Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind was a rare phenomenon—a ground breaking work that impacted mainstream thought as much as it did in academics.
Widely read by the general public as well as by educators, this influential book laid out Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. It debunked the primacy of the IQ test and inspired new approaches to education; entire curricula, schools, museums, and parents’ guides were dedicated to the nurturing of the several intelligences.
Throughout his career, Gardner has focused on human minds in general, or on the minds of particular creators and leaders. Reflecting on his own mind, he concludes that his is a “synthesizing mind”—with the ability to survey experiences and data across a wide range of disciplines and perspectives. The thinkers he most admires—including historian Richard Hofstadter, biologist Charles Darwin, and literary critic Edmund Wilson—are exemplary synthesizers. Gardner contends that the synthesizing mind is particularly valuable at this time and proposes ways to cultivate a possibly unique human capacity.
In this master class, Gardner will discuss his now famous multiple intelligences theory, what he considers as ‘missing’ in the theory and an exploration of how his own mind, and that of other synthesizers, can work—and what lessons can be drawn from others who want to synthesize vast amounts of material and could use some guidance.
Gardner’s latest book, A Synthesizing Mind, can be purchased here.
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