Transition Times: Do you feel smart on the sports field but stupid in the exam hall? Do you have a brilliant memory for song lyrics but no head for dates? Do you have a talent for understanding human emotions but can't get your head around human biology?

Since the first days of formal schooling, two kinds of ability have been used as a measure of a person's overall intelligence. They are the abilities that are the easiest to test - linguistic intelligence and mathematical intelligence. However, over the last 20 years, educational psychologists have identified at least six other kinds of intelligence that have been largely ignored in schools.

The Multiple Intelligence Theory, developed in 1983 by Dr Howard Gardner, suggests that the IQ test (which has been used to measure intelligence levels throughout the world for decades) measures only these two kinds of intelligence and ignores all others. Therefore, a person who gets an average or low IQ score is quite likely to be intelligent in a range of other ways. While all humans possess the eight intelligences, each person has his/her own particular blend.

To build a house, to produce a record, to educate a child, to run a company - every kind of intelligence is used in the everyday activities that bring quality to our lives. Until now, however, only certain types of intelligence have been celebrated in schools. The Transition Year programme is designed to change that. The central goal of Transition Year is to help students identify their own intelligences, to get more from school, from work and from life.

Instead of focusing on books and note-taking, Transition Year teaching approaches subjects from many angles, using music, co-operative learning, art activities, role-play, multi-media, field trips, inner reflection, teamwork and much more.

This week's Transition Times explores the eight kinds of intelligence identified by Howard Gardner. If you can identify your particular areas of strength, you can concentrate on becoming a "specialist". Not only that, but you can use your strong areas to help you perform better in all areas. By approaching learning by the road you recognise, you can unlock your potential in a world of other ways. Read on and start thinking about the kind of genius you might be.

Linguistic intelligence

Linguistic intelligence enables people to communicate and make sense of the world through language. Poets use this intelligence, as do musicians who write lyrics and people who pick up new languages quickly. Students who enjoy playing with rhymes, who use puns, who tell stories and jokes, who quickly acquire other languages, all exhibit linguistic intelligence.

Everyone has linguistic intelligence, including people without the physical ability to hear or speak, as mastery of sign language uses linguistic intelligence. Those with heightened linguistic intelligence use words to understand and interpret the world around them, and use words easily to communicate. They can articulate concepts that others may understand but may not have the ability to put into words. Linguistic ability has always been highly valued in the education system.

By discovering that you have a powerful ability in one area of intelligence, you can unlock your potential in other areas. Take, for example, the musician who has difficulty expressing himself in conversation but can get complex concepts across through the lyrics of a song.

Unless they are bored by the subject-matter, students with linguistic intelligence usually have very little difficulty with traditional teaching methods that involve textbooks and note-taking.

Logical/mathematical intelligence

Logical/mathematical intelligence enables individuals to understand abstract relations. These are concepts that do not exist in the real world but have to be imagined and documented by the brain. Scientists, mathematicians and philosophers all rely on this intelligence. People with this ability are good at solving practical problems because they can imagine different solutions and test them in their brain or on paper, without having to find concrete examples in real life. Maths is the best example.

Logical/mathematical intelligence often does not require verbal expression; we can turn a problem over in our head and only communicate when we have the solution, the "A-ha!" phenomenon, as Gardner puts it.

Before Multiple Intelligence Theory was developed, logical/mathematical intelligence was considered the only real intelligence, the "raw intellect" that Western culture values so highly.

People with a highly developed logical/mathematical intelligence may find it easier to understand concepts that are expressed in terms of mathematical equations. They may see poetry in numbers, art in science. Leonardo da Vinci had a highly developed logical/ mathematical intelligence, but he did not see it as separate from his passion for art (spatial intelligence). He blended the two and changed the way we think about both.

Spatial intelligence

Many people find it much easier to express themselves in images rather than words. We see it in the world around us every day; much of the information we receive comes from pictures. And yet, art as a school subject has been sidelined and many a talented "spatial thinker" has been discouraged.

Spatial intelligence makes it possible for people to perceive visual or spatial information, to transform this information, and to recreate visual images from memory. Well-developed spatial capacities are needed for the work of architects, sculptors, engineers, film-makers and designers. Students who fill the blank space around their notes with intricate patterns are using their spatial intelligence. We use it to get home from school - in our minds we have visualised and linked up all the places that occupy the space between school and home. Vision is not a requisite; people with poor vision or no vision can have highly developed spatial intelligence.

Students with this ability will find learning much easier if they link ideas to images. If, for example, you are studying history, the examination of photographs and artwork from the period will help you to lock on to the bigger picture and recall events and characters. Students with spatial ability may not write a great essay in words, but may produce an outstanding photo-montage that expresses understanding of a subject perfectly.

Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence

Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence allows people to use all or part of the body to create products, solve problems or express themselves. Athletes, surgeons, dancers, choreographers, and crafts people all use bodily/kinesthetic intelligence.

This is one of the most controversial of Gardner's intelligences. For too long physical prowess was seen as something separate from the working of an intelligent mind. Everyone has certain control of his or her movements, balance, agility and grace. Some, however, have a natural sense of how their body should act and react in a challenging physical situation. To react appropriately when a ball is passed to you in the goal area takes more than fitness and practice. It demands a complex interplay of problem-solving, spatial awareness, imagination, an innate understanding of physics and the laws of the natural world and an ability to judge one's own body. It's not just about sport. Everyone from plumbers to heart surgeons use physical skill to achieve their outcome.

People with bodily/kinesthetic intelligence may not thrive in a classroom setting where they are forced to sit still and use their bodies in limited ways. They are likely to learn more about physics, for example, by testing some of its laws in a practical setting, such as a canoe on a fast-flowing river.

Musical intelligence

Musical intelligence allows people to create, communicate and understand meanings made out of sound. From an early age they may lock on to melodies and rhythms much quicker than words, numbers or images. Most people have an appreciation of music and that appreciation can be developed with practice. Some people have an innate ability; Louis Armstrong grew up in an orphanage in New Orleans, with no direct musical exposure or guidance. By the time he was 12 he had set up a band in the orphanage and had learned to play the trumpet.

The ability to perform and compose music has been scientifically pinpointed in certain areas of the brain, and instances of autistic children who can perform brilliantly but are unable to talk or interact with others, exemplify this fact. Musical ability and mathematical/ logical ability have been linked. Students with a natural musical intelligence may be able to use that ability in other areas. The exploration of rhythm can help some students to get a handle on fractions. The exploration of the sounds of an organ can lead to an understanding of the physical laws of vibration and sound.

Inter-personal intelligence

People with inter-personal intelligence can recognise and make distinctions about others' feelings and intentions. Teachers, parents, politicians, psychologists and salespeople rely on inter-personal intelligence. Students who work well in teams, who notice and react to the moods of their friends and classmates, and who can negotiate with others easily to get what they want all display this type of intelligence.

Every one of us finds our own way to interact with others, but only some of us have a highly developed inter-personal intelligence. According to Gardner, inter-personal intelligence is seen in how we "notice distinction among others; in particular, contrasts in their moods, temperaments, motivations and intentions".

In the working world, this is described as a soft skill, but there is hard evidence to back up the theory that this is a specific intelligence governed by a specific area of the brain; damaging the frontal lobe has been found to alter personality and the ability to interact well with others.

In the classroom, students with this ability learn best when they are interacting. Not only do they learn more, but the people around them benefit from their intelligence.

Intra-personal intelligence

Intra-personal intelligence helps individuals to distinguish among their own feelings, to build accurate mental models of themselves, and to draw on these models to make decisions about their lives. This kind of intelligence is seen in people who use their experiences (positive or negative) to good effect, and who understand and employ their own talents effectively. People who are good at recognising and dealing with their own weaknesses also display this kind of intelligence.

Having a well-developed sense of self is useful when choosing a career, addressing problems in your environment and having confidence in your own ability. People such as Nelson Mandela, who overcame huge challenges in his life and used what he learned to improve his own situation and that of the people around him, shows intra-personal intelligence. The ability to be honest about yourself without being over-critical is a key ability which some people excel at.

In a classroom setting, the student with this skill will perform especially well in activities that call for self-assessment and reflection. Their diary entries and personal logs may make useful reading for everyone.

Naturalist intelligence

Naturalist intelligence, which was recently added to the original list of seven multiple intelligences, is a person's ability to identify and classify patterns in nature. This intelligence - like all the others - started out as a survival instinct. Early man relied on natural intelligence to identify the flora and fauna that were edible and those that were not.

Today, naturalist intelligence may be available to us in the way we interact with our surroundings and the role they play in our daily lives. Farmers, gardeners, botanists, geologists, florists, and archaeologists all exhibit this intelligence, as do students who can name and describe the features of every make of car or motorbike.

People who are sensitive to changes in weather, observant in relation to small changes in their physical environment and who can distinguish nuances between large numbers of similar objects may be expressing naturalist intelligence abilities. Their brains are like archives of information on topics that interest them. They are skilled at recording countless details and recalling them easily.

In the classroom, they may prefer to specialise in a key aspect of a subject and build up extensive knowledge. They may also gain from learning outdoors in practical settings.