Thursday, December 2nd Howard Gardner, Ph.D. spoke at Duxbury High School, sponsored by the Parent Connection and Bay Farm Montessori School. Dr. Gardner focused his presentation on the work described in his book, 5 Minds for the Future. His work has built on earlier research describing 8 types of multiple intelligence: Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Musical, Spatial, Body-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist. His research and writing in MI has had a profound impact on shaping education today. His present research and writing extends the theory of MI to address the challenges for developing minds which will be able to meet the ever changing terrain in the future.
Dr. Gardner described the future in terms of globalization, biological revolution, digital revolution, and lifelong learning. The five minds can be summarized as: needing discipline, ability to synthesize and organize information, demonstrate creativity, embrace diversity with respect and act ethically without self-interest doing what is right under the circumstances. His work is provocative and demands we think outside the box. He delineated roles in nurturing these minds: awareness of the 5 minds, use examples from history and current events, model and explicate positive examples, call attention to negative examples with appropriate consequences, encourage personal synthesis. Dr. Gardner described the importance of using intellect for “good work and purpose”. Good character is developed from family, church, schools, military, community. His work can be viewed and utilized for schools from his web site, www.goodworktoolkit.org in helping us engage in building ethics in young people so they are prepared for the world they face.
