see the headlines for skill development we will notice the same problems and concerns being raised time and again. But the purpose of writing this article is not to repeat the same but to point out the need to have a fresh look at the concept of intelligence that is the base of all our educational foundations in general.

It was John Lock who for the first time propounded his famous theory that ‘mind is a tabula rasa’. This meant that the mind of a child is like a blank slate and all our learning and experiences fill this slate with suitable perceptions that help develop our cognitive mind. It also implied that this blank slate can be filled with any type of learning. In a different context, the proponent of the behaviouristic school of thought James Watson propounded that a child’s growth primarily depends on the environment in which it is brought up. He famously said that he could take a 'dozen healthy infants... and train any one of them to become any type of specialist he might select - doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief.' In other words, he believed that you can expose the child to certain environmental forces and, over time, condition that child to become any type of person you want. To use this theory in the vocational education space is akin to saying give me five illiterate youths and I will convert them into welders, plumbers, CNC operators, Tractor mechanics and a cook matching international standards.

It is my theory that both these viewpoints have done incalculable harm to our education system and in particular to the vocational education system. The underlying assumption that intelligence is a single entity inherited and all are equal at the time of birth and therefore a standard way of imparting education without understanding each child’s mental and cognitive makeup is a wrong approach. This notion has developed due to the assumption that there is only one type of intelligence and therefore a standard approach will be good for the students.  Therefore, it logically follows that a single intelligence test to determine the intelligence level of a child is also equally erroneous.

It was Howard Gardner who propounded the radical concept of multiple intelligence (MI). He postulated that individuals possess eight or more different types of intelligence. These are autonomous intelligence meaning by category they are different from each other. These are as follows:

  • Linguistic Intelligence
  • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
  • Spatial Intelligence
  • Musical Intelligence
  • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
  • Naturalistic Intelligence
  • Intrapersonal Intelligence
  • Interpersonal Intelligence
  • Spiritual Intelligence
  • Existential Intelligence
  • Moral Intelligence

The description of these 11 types of Intelligence is as follows:

Linguistic Intelligence: An ability to analyse information and create products involving oral and written language such as speeches, books, and memos. Good professors, speakers, scholars, and writers have this type of intelligence. A competent vocational instructor must have this type of intelligence.

 Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: An ability to develop equations and proofs, make calculations, and solve abstract problems. R&D people, Scientists, and design experts have this type of intelligence.

Spatial Intelligence: An ability to recognize and manipulate large-scale and fine-grained spatial images. Spatial thinking is what we do when we visualize shapes in our "mind's eye. Engineers when they design a new prototype for a futuristic car or an architect who visualizes a new skyscraper or a neurosurgeon who visualises how to separate identical twins possess this spatial skill. Those who excel in science, technology, mathematics and programming have this kind of intelligence. Spatial skill gets aided by strong vocabulary. The implication for vocational training would imply lots of simulation exercises that stimulate the ‘mental rotation’. Again, what we notice in most vocational skill training is a very mechanical setting with no simulation.

Musical Intelligence: An ability to produce, remember, and make meaning of different patterns of sound. It is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as demonstrated by composers, conductors, musicians, vocalists, and sensitive listeners. One may not have had the formal training in music but they can easily discern an off-key tune. We in India have an example of the great singer Kishore Kumar who had no formal training but excelled in singing.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: An ability to use one’s own body to create products or solve problems. Children who possess this intelligence have a beautiful sense of timing, a great inkling to achieve meaningful physical action and an impeccable ability to manoeuvre their responses to convert them into immediate reflexes. In other words, children who possess such intelligence have a very high degree of motor control and an ability to use body motions to generate energy and concentration. Famous dancers and acrobats have this intelligence in them in abundance.

Naturalistic Intelligence: An ability to identify and distinguish among different types of plants, animals, and weather formations that are found in the natural world.Activities that children with naturalistic intelligence will enjoy.

·      Collecting natural organisms - feathers, leaves, flowers etc.,

·      Organizing collections

·      Using scientific gadgets - telescope, microscope etc.,

·      Environment related activities - recycling etc.,

·      Learning about nature

·      Visiting various natural locations and places where they can mingle with nature (including farms)

For children with naturalistic intelligence, relating to nature, organizing and finding patterns, are the best pathways to help them learn. The following methods can sharpen this type of intelligence.

·      Relate everything they learn to nature

·      Help them think through how what they learnt impacts the world

·      Assist information recollection using categories, types, segments, attributes, rules of thumb etc.,

·      Introduce them to various scientific instruments and how to use them

Intrapersonal Intelligence: An ability to recognize and understand his or her own moods, desires, motivations, and intentions.  People with intrapersonal intelligence are adept at looking inward and figuring out their own feelings, motivations and goals. They are introspective and seek understanding. They are intuitive and typically introverted. They learn best independently. People with such intelligence are perfectionistic and intuitive.

Interpersonal Intelligence: An ability to recognize and understand other people’s moods, desires, motivations, and intentions. This is an important intelligence for all involved in communication, networking and involved with managing people.

Spiritual Intelligence: (Also known as moral intelligence) Spiritual intelligence is a higher dimension of intelligence that activates the qualities and capabilities of the soul, in the form of wisdom, compassion, integrity, joy, love, creativity, and peace, which results in a sense of deeper meaning and purpose combined with improvements in a wide range of important life skills and work skills. Political leaders become great partly because of this kind of intelligence. Recent examples of former US President Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, and Mother Teresa are a few personalities exemplifying this dimension of leadership.

Existential Intelligence: It involves the broader spiritual quest about the ultimate purpose of human life and the philosophical search for the reasons we spend our lives on the planet.

What are the implications of these varied types of intelligence to vocational education?

It is obvious that a straight-jacketed approach of standard coaching to all the students is going to produce no result whatsoever. Present-day vocational education only recognizes linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. This needs a major correction. The need is to understand the plurality of intelligence and the diversity with which each student comes for learning has to be appreciated. The vocational teachers need thorough sensitization about the different types of intelligence so that upon careful screening customized offerings can be made. In this context, the choice architecture framework needs to be built carefully. Finally, the focus of all those involved in this exercise has to move from churning out numbers to improving quality and managing headlines.