5 Minds for the Future –
Howard Gardner (2008)
The Disciplined Mind
The Synthesizing Mind
The Creating Mind
The Respecting Mind
The Ethical Mind
1
What is the difference between
MI and 5 minds for the future?
MI Theory 5 Minds for the Future
Operation of an
intelligence
Psychology
Computational
capabilities
Capacities/perspectives/
collaboration between
actions, thoughts, feelings,
behaviours
Policy
Broad uses of the mind
that can be cultivated
2
The Disciplined Mind
Using ways of thinking associated with
major scholarly disciplines – history,
math, science, art, etc. and major
professions (law, medicine, education,
management), as well as crafts and trades.
Capable of applying oneself diligently,
improving steadily and continuing beyond
formal education.
Can take up to ten years to master a
discipline. 3
The Disciplined Mind
Examples – formal education: mastering of
history, mathematics, science and other
key subjects; completing professional
training
Examples – place of work: continuing
mastery of one’s professional or
employment role, including additional
disciplinary or interdisciplinary acumen
5
The Synthesizing Mind
Selecting crucial information from the
copious amounts available, and arranging
that information in ways that make sense
to self and to others.
6
The Synthesizing Mind
Examples – formal education – preparing
for assignments and tests in school by
organizing materials in ways that are
helpful to self and others
Examples – place of work: recognizing
new information/skills that are important
and then incorporating them into one’s
knowledge base and one’s professional
repertoire.
8
The Creating Mind
Going beyond existing knowledge and
synthesis to pose new questions, offer
new solutions, fashion works that stretch
exiting genres or configure new ones –
building on one or more established
disciplines and requires an informed
“field” to make judgments of quality and
acceptability.
9
The Creating Mind
Examples – formal education: going
beyond classroom requirements to pose
new questions; coming up with
unexpected but appropriate school
products and projects
Examples – place of work: thinking
outside the box – recommendations for
new practices and products; new visions
11
The Respectful Mind
Responding sympathetically and
constructively to differences among
individuals and among groups; seeking to
understand and work with those who are
different; extending beyond mere
tolerance and political correctness.
12
The Respectful Mind
Those who sheltered Jews during the
Second World War
Those who participated in truth and
reconciliation commissions
13
The Respectful Mind
Examples – formal education: seeking to
understand and work effectively with
peers, teachers, and staff, whatever their
backgrounds and viewpoints.
Examples – place of work: working
effectively with peers, supervisors,
employees, irrespective of their
backgrounds and status; developing
capacity for forgiveness.
14
The Ethical Mind
Abstracting crucial features of one’s role
at work and one’s role as a citizen and
acting consistently with those
conceptualizations; striving toward good
work and good citizenship.
15
The Ethical Mind
Rachel Carson – ecologist
Jean Monnet – “helped Europe move from
belligerent to peaceful institutions” (p.
19).
16
The Ethical Mind
Examples – formal education: reflecting
on one’s role as a student or a future
professional and attempting to fulfill that
role appropriately and responsibly.
Examples – place of work: knowing the
core values of one’s profession and
seeking to maintain and them pass them
on, even during rapid periods of change.
17
Period of Development for the 5
Minds
The Disciplined Mind – “Begins
before adolescence; continues as
lifelong learning” (p. 154).
18
Period of Development for the 5
Minds
The Synthesizing Mind – best
case scenario, it starts in childhood
and continues to be more deliberate
over time. . . “continues perennially as
new knowledge accumulates and
needs to be digested and organized”
(p. 155).
19
Period of Development for the 5
Minds
The Creating Mind – “Robust
personality begins to develop early –
informed challenges to orthodoxy
await at least partial mastery of
disciplined and synthesized thinking”
(p. 156).
20
Period of Development for the 5
Minds
The Respectful Mind –
“Supportive environment should be
present from birth; at school, work,
in the media, role models (both
positive and negative) are crucial” (p.
157).
21
Period of Development for the 5
Minds
The Ethical Mind – “Awaits the
time when an individual can think
conceptually, abstractly, about the
role of a worker and of a citizen;
acting in an ethical way presupposes
strength of character. . .” (p. 158).
22
What is the best way to prioritize
the 5 Minds of the Future?
The Disciplined Mind
The Synthesizing Mind
The Creating Mind
The Respecting Mind
The Ethical Mind
23
Gardner’s suggestion for the best way
to prioritize the 5 Minds of the Future
1. The Respecting Mind
2. The Disciplined Mind
3. The Synthesizing Mind
4. The Ethical Mind
24
The Creating Mind – depends on the
place of creativity in the formal
education (and belief system and
worldview) of each society.
Traditional society – taught in early
education
25
Potential minds to add. .
The technological mind
The digital mind
The market mind
The democratic mind
The flexible mind
The emotional mind
The strategic mind
The spiritual mind
26
Conclusion
As educators, what is our role?
To train young minds
To develop skills needed in society
To teach societal morals and values
To teach critical thinking
To create responsible, thinking citizens
To create a safe space for educational
innovation and reform 27
Community Mapping Project
In the groups you signed up with, you will
choose a school, and visit that community
in person. You will observe/list all the
assets and liabilities (ie: resources for the
students/families that live there) that you
see within a 2-3 km radius of that school.
You can take photos of places and things,
not people.
29
A short note about photos: only take
photos of public space, and no human
subjects. Examples of photos that would
enhance your project: broken sidewalks,
swings on the playground, evidence of
high/low SES (Socioeconomic status);
murals or art; signs on a school,
community centre, etc.
30
Your group will submit a report, long
enough to cover a summary of what you
observed. It can be a written report (4
pages at least), and include a visual report,
or a creative report such as a map with
photos and short written comments.
This assignment is worth 20% of your
final grade.
31
Examples of Assets:
Quality of place (natural assets, cultural
and community centres, etc); individuals
that live in the community; institutions
(education, non-profits, economic,
civic/govt)
33
Examples of Liabilities:
You can think of liabilities as issues that
affect the “quality of life” or incidence of:
poverty, crime, chronic health issues,
unemployment, environmental
degradation, intolerance, insufficient
infrastructure/ housing
(www.srdc.msstate.edu)
34
Community Assets and Liabilities that your
group observed – sample outline of project
Introduction: Short summary of what you experienced while doing
your community mapping project. Include the school name and community.
Natural assets (green space, water)
Infrastructure/built assets (buildings, streets, playground equipment,
etc)
Social assets (schools, daycares, people walking around)
Economic assets (stores, hotels)
Service assets (walk-in clinics, drop in centres, community centres)
Intangible assets (art in public space, cultural images or art)
Conclusions about what you learned from doing this abbreviated
community mapping exercise; what you learned about that community
35
5 Minds for the Future – Howard
Gardner The Disciplined Mind
The Synthesizing Mind
The Creating Mind
The Respecting Mind
The Ethical Mind
36
What will students know and be able to do at the end of the course?
Example:
“The overall objective of the curriculum at UCSD is to instil graduates with the knowledge, skills, behaviors and attitudes that will lead to their becoming capable, compassionate physicians.”
“Students will gain a greater appreciation for Latin music.”
Learning Goals:
Performance behaviors, behavioural objectives.
They are specific, outcome based, measureable, and describe the learner’s behaviour after instruction.
A – Audience – the student will be able to…
B – Behavior – behaviour should be observable
C – Condition – unit of instruction; required equipment or supplies
D – Degree – the level of acceptable performance; how well the learner must perform.
Instructional Objectives:
Divide class into disciplines of study:
History, French, Music, Native Studies – Interdisciplinary group
Physical Education, Math, Biology
English 1
English 2
Geography
*no group less than 4 people, no more than 7
Lesson Planning
Create a 15 minute lesson plan using anti-
racism education and one topic in
Chapter 8.
Possible techniques or approaches:
Storytelling
Historical figure
Objectives for the activity
Your lesson plans – at the top of your
paper, add your Specific Area Groups and
your names.
Learning Objectives
Instructional Objectives
Materials/Supplies
What you will hand in: