Reaction to Howard Gardner’s Lecture on Multiple Intelligences and the Promotion of Good Work

I was glad I got the opportunity to see Howard Gardner’s lecture on Multiple Intelligences and the theory behind his Good Work Project.

I was most interested in the Good Work Project because I had never heard of it before, and am always excited to learn new theories and ideas.

The Good Work Project asks the question, "How much of the work we do is really meaningful?" "How many feel that they are doing their best work?" And, "How is that work impacted by society as a whole?"
Those are some deep questions to ask yourself when thinking about your career. As a teacher, these questions should be easy to answer if we are doing our jobs right. My main reason for becoming a teacher is so I can answer those questions truthfully without hesitation. A teacher’s job is meaningful and impacts society forever. And, a teacher should constantly question their work and assess themselves to answer the Good Work’s question of, “Do you feel you’re doing your best work?”

From what I gathered at the lecture, The Good Work Toolkit really revolves around Morals, Ethics, and Values. In certain times in any career, a scenario might come up where a person’s morals, ethics, and values are tested. The toolkit goes through these possibilities and discusses what one might do in certain situations.

Dr. Gardner spoke of the Boutique (sp?) Model Of Change, which explains the principle of a role model’s impact. For instance, if a teacher is engaged in the students, the curriculum, and has positive feelings toward the school, community, and education as a whole, it will rub off on other teachers and thus create an impact where those other teachers will change in a positive way. However, if a teacher is burnt out, has negative feelings toward the school, community, and education as a whole, it will rub off on other teachers and students to create an impact where they might change in a negative way. This model shows how the impact of a role model is so strong in any career.

In all, I see the Good Work Project as a great toolkit for teachers. It may be useful for new teachers who are just coming into the profession, where they can develop their own code of conduct. It can also be helpful for veteran teachers, to remind them to reassess their own work to rediscover if it is meaningful and if they are really doing their best work.

Source:
http://goodworktoolkit.org/