Linguistic intelligence is defined by a deep understanding of words. A student with linguistic intelligence will be very attuned to literal and idiomatic interpretations of words or phrases. Such students will also be well-versed in grammar and fluidity of sentence structure and will often be talented at writing prose or poetry.
Logical-mathematical intelligence gives a person an innate understanding of numbers. Along with this understanding, the student will have well-developed reasoning and analysis skills as well as an inherent command of logic. Physicists and accountants are examples of people who tend to possess this type of intelligence.
People with spatial intelligence are good with objects and visualization. A student with this type of intelligence will easily be able to rotate an object using the mind's eye. He or she will likely also possess talent with relating shapes, lines, graphs and forms. Often, these people become artists or graphic designers.
Students who possess kinesthetic intelligence are gifted with an inherent ability to move. Such movement involves flexibility, balance, strength and speed. People with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence tend to be talented athletes or dancers.
People with musical intelligence can distinguish the sound of a piccolo from a flute or a clarinet from a bassoon. Musical intelligence also grants understanding of pitch, rhythm, melody and tone.
Someone with interpersonal intelligence has the gift of perception. Such a person is able to read a person's mood and interpret that person's intentions. Such people are often easily capable of responding to each person in a way that is appropriate to that person's temperament.
Intrapersonal intelligence is the opposite of interpersonal intelligence. A person with intrapersonal intelligence is well in tune with his or her own personality and needs. People with this type of intelligence tend to make decisions based on a well-developed understanding of self.
A person with naturalist intelligence possesses a deep interest in plants and animals. Such a person is also gifted with the ability to see patterns among plant and animal life along with a love of the outdoors. Charles Darwin is a prime example of someone with naturalist intelligence.
A teacher of adult literacy must learn to recognize the different types of intelligences present in any classroom and attempt to find ways of adapting a curriculum to each student's intelligences. For example, a person with linguistic intelligence might appreciate learning English through poetry or novels. A person with spatial intelligence might respond to an assignment discussing a piece of art or an artist's body of work.