January 25, Chennai — ‘Multiple intelligences and child-centred education’. In this lecture delivered at IIT-Madras, Prof. Gardner drew on his own work and case studies from around the world on the applicability and practicality of MI theory. Commenting on the limitations of traditional assesssments of intelligence, Gardner said, “If I had only an hour to test how intelligent someone is, instead of giving him/her an IQ test, last year’s grades would be a better indicator.” The lecture was attended by over 400 of the city’s top education and business leaders.
January 27, Bangalore — ‘Creativity, genius and good work’. In an expansive 90-minute lecture followed by an interview with Dr. Ellen Winner, Dr. Gardner stressed that while everybody is gifted with creativity with a little ‘c’, geniuses are individuals with big ‘c’ creativity. But he stressed that “the need for discipline cannot be underestimated in the context of creativity. Persistence and involvement go hand in hand with creative pursuits”. On a wider canvas, he also delineated the purpose of education and emphasised its connection with good citizenship.
January 31, Mumbai —‘Five minds of the future’. In this lecture delivered at the American School of Bombay, Dr. Gardner highlighted four megatrends of education — globalisation, the biological revolution, digital revolution and lifelong learning. He elaborated how these megatrends have brought to the fore the critical need for people to develop five types of minds — the disciplined, synthesising, creative, respectful and ethical — for the future in the broader interest of development of their host societies.
February 3, Hyderabad — ‘Education in an era of globalisation’. Delivering this lecture at the Indian School of Business, Dr. Gardner advised educators to focus on the mind and brain, just as doctors focus on the body. Speaking on the subject of syllabus and curriculum design, he opined that “less is more”. “The best schools decide what is important and get to it in many ways with pluralisation and individualisation being at the heart of education,” he said.
February 7, Delhi — ‘Multiple intelligences and child-centred education’. In the final lecture of his three-week India Tour 2012 delivered before a packed audience of 1,600 educators, policy formulators, teachers and students, Dr. Gardner explained his theory of multiple intelligences which made him globally famous and identified child-centred education as a natural outcome. “What has surprised me as much as the continuing attention has been the fact that the theory has taken on a life of its own. When I first developed the theory of multiple intelligences, I had no idea what kind of legs it will have,” he said.