Exploring frames of mindA workshop to expand thinking potential, starting with Howard Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future

Presented by Christo van Staden

http://www.learningdesign.co.za

Programme08:00 Arrival09:30 Seeing our thinking: Experiencing and

exploring the five minds in action11:00 Tea11:30 Experiencing our thinking: How mind

makes the world13:15 Lunch14:00 Accessing and practising the five minds15:00 Tea15:15 Accessing and practising the five minds

(continued)16:15 Close

Our approach todayVery little lecturing …Lots of conversationGoethe’s fairy tale of the Emerald

Snake – “And what is more quickening than Light?” – “Conversation”

Con-versare – to turn togetherYou know it already; we are here

to help you discover how

We are not …Giving you quick mental fixes – this is not a box

of tricks◦ We challenge you to engage in fundamental shifts of

perspective◦ We work on a integrative level – one mind does not

exist separately from another;one mode flows into the next

◦ Discipline is inherent in all five minds – it is about consistently practising our knowledge

Focused exclusively on the intellectual side of “mind”◦ We challenge you to engage your heart and your will

too,◦ As well as your inspiration and your aspiration◦ Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual

This is not just about skills to think differently

about the world

It is about transforming the world by transforming

the way that we think!

Conceptual tools

Introduction

What is mind? Why five minds? Which five minds?

What is “mind”?Mind is more than thinkingSmall mind – Big mind: what is

inside the mind and what is outside the mind?

Mind and perception: mind provides frameworks

Mind and consciousness – mind as the unlimited

“What we perceive is what we are”

Why five minds?The five minds suggest a framework for

approaching thinking challenges from different perspectives

It’s similar to, yet at the same time very different from De Bono’s Six Hats◦Bohm: similar differences, different similarities◦Bateson: the difference that makes a difference

Each mind can be practised in a disciplined manner

Each mind represents a thinking competence required for success in our world

An overview of the five mindsWhat are the different ways in

which you think every day?

1. Disciplined mind2. Synthesising mind3. Creating mind4. Respectful mind5. Ethical mind

The disciplined mindDiscipline is about creating order through focus,

concentration, routine, habit, mastery of technique, etc.

Important disciplines:◦ Body (exercise disciplines, body care disciplines)◦ Emotion (shadow work discipline)◦ Mind (classical intellectual disciplines)◦ Spirit (mindfulness, devotion)

The disciplined mind develops habits and attitudes that enable us to continuously refine and improve methods and frameworks for creating knowledge and maintaining well-being.

We need to know what works for us – how our mind works – and apply it in a disciplined manner.

The synthesising mindSynthesis is about putting different things

together to make something more complex, more encompassing, more conceptually powerful.

It is also about seeing relationships and connections and making the right combinations, links, categories – it’s an ordering act.

The synthesising mind seeks out opportunities for synthesis and then experiments to find new levels of perspective and understanding

The creating mindTo create is a fundamental instinctual

activity of all living beingsWe create every moment through our

movements – ◦Spiritual movements such as praying,

visioning, meditation◦Mental movements such as thinking◦Emotional movements – emotions are energy

in motion!◦Physical movements

The creating mind brings our world into existence every moment!

The respectful mindRespect is about valuing others for

whatever reason:◦Traditional and cultural ideals, such as age

or hierarchy◦As inspiration for our present and future

actions◦The intrinsic value of diversity and

difference◦The intrinsic value of all life

The respectful mind creates a safe space where we can discover our “kindness” – being of the same kind

The ethical mindEthical action is when we

consider what is in our best interest

Who are we? Ethical thinking expands our

sense of who we are to include more “others”, at more profound levels

The ethical mind enables ethical thinking and ethical action

Playing with the five minds

Images * Descriptions * Keywords

Imagine five minds

1. Match the images to the five minds. Have a conversation while you are doing it, explaining to each other why. There are no right and wrong answers!

◦The aim of the exercise is to make a visual connection with the five minds.

Describe five minds

2. Match the descriptions to the five minds

◦The objective is to develop a verbal language of the five minds

Keywords for the five minds

3. Match the keywords to the five minds

◦The objective is to develop a quick reference for the meaning of each mind

Reflecting on the journey

The key moments * What we did, how we decided, how we related, how we thought * The minds we used

Key momentsIdentify eight key moments, related to the eight questions on the worksheet. Write them on notes and stick by the question.The objective of this exercise is to structure the story we tell about our journey.

How did we act, think?For each key moment,

reflect on what you thought, how you made decisions and how you generally acted.

What mind(s) did you use? You may place cards with descriptions/keywords onto the note.

What minds, if you used them, would possibly have led to different results?

Reflect on what minds you used most.

We get what we think

Thought, emotion and action

“Thought produces results, but thought says it didn’t do it. And that is a problem.”

David Bohm

Maturana’s story of the frogand the cruel experiment with

the kittens in the white room

What is perception?Thoughts and perceptionEvery act is a perception

Movement exerciseSynchronySyntonyFlow

Exploring challenges in our world

Changes and challenges we face * exploring five frames of mind * Tools, pratice

Changes and challengesIdentify the

biggest changes and challenges we face on various levels of our lives.

Cluster these challenges to see what themes are emerging.

Think in different framesUse the five minds to think about

specific challenges we are facing.◦Divide into five groups - each group

select a mind◦Explore the tool/technique and how

you can apply it to the challenge◦We come together and give feedback

to the other groups about what we have done and what results we achieved.

Discipline tools

Synthesising tools

Creating tools

Respectful tools

Ethical tools

Reflect on you learning

What did you learn today? What do you want to explore next?

Contact uschristo@learningdesign.co.zahttp://www.learningdesign.co.za