Classrooms Without Borders

In Five Minds for the Future, I describe the kinds of minds that will be at the highest premium going forward. Although our existing models of learning are reasonably good for developing a disciplined mind, they have almost nothing to say about the synthesizing mind, though it is arguably the most important mind for the 21st century. I don’t think that any of us knows how best to cultivate the creative mind; but our current ways of thinking and teaching are excellent at quashing the creative mind. As for the last two kinds of mind I identify in the book—respectful and ethical—these are generally considered beyond the purview of theories of learning.  Respect should be inculcated from birth, and is best learned by example.  As for the ethical mind, that has been my chief research concern for the past 15 years.  Our current thinking about this vexing topic is best accessed via a visit to goodworkproject.org