Teaching English for
the Brain
 What are the five minds of the future?
 How do we shape the mind of the future?
 What types of teaching methods can be used?
The Mind is affected by
social, economic and by the
cultural environment.
Present-day conditions have
changed from the past and are
rapidly going to change for the
future. We cannot use the same
tools for new requirements
We should develop the ‘New
kinds of Mind’ that people will
need in order to thrive in the
world during the eras to come.
The world of the future [search
engines, robots, computer
devices etc] will demand
capacities that up until now
have been mere options.
To meet this new world on its
own terms, we should begin
to cultivate these capacities
now.
Without these Minds, a
person will be at the mercy
of forces that he or she
can’t understand, let alone
control.
A person will be wellequipped to deal with what is
expected, as well as what
cannot be anticipated.
The Five Minds are:
the Disciplinary Mind
the Synthesizing Mind
the Creating Mind
the Respectful Mind
the Ethical Mind
1. The Disciplinary Mind
The ‘area’ of knowledge that
one has studied
A second meaning of the word
‘discipline’: training to perfect
a skill
 Any professional has to master the
bodies of knowledge and the key
procedures of his/her profession.
(The awareness of this can only be
acquired within the school
environment!)
 Much research confirms that it takes
up to ten years to master a
discipline.
The Synthesizing Mind
The Synthesizing Mind has to
do with reading disparate
texts and learning from
distinguished and distinctive
lecturers.
One has to make sense of
various sources of
information, putting them
together in ways that are
generative.
In whichever capacity one
works, the job of the leader
calls for synthesis.
The leader must:
consider the job to be done
consider the various workers on
hand
consider their current assignments
and skills
consider how best to execute the
current priority and move on to the
next one
Synthesizing the current
state of knowledge,
incorporating new
findings, and delineating
new dilemmas is part of a
leader’s job.
The Creating Mind
In general, we look to
leaders for examples of
creativity.
Creativity is:
the CAPACITY TO UNCOVER
AND CLARIFY NEW
PROBLEMS, QUESTIONS,
AND PHENOMENA.
 What is the role of
creativity in the workday
life of a professional?
Creative is the individual
who figures out how to
evaluate people, situations
and materials.
The Respectful Mind
The first three kinds of Minds
deal primarily with cognitive
forms; the last two deal with
our relations to other human
beings.
To be Respectful, it
is important to avoid
stereotyping or
caricaturing.
One must try to:
understand other
persons on their own
terms
seek to convey one’s
trust in them
Being Respectful means that
one has to make the effort,
and not just make
presumptions based on
impressions. Such humility
may in turn engender positive
responses in others.
The Ethical Mind
Ethics also relates to other
persons, but in a more
abstract way.
If an individual wishes to be
ethical, he or she should try
to understand his or her role
as a worker and his or her
role as a citizen of a region, a
nation, and the planet.
One should think about:
What if I were ignorant in relation
to my position in the world?
What is my responsibility in
bringing such a world into
being?
Therefore, promoting
stereotypes and celebrities
as role models in our
teaching and in our teaching
materials, is highly unethical
and disrespectful.
Educators bear the most evident
burden in the identification and
training of young minds.
Leaders at the workplace should
select individuals who appear to
possess the right kinds of
knowledge, skills, minds, those
who possess disciplined,
synthesizing, creating, respectful
and ethical minds.
 Whether in charge of a classroom, a
club, or a corporation, we need
constantly to consider which minds
are crucial, which to prioritize, and
how to combine them within a single
organization, as well as within a
single skull. (e.g. study skills
training)
What are the dangers of not
consciously developing the
Minds mentioned above?
Individuals without one or
more disciplines will not be
able to succeed at any
demanding workplace and will
be restricted to menial tasks.
Individuals without
synthesizing capabilities will
be overwhelmed by
information and unable to
make judicious decisions
about personal or
professional matters.
Individuals without creating
capacities will be replaced by
computers and will drive (or
be driven) away (by) those
who do have the creative
spark.
Individuals without
respect will not be worthy
of respect by others and
will poison the workplace
and the commons.
Individuals without ethics will
make the world a desolate planet
and will be irresponsible
citizens.
What should we do in our
teaching procedure???
 Be aware of the Minds of our Learners
(individualization of the teaching process)
 We should avoid focusing exclusively on
the disciplinary mind
 We should give learners tasks and
projects to develop their synthesizing
mind (NOT just miming & drilling!!)
 We should give them the chance to
develop their creative capacities
 We should not omit the ethical aspect of
contemporary life process
Bibliography:
Gardner H. (2007)-Five Minds for the
Future. Harvard B.S.P.Boston