Gardner: Chp. 3 Notes

5 Minds for the Future: Howard Gardner
Chapter 3: The Synthesizing Mind

Kinds of Synthesis:

Narratives: synthesizer puts material together into a coherent narrative
Taxonomies: materials are ordered in terms of characteristic
Complex concepts: A newly stipulated concept can tie together or blend a range of
Phenomena
Rules and aphorisms: folk wisdom is captured by short phrases, designed to be
memorable
Powerful metaphors, images, and themes: bringing concepts to life by invoking
Metaphors
Embodiments without words: powerful syntheses can be embodied in works of art
Theories: concepts can be amalgamated into a theory
Metatheory: overall framework for knowledge, a theory of theories

Components of Synthesis:
A goal- a statement or conception of what the synthesizer is trying to achieve
A starting point-an idea, image, or, indeed any previous work on which to build.
Selection of strategy, method, and approach.
Drafts and feedback.

Interdisciplinary: applied to studies that draw deliberately on at least two scholarly disciplines and seek integration

The author discusses the fact that in order to be truly interdisciplinary the person has to see the two sides of the two separate disciplines. He discusses that fact that even though a presenter may present two different disciplines, the student may not see both sides. He goes on to state that even large companies and true interdiscipline people may not see the end result as the same. You can present the same material to a group of people and everyone will get something different from the information.

Interdisciplinary work is typically motivated by one of three considerations:
A powerful new concept has been developed, and it is inviting and timely to test the reach of that concept.
An important phenomenon has emerged, and a full understanding of that phenomenon calls for, or even demands, its contextualization.
A pressing problem emerges, and current individual disciplines prove inadequate to solve that problem.

It is difficult for people to correctly synthesize in work type environments. When people have been expected to work in a certain way, it becomes hard for them to think outside of the box. As they focus on certain aspects of their job, other areas of their expertise may wane because of disuse. It works the same for people who typically work alone are asked suddenly to work with people, the situation may be difficult.

The synthesizing mind comes into play at an early age. However, with schools focused on cramming facts and information into the heads of young people, the synthesized mind usually does not get any attention. Educators are focused on certain ways to solve problems or explain things, when students would benefit greatly from differences of solution solving.

Multiperspectivalism: recognizes that different analytic perspectives can contribute to the elucidation of an issue or problem