Lessons for Hong Kong schools in Chinese Nobel winner Tu Youyou's grit

Tu Youyou must have made use of multiple intelligences to succeed, according to at a theory advocated by Howard Gardner.(SCMP)Readingthisweek’sreportsaboutTuYouyou,China’sjointNobelPrizewinner,mademethinkofthetheoryofmultipleintelligencesadvocatedbyHowardGardnermorethan30yearsago,andwonderwhatoutstandingintelligencesthisladyhastohavereachedsuchheightsinherfieldofworkdevelopinganewdrugtofightmalaria.

UsinginformationgleanedfromancientChinesemedicinerecords,shefinallyproducedartemisininafter191experiments.TheWorldHealthOrganisationapproveditsusemorethan40yearsafterherresearcheffortbegan.It’sasuccessstorywhichshouldenlightenHongKong educators.

Myguessisshemaypossessstronglogicalmathematicalintelligence,whichenableshertodealwiththeresearchsystematicallyandmethodically;linguisticintelligence,whichhelpsherdelveintoancientrecordsofChinesemedicine;naturalistintelligence,whichisessentialforsortingoutdifferentherbsandtheirqualities;interpersonalintelligence,whichisaprerequisiteforaleadingresearcher;andintrapersonalintelligence,whichmanifestsitselfinhergoalseekingandpersistenteffortsatgoalachievement.Theremustbeaneffectiveblendingoftheseintelligences,too.

ShemayalsohavetheotherthreeintelligencesidentifiedbyGardner,namelymusical,spatialvisual,andbodilykinestheticintelligences.AccordingtoGardner,hiseightintelligencesarebasedonempiricalfindings,andeveryoneofushastheseinbornintelligencestoagreaterorlesserextentandindifferentcombinations.Tosucceed,onenotonlyneedstoknowwhereone’sstrengthsareanddevelopthem;onealsoneedstoshowgritmeaningcourageandperseverancetodevelopthem.InGardner’sview,ourwitsandgritneedemployingforthecommongood.

Tu Youyou speaks at a symposium in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Gardner’scontributionhelpsusseeintelligencenotassingularandquantifiablebymeansofpaperandpencilIQtestsandcoveringalldomains,butasmultipleandindependent,meaningstrengthinoneareamaynotspreadtootherareasandweakness,ontheotherhand,isnotpervasive.Hismostfamoussayingis:“Itisnothowsmartweare,buthowwearesmart.”Astudentwhoisacademicallyweakmaynotbeweakatsportsorart.GardnerisstronglyagainstusingIQtestsasthesolemeanstoassessastudent’sintelligenceandthenrate,rankor,worsestill,stereotypeorcategorisehim.ThetraditionalIQtestsalsofocusmainlyonlinguisticandlogical-mathematicalintelligences,relegatingtheotherstominorstatus.

Thislopsidednesshasproducedlosersinschoolsandsocietybecausemanystudents’talentsandstrengthslieinnonacademicareas.Howtoreachouttothosewhoarenotsolinguisticallyormathematicallyinclinedastoperformwellinhighstakesexams,andalsogivesuchstudentsopportunitiestoexcelinareaswheretheycan,isofpressingimportancetoeducatorstheworldover.Somefindthesolutioninvocationaltraining,whichusuallycoversamuchwiderspectrumofintelligences.

WhilethisishappeninginHongKong,withsupportgrowingforappliedlearningandtheVocationalTrainingCollege,vocationaleducationisstillregardedassecondbestbytheauthorities,schoolsandparents.

An anti-malaria pill containing artemisinin, the fruit of Tu Youyou's research.

Mindsetsneedtochange.Themultipleintelligencestheoryanditsapplicationshouldbeanimportantcomponentofdevelopmentprogrammesforteachersandprincipals,especiallyforthoseimplementinglifeandcareerplanningforstudents.

Schoolleadersnotonlyneedtohaveanindepthknowledgeofthistheory,butalsomust revampschoolcurriculums,structures,facilitiesandculturebeforetheycanmakelearningmorestudentcentredandintelligencefriendly.

Gardnersaysmodernsocietieshavelotsofnichesfordifferentintelligencesandresolutionoftheworld’scomplexproblemsneedsthepoolingofhumanintelligencesandwill.WeneedmorepeoplelikeTuwho,let’sremember,lackedadoctoraldegreebutpractisedlifelonglearningandproperlyexploitedherintelligences.