Whole Mindedness,
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Whole Minded Cognition in the Post Modern Era
compiled by
Shaista Alidina
Interdisciplinary Research Question and Purpose:
Research question
If Daniel Pink, author of 'A Whole New Mind' is correct in his
claim that the future of success belongs to people who are able
to seamlessly use both right and left sides of the brain, then why,
in American culture, is the brain's right hemisphere taking a
back seat to the left brain?
Problem Statement
Recent research in neurology has been encouraging in the claim
that whole mindedness contributes to happy, healthy and
successful human lives. This implies that that the human mind
possesses six senses, in addition to the original five senses of
sight,sound,taste, smell and touch, which if used simultaneously,
would result into greater wellbeing. These additional senses are
design, story, symphony, play, meaning and empathy (Pink,
2004).However, research also indicates that the right brain takes
a back seat in current American society, and makes apparent the
fact that the left brain dominates. As self conscious, self aware
and civilized human beings, there is a need to find out more
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about how, and why, the right brain takes a back seat. The
purpose of this research project is to probe deeper into why this
is so.
The Practice of Whole Mindedness, Exposing an
Interdisciplinary Explanation
The cause and effects of whole mindedness across the American
nation are beyond the ability of any single discipline to explore.
A review of professional literature in behavioral and social
sciences (specifically anthropology and psychology), humanities
(religious studies, philosophy, art, and music), neurology, and
early childhood/elementary education shows that these
disciplines are most relevant to the problem. Each discipline has
its own perspective about why R- directed* thinking takes a
back seat. While each of these theories reflects the perspective
of its particular discipline, none of these explanations addresses
whole mindedness, and its implication on wellness of our future
generations. The interdisciplinary nature of this project is an
attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of whole
mindedness. We will specifically look at it from the micro level
(how it impacts the individual), at the meso level (how it
impacts the community around the individual), and at the macro
level (how it impacts individuals globally, or worldwide). The
methods used in this project will be:

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Presentation of related research available in disciplines of
education, humanities and anthropology
Unstructured participant observation
Conclusive evidence based upon subjects such as non
human primates
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*For the purpose of this project, R- directed refers to right brain
dominant, and L- directed refers to left brain dominant
Relevant Disciplines to Serve an Interdisciplinary Purpose &
Their Insights:
Education
Theory
Behavioral
Sciences
Theory of
Multiple
Intelligences by
Howard Gardner
Post
Abraham
Development
Maslow's theory
Theory
of selfactualization
Bloom's
Taxonomy
Humanities
Doctrine of the
Mean by Aristotle
Plato's concept of
justice in the state
Reality is not a
Whole
Holistic
collection of
mindedness, or consideration imperfect
lack of it, as a
of subjects/
representations
Perspective consequence of individual
that reflect an
bureaucratic and provides best absolute reality.
institutional
explanation of Interpretivism,
factors
phenomenon meaning making is
best explanation of
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a phenomenon.
Accountability,
NCLB
Over reliance
Over reliance on on empirical
Over reliance on
standardized
and
qualitative data,
Bias
testing
quantitative
can become overly
as most objective analysis,
prescriptive
measure of
overly
student growth descriptive
and intelligence
Analysis of R - directedness- the Why & the How?
In the PBS series The Secret Life of the Brain, on the role of
emotion in learning, a comment was made that "the brain is not
a thinking machine, but a feeling machine that thinks."The
discipline of education concurs with the above mentioned
research in neuroscience, in that it agrees that school is certainly
full of novel situations that create anxiety, either enhancing or
obstructing the learning process.
Because Thinking Maps are a common visual tool used by
teachers across grade levels, they become a familiar set of tools
that make learning process, and patterns of information, explicit
and accessible to students (Afamasaga-Fuatai, 2008). Students
who work with Thinking Maps feel safe when faced with
challenging school work because they have a set of tools that
provide them with a framework within which to be creative. For
at least 30 years, teachers have been encouraged to use these
tools (Hyerle, D., Curtis, S., & Alper, L., 2004).
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According to Ruby Payne (1998) in A Framework for
Understanding Poverty, teaching students to be self -reliant and
creative has not been as important as it is now. Ruby Payne, an
internationally acclaimed author and lecturer, illustrates the need
for all students to achieve R-directed thinking with her words:"
true discrimination that comes out of poverty is the lack of
cognitive strategies. The lack of these unseen attributes
handicaps, in every aspect of life, the individual who does not
have them (Payne, 1998, p.95)."
Future research on subjects with and without right brain damage
is crucial in advancing our knowledge of comprehension
processes, such as inference and inference revision(Tompkins,
Lehmann-Blake & Baumgartner, 2001).Further, an article
published in 'Praxis in Industry'' emphasizes the need of a
systemic and philanthropic overhaul facing not only public
schools in the United States, but also the field of early
childhood, which is already undergoing through massive
experimentation and progress.
In the discipline of humanities, there is a similar emphasis on Rdirectedness and its crucial impact on well being. Gould (2006)
takes a utilitarian stance as he exposes the Native American
world view of 'wellness'. The study emphasizes the wellness
strategies, which according to the researcher were outstanding in
ensuring survival of the 'collective body' for life times to come.
While some individuals may try to use a pharmaceutical
approach, this study exposes the holistic wellness approach for
an entire community, which is similar to an R- directed
approach to well being. Readers confront issues that come up
when the 'community' is left out of what is intended to be a
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'community development plan' (Gould, 2006).
The discipline of cultural or social anthropology gives us an
insight on whether handedness may have anything to do with Rdirectedness. Professor Hopkins (2006) notes that handedness
has nothing to do with language development from his research
on 'Comparative & Familial Analysis of Handedness in the
Great Apes''. As many studies as possible on handedness are
included in his paper, including studies carried out since the
1900s. Right handedness presumably reflects a left-hemisphere
specialization for motor skills and is thought to be an indirect
marker of lateralization for language functions. For example,
96% of right-handed individuals are left-hemisphere dominant
for language in contrast to about 70% in left-handed individuals
(Knecht et al, .2000; Rasmussen & Milner, 1977). The study
concluded that the exact mechanism selected for increased
preferential hand use remains unclear, but the association of
language origins and the evolution of handedness can be safely
ruled out.
In lieu of this, Tenhouten (1995) describes in detail a
longitudinal and cross sectional study of a primitive culture's
eclipse of the sacred and paradoxical liberation of the left hand
in a study published in the journal of Anthropology of
Consciousness. Hertz, a co-researcher, studied the life styles of
the Maori -an indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealandwho suppressed the use of the left hand. It can be inferred from
the Maoris’ attitude towards the use of the left hand that the Rdirectedness involved with witchcraft, sorcery and magic, were
looked down upon. However, researcher Durkheim, an
anthropologist who researched the Maori soon after, saw a
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weakening of this use of the left hand as a result of
'modernization'. Tenhouten further goes on to delineate a study
in left handedness in contemporary American society, as it
relates to social pressure. His study has implications for the
moral solidarity of a post modern culture.
Conflicts & Causes:
Based on the Multiple Intelligences theory by Howard Gardner
and Thinking Maps, teachers feel empowered to stimulate Rdirectedness in both themselves and their students. However,
there are state standards to be adhered to, and there is pressure to
perform in order to meet those standards, on the basis of
accountability (Chapin, 2007). Pink (2004) notes that much of
these standards are directed towards achievement of students
and promoting L- directedness through objective measurement
of student's intelligence, such as standardized tests. (SAT-oCracy). This is currently perceived as a more objective form of
assessment, which makes the Multiple Intelligences theory
impractical.
Budget cuts also stymie the extent to which R- directedness can
take a back seat, especially in the disciplines of early childhood
and elementary education-fields that are going through massive
experimentation and change (Carey & Howard, 2009). As
Manner (2002) indicates that curriculum integration is not a new
idea but it needs re-examination in schools today, where statedriven academic concerns may require educators to view school
subjects in isolation rather than in ways that enhance perceptions
of their connections.
Another source of conflict comes from cognitive discrepancies
Whole Mindedness,
within the classroom of learners. As Hyerle et al. (2004) note
that teachers have misused cognitive tools such as Thinking
Maps by morphing them into worksheets with attractive, yet
meaningless triangles and stars. Students, who are given these
disconnected organizers from day to day, and year to year,
actually become more dependent than independent learners.
These students wait for their teacher to hand them a backline
master, thus affirming a brain research mantra that "dittos don't
grow dendrites" (Hyerle et al., 2004, p.45). It misses explicit
engagement and creation- crucial activities of the right brain
accompanied by the left brain. If used correctly, this set of
flexible tools actively involves them into meaning making, not
simply filling in blanks (Hyerle et al.2004).
Furthermore, recent research on behavioral control has given
rise to ethical issues. The report The Hastings Center Report
(2009) outlines the issue of behavioral control as a tug of war
between individual rights and societal needs. Controversy
surrounds scientists who look for ways to manipulate brain
functions with the aim of modifying undesirable behaviors in
children, which may be stemming from R- directedness. Further
exacerbating this conflict is the fact that antisocial behavior is
being perceived as R- directedness, and is now labeled as a
sickness, thus dictating stigmatizing the individual. Gaylin
(2009) emphasizes that in our modern world today it is not
'Frankenstein' we need to worry about, it is the 'Wizard of Oz'.
In other words, it is not the brain but the mind we need to focus
on, and to protect.
Unstructured Systematic Observation:
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Whole Mindedness,
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The New Image Youth Center, Downtown Orlando: Shantae
Stubbs, the program director, envisioning this center to
concentrate on the child's "mind", in order that they may obtain
a 'new image' through positive and motivating learning
experiences, character building, the promotion of education and
fun. While I was there, I felt that it was quite successful in
attending to this vision as well as well as the 'whole mind'
approach. Art and crafts was successfully used to create a
relaxing and informal setting, and also to gain one to one
interaction opportunities with the youth. After following
instructions from the volunteer leader in how to make an Easter
basket from construction paper, the kids were excited about the
craft, and so they started to decorate their little basket. Then, one
of the girls (elementary school age), used the left over
construction papers to create and design an iPod, iCam and cell
phones. The other kids around the table followed suit. Therefore,
the kids not only used sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, but
also tuned into the 'high concept, high touch' senses, during and
after the crafts activity, without any external coercion. They
utilized the high touch concept of design, as suggested by Daniel
Pink.
Page 15 Homework Room, Downtown Orlando: Headed by
Julia, the executive director, this organization has a similar
vision to the one described above except that this organization
has a policy of providing homework help in the content areas of
reading and writing, to include social studies and science
homework as well. Julian told the students that her organization
is titled 'Page 15' because "we can never know whether a book is
worth reading or not until we read the book to page 15".
Personal responsibility coupled with games, and lots of love
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made this place a great place. However, there were two main
reasons which, the program manager said, deterred the middle
schoolers from coming to homework room regularly:
1.The older kids had a status quo, and did not want to be around
younger kids, fearing that they will be made to baby sit the
younger school children.
2. Secondly, the incentive of getting a 'gym pass' was not as
attractive to the middle school female students, as opposed to
the male students.
This made me wonder if R-directed games, arts, craft, and/or
music would attract them back to the homework room, or not.
The students attending this center were from Nap ford
elementary which is a low income school, where 90% are below
poverty level (Orange County Schools website). Their parents
cannot send their kids to a music class, or art class, or a ballet
class to stimulate their R-directed thinking skills, and to nurture
R- directedness in their kids, due to financial, mobility and
physical constraints. Even if they do face these constraints, they
may simply be unaware of the importance of nurturing both
sides of the brain to nurture a whole brained individual, and thus
a whole brained society.
Finding Common Ground:
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The best integrative technique in order to achieve common
ground would be extension because the disciplines of
education and humanities share similar concepts in regards
to multiple intelligence(s). The common ground between
the two theories is that the quest of knowledge is innate (all
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humans by nature desire to know), and this desire is
influenced by multiple factors that are internal and external.
As the task of the philosopher, and/or educator is to be a
midwife of the mind, stimulating intellectual labor so that
the student can recollect knowledge, which is actually
innate/a priori.
Thus, expanding Platonian Theory of Recollection of
Innate Ideas and a Priori Knowledge to include Multiple
Intelligences Theory by Howard Gardner, allows it to
integrate the recollection of innate ideas with its' similar
focus on innate human quest of knowledge.
The integration between these disciplines needs to extend
the concepts of each into the domain of the others. By
integrating through extension there can be a way to involve
all the insights of each discipline, by adding a portion of
each specific discipline into the other disciplines most
involved with the problem statement.
Pojman describes Plato's theory of recollection & priori
knowledge in detail, which we will need to understand the
complexity of the issue, and to draw a common ground: In
coming into existence, the soul has forgotten essential truths of
reality. The philosopher/educator should be a spiritual midwife
who stimulates labors of the soul, enabling a person to recall
what he/she already possesses but has simply forgotten. Plato's
theory that all knowledge was a "priori" knowledge (literally
"that which is prior or first")-one has has independently of any
sense experience. Ordinary empirical beliefs, derived from the
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five senses, are not knowledge since they are related to unstable
appearances. So, what is Plato's answer to the question set forth:
How is learning possible? It is this: Learning consists in having
a suitable guide, a teacher, to bring out the innate best in us, like
a midwife inducing labor. In this way, Plato distinguishes
between two possible approaches to knowledge: sense
perception and reason. According to Plato, therefore, the role of
a philosopher is to use the world of sense perception in order to
lead the soul out of a dreamlike state of 'becoming' and into a
real world of 'being'.
Similarly, extending the Plationian concept of priori,
recollection, and priori knowledge in all humans to Howard
Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences gives us a clearer
picture of innate quest for the truth inherent in each individual
participant. Howard Gardner (1993) defines one aspect of
Multiple Intelligences theory -Intrapersonal Intelligence- as:
"involves the capacity to understand oneself, to have an effective
working model of oneself-including one's own desires, fears and
capacities-and to use such information effectively in regulating
one's own life". A key word here is capacities, both for teachers
and students. It is the teacher's available repertoire that will
enable students to work effectively. Gardner (1993) defines
Interpersonal intelligence as: " understand the motivations,
intentions, and desires of other people and, consequently, to
work effectively with others." This theory of Multiple
Intelligences is highly egregious concept that plays out in a
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typical classroom:
Cooper (2004), one of the contributors to 'Student Successes
with Thinking Maps", describes his experience during the span
of time he was observing a middle grade class. He began
focusing on two boys as a way of looking at how the learning
styles approach worked. One student, Harry, would be describes
as a near-extreme global learner who is R- directed: he always
has his shirt out and constantly chatters, this makes it seem as
though he is avoiding work. Douglas is, just the opposite, an
"analytic learner who is L- directed: he prefers factual,
nonfiction, and less emotive articles. Both students were given
the task of studying World War Two and the Holocaust. Harry
was interrupting Douglas all the time. However, both Harry and
Douglas were learning using a common visual tool- a Flow
Map- that served to focus their widely ranging styles. One of
them engaged at a global, emotive level and the other at an
analytical, factual level, but the information appeared together
on the Flow Map. Thus, this became a starting point for
investigating the linkages between visual tools and very
complex theories of emotions, intelligences, habits and styles. A
wider understanding of whole mindedness can come about as we
consider how teachers, and students, are becoming more
conscious and conversant about how such learning strategies
work together to promote authentic learning.
The teacher in the above case study took a 'responsible risk'
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(Costa & Kallick, 2000). Normally, teachers group students with
similar abilities together. Students who are wayward, such as
Harry in this case, are deemed malignant to the learning process.
Therefore, the approach to reconcile the different learning styles,
attempted by the teacher as a 'responsible risk' created an
amiable solution. Similarly, at the homework room in downtown
Orlando, I observed Julia (the executive director) take a
'responsible risk' when she decided to use her iPod for movie
making, as requested by the kids. One of the kids had finished
their homework for the day, had done reading, and had played
games. Then she suggested that they play 'school drama' and
made an interesting story plot, and cheerfully shared it with
Julia. Another kid joined in the fun, and another, and another,
until the whole room joined in, and Julia suggested to make a
movie from it, and recorded the scenes in her iPod.
Unfortunately, after half an hour and four exciting scenes, the
iPod ran out of battery power so the movie that was unfolding
had to stop. The examples and explanations above illustrate, and
shed light on the fact that humans are naturally inclined towards
both brain hemispheres, the left and the right, and careful
nurturing is needed for both, not just one part of the hemisphere.
Shalin (2008) uses a more humanistic approach towards the
above mentioned understanding of whole mindedness when
argues that the increasing reliance on an "image culture" of the
right brain pattern recognition, instead of left brain sequential
linear thinking, has resulted into an equilibrium between the
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two, between word and image, between masculine and feminine.
This particular study is interesting in the way it draws on
multiple perspectives: on historical time periods and gender
studies, to co-relate the historic domination of males in L
directed career fields, which the researcher/author succinctly
refers to as the 'alphabet'. Shalin (2008) takes us on a tour of the
functions of right and left brain, the similarities and differences,
and explains that every culture across the globe has
acknowledged these similarities and differences, and continues
to do so.Shalin (2008) explains how the rise of literacy (or what
she refers to as the 'alphabet') resulted into the down fall of the
'goddess' (female dominance). Thereafter, the author draws
inferences between different time periods, such as the medieval
Christian era and the Renaissance, and then uses her inferences
to conclude that witch hunts symbolized the ultimate
degradation of women. This research has evidence that suggests
that the domination of males in L-directed disciplines and
careers are increasingly giving way to the 'goddess', under guise
of women's liberation movement or gender equality, thus
coming to some sort of equilibrium (Shalin, 2008).
Presentation of an Interdisciplinary Solution:
Thus, the interdisciplinary understanding of "whole
mindedness" amounts to an integrative model that is designed to
meet needs of people now, but in a way that will not mortgage
the ability of future generations to get their basic needs met.
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Whole mindedness considers not just the left hemisphere of the
brain, or L -directedness, and advancement, but also the right
hemisphere of the brain, or R-directedness, and the social and
cultural aspects as well with it. The components of the model
specifically include senses of the right brain - design, story,
symphony, play, meaning, empathy- as well as senses of the left
brain; sight , sound ,smell ,taste and touch. This integrative
model is holistic in a sense that it builds upon and applies social
anthropological theories, humanities research and best practices
in the discipline of education, at individual, communal and
global arenas.
This integrative model of whole mindedness makes it easier to
incorporate cultural diversity and protection of indigenous
peoples, for the simple reason that the practices of these groups,
often linked myopically to backwardness with negative
connotations, are also in need of a whole minded approach to
their well being in a post modern era. Within this continuum, the
needs of the indigenous peoples would fall between L-directed
and R-directed activities. Perhaps, by focusing on R-brain
activities rather than L-brain activities, whole mindedness could
be achieved for these people as well. This insight is drawn from
recognizing that it is unlikely that countries as far away as
Mexico, which need more community development in order to
survive and thrive with a growing population, will continue with
their community development schemes without 'community' in
mind. This integrative model or continuum is further stratified
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into three layers: micro, meso and macro level of whole
mindedness. The micro level is at the individual level, the meso
level is at the community level, and the macro level is global or
worldwide. Future research should concentrate on developing
this integrative model of whole mindedness to include theories,
assumptions and perspectives from disciplines other than those
included in this particular project. Further studies at both the
behavioral and neurophysiologic level will provide important
insight into the evolution and development of whole mindedness
and other manifestations of hemispheric specialization in
primates, including humans.
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