Media-Infused Presentations Developing Disciplined and Synthesizing Minds
- Kristen McCarty
- Nov 7, 2017
- 2 min read
In his book “Five Minds for the Future” Howard Gardner (2008) discusses five minds that will need to be mastered to compete in the future job market. The first two are the disciplined and synthesizing minds. The disciplined mind has “mastered at least one way of thinking,” a “discipline, craft, or profession” (Gardner, 2008, p. 3). The synthesizing mind can make connections between multiple sources, evaluate these sources, and put them together coherently. Those who possess a disciplined and synthesizing mind will meet with future success. Neither mind is achieved overnight, in the case of a disciplined mind Gardner (2008) warns it takes at least ten years to develop (p. 3). Patience, persistence, and perseverance are needed to develop these minds. One strategy teachers can utilize media-infused presentations.
Media-infused presentations incorporate multiple sources of information and help students “approach a topic in a number of ways” helping students developed their disciplined mind (Gardner, 2008, p. 33). Such presentations could include text, images, videos, charts, graphs, or audio clips. Numerous inputs help reach students varying learning styles, as Gardner (2008) encourages to develop the disciplined mind (p. 33). For example, charts and graphs reach visual and logical learners, while audio clips reach audio and possibly, musical learners. Synthesis is practiced and achieved as students take in all the various sources of information, appraise it, make connections and build understanding. The teacher may require students to show their synthesis and the development of their disciplined mind through various techniques including writings, quizzes, or projects.
Culture is my favorite chapter of study in my seventh-grade world geography class, but it can be one of the most difficult to teach. Students misconceptions stand in the way of them understanding the elements of culture. I created a Prezi that would serve as an introduction to my culture unit. I want to get students thinking about the definition and elements of culture to build their disciplined mind. I intended to present the Prezi during a class activity, but it could easily become a partner or solitary activity that students explore at their own pace.
Within the Prezi, students will see examples of American culture to help students make the understand what constitutes culture and make the connection between elements of their own culture with others around the world. The Prezi includes several videos that discuss what culture is and the elements of culture. These videos can reach my audio and visual students. Another video shows Native American songs and dances to reach my musical students.
At the end of the Prezi, I hope students can synthesize the information they learned into a writing activity. During their “performance of understanding” they would choose a picture showing culture from National Geographic and write about the elements of culture they discover in the photograph (Gardner, 2008, p. 34). Their final writing would fall under Gardner’s (2008) narrative type of synthesis as students put together what they learned during the lesson into a “coherent narrative”(p. 47).
Culture Introduction Prezi: https://prezi.com/view/JPweg4VBqpQoaNkc8Zld/
Resources:
Gardner, Howard. (2008). Five Minds for the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Originally Posted on my Wilkes Blog: http://wilkes.discoveryeducation.com/kristenmccarty/2017/11/07/media-infused-presentations-developing-disciplined-and-synthesizing-minds/
Comments