In the following stage, the child, after having acquired some competence in the use of basic symbolizations, proceeds to acquire higher levels of dexterity in domains valued in their culture. As children progress in their understanding of symbolic systems, they learn the systems that Gardner calls second-order systems, that is, the notation of systems (writing, mathematical symbols, written music, etc.). In this phase, the various aspects of culture have a considerable impact on the child's development, as they will refine the symbolic systems that demonstrate greater efficacy in the performance of activities valued by the cultural group. Thus, a culture that values music will have a greater number of people who will achieve a high level of musical production.
Finally, during adolescence and adulthood, the intelligences reveal themselves through vocational or non-vocational occupations. In this phase, the individual adopts a specific and focused field, and fulfills themselves in roles that are significant in their culture.
Theory of multiple intelligences and education
The implications of Gardner's theory for education are clear when one analyzes the importance given to the diverse forms of thinking, the stages of development of the various intelligences, and the relationship existing between these stages, the acquisition of knowledge, and culture.
Gardner's theory presents alternatives to some current educational practices, offering a basis for:
(a) the development of assessments that are appropriate to the diverse human abilities (Gardner & Hatch, 1989; Blythe & Gardner, 1990); (b) a child-centered education with specific curricula for each area of knowledge (Kornhaber & Gardner, 1989; Blythe & Gardner, 1990); (c) a broader and more varied educational environment, which depends less on the exclusive development of language and logic (Walters & Gardner, 1985; Blythe & Gardner, 1990).
Regarding assessment, Gardner makes a distinction between assessment and testing. Assessment, according to him, favors methods of gathering information during day-to-day activities, whereas testing generally happens outside the known environment of the individual being tested. According to Gardner, it is important to make the most of individual abilities, helping students to develop their intellectual capacities, and, for this, instead of using assessment only as a way to classify, pass, or fail students, it should be used to inform the student about their capacity and inform the teacher about how much is being learned.
Gardner suggests that assessment must do justice to the intelligence, that is, it must give credit to the content of the intelligence being tested. If each intelligence has a certain number of specific processes, these processes must be measured with instruments that allow one to see the intelligence in question in operation. For Gardner, assessment must also be ecologically valid, that is, it must be done in known environments and must use materials known to the children being assessed. This author also emphasizes the need to assess the different intelligences in terms of their cultural manifestations and specific adult occupations. Thus, verbal ability, even in preschool, instead of being measured through vocabulary, definition, or similarity tests, should be assessed in manifestations such as the ability to tell stories or recount events. Instead of trying to assess spatial ability in isolation, one should observe children during a drawing activity or while they assemble or disassemble objects. Finally, he proposes that assessment, instead of being a product of the educational process, should be part of the educational process and the curriculum, informing at every moment how the curriculum should develop.
Regarding child-centered education, Gardner raises two important points that suggest the need for individualization. The first concerns the fact that, if individuals have cognitive profiles so different from one another, schools should, instead of offering a standardized education, try to ensure that each one receives the education that favors their individual potential. The second point raised by Gardner is equally important: while in the Middle Ages an individual could aspire to take possession of all universal knowledge, nowadays this task is totally impossible, and it is even quite difficult to master just one field of knowledge.
