FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE - THE RESPECTFUL MIND

Five Minds for the Future

Having a Respectful Mind in Art Education

Emily Brewer

FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE - THE RESPECTFUL MIND

Respect is giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. It is working to understand others
and to work with them to reach a common goal. It is being open to the idea that your own
judgment may be wrong. The Respectful Mind is something that we should be conscious about
and practice everyday throughout our life. It should be a part of who we are as human beings and
we should try hard to instill this in our children, whether in teaching or parenting, if we want to
see changes in this world. As educators we need to ask ourselves, how can we help students
develop the disciplined, synthesized, creating, respectful and ethical minds in the short amount of
time we have them? How can we develop and instill a respectful mind through visual art
education?
Howard Gardners book, Five Minds for the Future gives us strategies to help prepare the
next generation of leaders for success. As teachers, it is important to remain open minded about
changes in the discipline. We dont know everything and we need to show respect to those who
come in and have new ideas on how to improve our teaching. This is how we learn; by
collaborating with people in other fields and trying new methods to best serve our students. Any
lesson is more likely to be understood if it has been approached through diverse entry points:
these can include stories, logical expositions, debates, dialog, humor, role play, graphic
depictions, video or cinematic presentations (Gardner, 2008 p. 33). This achieves two important
goals. First, the teacher reaches more students because some learn better through stories and
others through works of art (Gardner, 2008). As visual art educators, we may not think to bring
in the idea of role play into the art room, but this may help some students to grasp the concept
better and leave a lasting impression. We need to think creatively and outside the box at times to
get the concept across. Second, this approach demonstrates what genuine understanding

FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE - THE RESPECTFUL MIND

looks like. If we can take one idea and demonstrate it in different ways, the students will know
that we understand what we are teaching. Students need the opportunity to show us what they
know also. Gardner (2008) encourages us to give students ample opportunities to perform their
understanding. Propose new questions or puzzles to make sure they understand and have them
come up with new examples.
The Synthesizing Mind is about linking together information from separate sources into a
coherent whole. We do this every time we research ideas for lesson plans. We find multiple
sources and combine all the information to come up with something to use in the classroom. In
the art room we can use different kinds of synthesis; narratives, taxonomies, images and themes,
and embodiments without words (artwork). We can use taxonomies and have the students
brainstorm ideas using words maps and webs for art projects. We all think differently and have
diverse associations because of our own background experiences. With all of our personal
experiences being vastly different from one another it is good to remember to show respect when
listening to ideas. Younger students may criticize one another because they do not understand
how their peers reached an association. For example, Mike makes a word map starting with the
word home. Mikes family was recently evicted from their home and is living in their car.
Mike may branch off the word home and write car or parking lot. We need to help
students learn to understand and appreciate different sides of a story.
As small children, we really dont need any help being creative. Our experiences are new
to us and we question everything. We are intrigued by the world around us and explore what
could be in our own imaginary worlds. As we get older we learn how the real world works and
its very hard to unlearn it. So how can we help maintain creativity in our students?

FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE - THE RESPECTFUL MIND

Gardner (2008) suggests exposing your students to attractive, creative people who model both
the attitude and the experiences of the creative life. Introduce new hobbies that are removed from
the academic routine and that reward innovation. Show them that it is okay and even good to
make mistakes. Make sure they follow interests that do not have just one right answer, but
instead inspires different ways of thinking to solve the problem. Encourage them to create new
problems. Produce challenges where students stand a reasonable chance of success (Gardner,
2008). Practice giving and receiving criticisms to help them grow as artists. Practicing healthy
criticism also promotes respect. Students will learn how to critique others work and their own
honestly and respectfully. This will help build a strong class and strong leaders. Working in
groups is another way to maintain creativity and build respect through diverse views and
strategies.
The Ethical Mind talks about good work ethic as an adult in the workplace. As teachers,
we are not only helping students succeed in school, we are preparing them for the real world.
Until the third decade of life, young persons spend more time in school than any other
institution. They are in the presence of teachers more than in the company of parents; they are
surrounded by schoolmates more than by their siblings or children in the neighborhood. Teachers
serve as crucial models (Gardner, 2008 p. 141-142). This is a huge responsibility as teachers
and one we should take full advantage of. How are we going to build up this next generation as
visual art educators? As role models? As mentors? We need to make our time with them count.
Give your students the benefit of the doubt. Make an effort to understand your coworkers and
work with them to reach your goal. Be open to the idea that your own judgment may be wrong.

FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE - THE RESPECTFUL MIND

Instill in your students a respect for themselves and others. They are watching! They take note of
how we interact with their parents, our own peers, and our superiors. We need to model for them
what it is to be a respectful citizen in the world. Help them to view different sides of the story
through artwork debates and working in groups. Help them build self-respect through healthy art
critiques and encourage them to take risks in the classroom and make mistakes. We have great
power and with that comes great responsibility.

FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE - THE RESPECTFUL MIND

Reference

Gardner, H. (2008). Five Minds for the Future. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press.