Let’s make our minds up for the future

I love Howard Gardner, as only a pedagogy geek can. I love the way his mind works, about how he helps me see others for who they are. His theory of multiple intelligences has been helping personalised learning develop for decades.

Howard’s work first came to me attention when studying early learning in Italy – in the Reggio context. The fact that he has maintained a deep, ongoing dialogue with the Reggio teachers makes my faith in his wisdom as solid as gold.

Today, I was delighted to hear of a lecture series he gave at our new “guild” – the RSA in London last April. Thanks to Teachers TV, Howard’s examination of “the mental capacities needed for the future in a globalised world” is available to all.

The kinds of minds he suggests should be cultivated are three cognitive ones: the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind and the creating mind, and two that deal with the human sphere: the respectful mind and the ethical mind.

Gardener discusses how these can be best nurtured, and points out some of the inevitable tensions created between them.

After the lecture a group of teachers discuss how these ideas are used in practice in the classroom today.

http://www.teachers.tv/video/5452

New dates for Fresh Writing (plus spring tips)

Spring has come and it’s time for even fresher writing!

Here are the dates for the next series of our Fresh Writing Classes at The Werks.

Tuesdays 10.30 – 12.30

1 April
CANCELLED DUE TO NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

22 April

6 May

20 May

Put them in your diaries now if you have a positive intention to come and learn / create / express / play.

More information about the classes here.

To celebrate the fresh new season – three top tips for improving your writing & blogging… and expanding your mind…

1. Watch your verbs

Verbs are (remember!?) “doing words”. They are the action of your sentences. If you want your writing to jump from the page, give it legs. Think about your verbs. Use new ones. Take risks, combine them in new ways with your nouns (”naming words”). Experiment. Wake people up. Surprise them.

Here is a list to play with, inspired by Spring…

Use them in unlikely ways and surprise yourself. Thaw those frozen fingers. Explode onto the page. Or just tweet a little.

2. Stay alert with new ideas

The wonders of modern tech. Register a Google Alert for a key word expression that relates to your work / passion / writing / life. One of mine is “authentic blogging”. I get sent blog posts from all around the world that use these two key words together. I am forever finding relevant, inspiring new material to write/blog about.

Give it a try. Register here and follow the prompts.

It’s easier than you think.

3. You Think, I Think, We Think (Better) Together

Last thing is… you just gotta watch this clip… if you are remotely interested in creativity and innovation. Yum.

http://authenticblogging.com/2008/03/26/you-think-i-think-we-think-better-together/

Better still, buy the book. “We Think” by Charles Leadbetter.

Reap what you sow.

Hope to see you some Tuesday.

Libby

PS – Happy to come into organisations and do affordable bespoke sessions.

Please forward to anyone interested, with many thanks

More posts on writing to help get your words flowing…

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

We have so much to learn from children. We have such a need to protect their natural risk taking and creativity.

Sir Ken Robinson’s beautiful TED talk. If you haven’t seen it yet, you simply must. Creativity, education, the meaning of life… there’s something for everyone in this profound, short, very funny presentation.

Key points (of agreement)

- Creativity is as important as literacy (duh!…round of applause)

- We are educating children OUT of their creativity (so true). Clearly, we need to change this.

- Schools are still Victorian and basically work as very protracted preparation for university entrance.

- Professors, being the highest in the educational system, both lead and role model the system.

- They are heads on bodies, disconnected from the whole.

- We need to cultivate a fuller picture of what education is and can be.

- This must include the head and the heart and the body, even the spirit.

- The effective cultivation of creativity “adding value with original thinking” is essential to being human, at work, at play.

Three cheers for Ken. You are quite lovely and spot on with how you see things.