Howard Gardner's The Disciplined Mind: What All Students Should Understand - Book Report/Review Example

Affiliation: A book report on: Gardner, Howard. The Disciplined Mind: What All Should Understand. New York: Simon &Schuster, 1999. Gardner's definition of intelligence refers it as the biopsychological potential of a person, thus he has given importance to both mind and the brain. It is not only the neurobiology of the brain that is important, cognitive abilities also play equal role in education. The skills of critical thinking, articulation and deductive reasoning are the important cognitive abilities for learning. We should not forget that everybody can not be good in everything but everybody is good in something. Multiple intelligences focus that student should focus on strength and rest is taken care of automatically. The Disciplined Mind (1999) presents a concept of deep understanding as an application of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. The Book report presents Gardner's vision for future education, arguments on his choices and also seeks answers to some obvious problems in its implementation. Prior to making his proposal for future education, Gardner makes it clear that future education would be based on history, culture and science. He suggests three topics for essential teaching: Darwin's theory of evolution; Mozart's opera, the marriage of Figaro; and the Nazi holocaust. He has written the book for "individuals all over the world who care about education' (16). Gardner uses a few technical terms but simplify these for his educated yet layman audience thus making his intellectual writing well within reach to his intended audience. It was necessary since the educational reform must be understood by wider public for its acceptance and implementation. Throughout the book, Gardner is obviously involving his readers by making it evident that do not accept what I say rather test the logics given by me to your own examples and circumstances. The central theme of the Disciplined Mind is that student should be taught to look for beauty, truth and good in their culture (186). As he emphasize that " Educational vision should be clear, deep understanding should be our central goal ; we should try to inculcate understanding of what , within a cultural context , is considered true or false, beautiful or unpalatable , good or evil " (Gardner 2000, p.186). It is a vision totally different from American education system which is based on classroom instructions and state authorized curricula. However the vision brings back the tradition of Plato, Aristotle, John Dewey and scholastics. The vision also gives great importance to cognitive understanding and takes into account that modern education has multicultural and hi-tech environment. Besides, it clearly emphasizes that appreciation of beautiful, knowledge of truth and value of good runs parallel to identifying ugly, falsity and evil. This is not easy task as good, beauty and truth are not measurable values and their perception is dependent on perspectives. We are likely to err or be superficial if we lack ability of deep understanding. These three ideas are not modern concept rather very ancient times had incorporated these in teaching. The curriculum must be drawn from these though post modernists may not like the idea. (35), Gardner clarifies before elaborating his vision of future education. The schools must focus on deep understanding which could be developed by treating some topics in great details (186, 122). Deep understanding requires full use of cognitive capabilities beyond usual skills. These may involve problem finding, solving, creativity, thinking the given problem in many perspectives and analyzing own thinking and approaches towards it. In fact, it is suitable here to refer multiple intelligences theory of Gardner (1983 as in Flanagan and Harrison 78-79) which is a prerequisite for deep understanding. Gardner defined intelligence as a biopsychological potential to process information and activate it to solve problems or create useful products in a cultural setting. By calling it 'potential' Gardner has given dynamic nature to intelligence. How the potential is activated depends on cultural settings and opportunities in the life. He had identified 8 intelligences. These are: Linguistic intelligence as perception and generation of spoken and written words Logical -mathematical intelligence uses numerical approach and logical reasoning for problem solving. Musical intelligence relates to creation and understanding musical meanings of sound. Spatial intelligence is related to visual and/or spatial perception of images Bodily-kinesthetic uses body movements for problem solving or fashion products Naturalistic intelligence requires critical observation of environment. Interpersonal intelligence is related to understanding feelings, intentions etc of others Intrapersonal intelligence: understanding self, own desires emotions strength and weaknesses. Gardner does not contend that this list of intelligences is exhaustive or that categories are strictly confined, he has only emphasized manifold nature of intelligence The deep understanding comes from multiple intelligences. Two problems intrigue deep understanding: first, getting deep understanding is difficult for all students and second, students understand in many different ways. It is here that concept of multiple intelligences come to help. Since these encourage student to use his/her best developed abilities. To realize the goal of deep understanding, the next suggestion obviously is that schools should develop individualized teaching (72). Gardner suggested that to discover your type of intelligence and begin deep understanding, the basic discipline provides best tools as " if you want to understand what it means to be alive, study biologyIf you want to understand your own back ground , study national history, immigration patterns and experiences".(218) Multiple intelligences require that the student's most engaging interest is known before teaching begins. For example, some students prefer role playing or recreating histories, others find conducting experiments or taking field trips very engaging while still others show great interest in numerical or narrative work (Walker 81).Schools applying Gardner's idea need to undergo major reforms. They should have new curriculum and books with deep understanding topics. Teachers should use multiple intelligence strategies. Walker (81-83) has already raised a few questions regarding Gardner's approach in the book. Why truth, beauty and goodness as focus of the curriculum Because these are fundamental to human personality and understanding self and that is the purpose of education (15). These basic human qualities remained central to human existence in every era (40) and likely to remain so. The truth, beauty and goodness figured predominantly during historical development of civilization as well as in the philosophical discourse of great thinkers. Gardner felt a need to reinvent and reemphasize these as "It was relatively unproblematic to inculcate truth, beauty, and goodness through scholastic institution. (since that) consensus has frayed throughout the world" (35). Gardner's perspective is broader than a purely academic one, but how practical it could be since it is based on a world of ideas and may be influenced greatly by the perspectives of academics and scholars. How about the differing explanations of these three core concepts in different cultures Interestingly Gardner rejected both positions, universalistic and uniqueness, regarding culture as he stated "There is a more productive way to approach cultural differences than the Universalist or uniqueness perspective" (100). This productive way probably meant that cultures are changing and truth, beauty and goodness should be understood in cultures as these stand presently. The third question by Walker (83) naturally is most relevant and complex as: why deep understanding of only few topics and why not of all topics studied The reading of book has put forth explanation to this most crucial and probably the first question that comes to reader's mind. The student is apprised of what is meant by deep understanding by guiding through a few select topics. He develops, thereafter, ability to understand topics of his/ her interest all by himself. In this way, Gardner's methodology of education incorporates both, the individualized as well as self regulated learning. Far from the standardized tests based on classroom instructions mentality that has been theme to both policy makers and the public, Gardner envisions an education with strengths of deep understanding in a cultural background. He often clarified meaning of deep understanding after publication of The Disciplined mind. In an interview with Scherer (1) he elaborated "In a class on American history, for example, a student who understands the Bill of Rights is able to show how specific amendments do, or do not, apply to controversial issues of the day or to those drawn from the past. In a class on biology, a student who understands the theory of evolution is able to discuss what might happen to an island if all wildlife were removed and if animals from a few species were then transported there. In carrying out such "performances of understanding," students show whether they can think historically or scientifically about concrete events or topics". The Disciplined mind is a sequel and application of his: Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences (1983). It is desirable that both the books are consulted to gauge Gardner's intentions fully. Though, presently with so many interdisciplinary subjects coming up, Gardner's philosophical views require thorough empirical assessment. WORK CITED Flanagan, Dawn P and Patti L. Harrison. Contemporary intellectual assessment: theories, tests, and issues. 2nd ed. Guilford Press, 2005 Gardner, Howard. The Disciplined Mind: Beyond Facts and Standardized Tests, the K-12 Education that Every Child Deserves. Penguin Books, 2000 Scherer, Marge. "The Understanding Pathway: A Conversation with Howard Gardner". 1999. 7 May 2009. http://www.georgejacobs.net/MIArticles/Gardner%20ASCD%201999.do c, Walker, Decker F. Fundamentals of curriculum: passion and professionalism. 2nd ed., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003 Read More