A Synthesizing Mind A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory

An authority on the human mind reflects on his intellectual development, his groundbreaking work, and different types of intelligences--including his own.

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.

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).

Introduction ix 
Part I The Formation of a Synthesizing Mind 
1 My Ten-Year-Old Mind 3 
2 Weighing Tests and Tracks 19 
3 Discovering Enduring Interests and Alluring Approaches 35 
4 Resisting a Single Frame 63 
5 Assembling a Network of Enterprises 91 
Part II Multiple Intelligences: Reframing a Human Conversation 
6 Steps toward Frames 109 
7 Reactions to MI 129 
8 MI in the World 141 
9 Putting MI in Its Place 159 
Part III Unpacking the Synthesizing Mind 
10 On to Education and Good Work 177 
11 My Scattered Pursuits and the Mind That Connects Them 197 
12 Understanding the Synthesizing Mind 211 
Acknowledgments 237 
Appendix: List of Blog Posts by the Author 239 
Bibliography 245 
Index 249