New Memoir by Howard Gardner

In 2020, a new memoir by Howard Gardner will be published by MIT Press.

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From MIT Press

A SYNTHESIZING MIND

A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory

Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind was that rare publishing phenomenon—a mind-changer. 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. In his new book, A Synthesizing Mind, Gardner reflects on his intellectual development and his groundbreaking work, tracing his evolution from bookish child to eager college student to disengaged graduate student to Harvard professor.

Gardner discusses his mentors (including Erik Erikson and Jerome Bruner) and his collaborators (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, William Damon, and others). Comedian Groucho Marx makes a surprise (non-)appearance, declining Gardner’s invitation to chat with Harvard College students, in favor of “making a living.”

Throughout his career, Gardner has focused on human minds in general, or on the minds of particular creators and leaders. Reflecting now 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.

Howard Gardner is John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Best known as the originator of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, he is the author of thirty books, including Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences; Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed; and The App Generation (with Katie Davis).

My Thoughts on "Emotional Intelligence"

By Howard Gardner

Quite often I am confused with the individuals who created the phrase “emotional intelligence” (researchers Peter Salovey and John Mayer) or with the author who made it world famous (Daniel Goleman). But ordinarily I don’t use the phrase emotional intelligence myself.

This article (click here for link) caught my attention because of the claim that emotional intelligence contributes significantly to academic success. Accordingly, in contemplating this research, I thought about its relation to two forms of intelligence that I identified in the early 1980s.

It should come as no surprise that individuals with high emotional intelligence are ones who can understand the feelings of others, build strong relationships with others, help them, and be themselves helped by peers as well as by teachers or other persons. These are all signs of interpersonal intelligence  But I was also pleased to learn that individuals who display emotional intelligence are able to engage with their own psychological states—boredom, anger, anxiety—and to deal with them effectively. In my “MI” lexicon, these latter capacities fall under the rubric of intrapersonal intelligence.

When I originally wrote about the then seven intelligences, I devoted a separate chapter to each of them—linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, and bodily-kinesthetic. But I deliberately treated both interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence in one chapter. And here was my reasoning. It’s possible to be stronger in one kind of personal intelligence than in another—but in all probability, there is a closer tie between the two personal intelligences than any other pair of intelligences.

Read the full article here: https://www.inverse.com/article/61671-emotional-intelligence-is-key-factor-for-success.

The Ranking of U.S. States by Intelligence

Howard Gardner was recently asked by The Epoch Times to comment on a new study by SafeHome which ranked U.S. States by intelligence. Gardner’s response to the study was as follows:

“The question of which states are smart makes for an amusing party game, but I don’t take it seriously otherwise,” he said. “It makes no more sense than to ask which countries are smarter.”

“Germany might have been the highest scorer in 1914 and in 1939, and they triggered two disastrous world wars,” he said. “Putting on a judicial hat, I’d say ‘case dismissed.’”

Gardner noted that SafeHome’s use of more than one indicator to weigh various factors is “a positive,” but the overall approach might ignore more nuanced complexities.

“The deeper question is: What is meant by intelligence, and to what extent can intellect be measured by standard instruments?” he said.

Click here to read the full article: https://www.theepochtimes.com/california-barely-above-average-among-smartest-states-but-is-the-data-accurate_3164835.html.

How Dance Helps Children with Special Needs

By Howard Gardner

In the terminology of MI theory, individuals on the “autistic spectrum” are particularly challenged with respect to interpersonal intelligence—the ability to perceive and easily understand the experiences and motivations of other human beings. This article suggests that, at least for some children on the “autistic spectrum,” experiences involving bodily movement (dance) and music—either with other persons or with robots—can help them relate more easily and more appropriately to other individuals. The article also suggests a possible mechanism—perhaps such experiences activate mirror neurons, which respond to other person’s behaviors and emotional expression. And perhaps in neurotypical individuals, this activation of mirror neurons occurs more readily.

It’s gratifying that certain intelligences may help to unlock other intelligences.

Click here to see the article.