Here is my latest art-i-fact as a cultural worker. It is some of my best thinking on thinking, on educating ourselves for the 21st century. I invite you to take a read of the Manifest%20Thinking.doc

Here is the Abstract to the Manifesto (for convenience):

Abstract

 Someone asked me, “What do you do?” I replied, “I am an educator.” They said, “So, what do you teach?” I replied, “First, I design curricula based on how best to teach—thinking about thinking. Then, I teach others how to implement that curriculum so they get as excited as I do about the great human potential of thinking integrally across the globe.” The following manifesto is my first articulation of the ideas and rationale for why, after 40+ years of research and teaching, I have chosen to focus on thinking about thinking. I lay out the simple and complex versions of the problem—which, boil down to the problem of how humans self-regulate, self-violate, and typically fail to manage difference, diversity of perspectives and ways of thinking effectively. I offer some premises behind my integral design for Education and the ways it can be implemented. This is a work in progress, never to be left as written-in-stone. It can always be critiqued and improved. I invite anyone into this dialogue to improve learning about thinking itself and all the diverse ways of thinking that we all ought to have free access to. A first example of an Integral Thinking Curriculum is illustrated to begin the Global Thinking Agenda. You might think of this manifesto as a “calling” to gather together as humanity to a universal goal of equity and equality of opportunity for people to think about thinking as the foundation for all else that follows—the latter, which we might call “education.”

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  • How many "Thinking Types" in the Deck of cards? I just completed them on the color-coded cards. I won't go into details here, as there will be a guide book to using these coming eventually. I found that process of doing this fascinating, and I came up with 508 cards of types (ways) of thinking... these, come mostly all from my memory and experiences in my life, and I did look up less than 2% in a book... of course, it could go much higher if I really worked on the list, but that's irrelevant to the purpose of this piece of curriculum. 508 is a good foundation, and covers across a wide territory of domains of society and disciplines, etc. The sub-links within these cards have endless possibilities to add more types of thinking... so, I'm officially publishing "my list" (508) in a new blog here (July 22) for anyone to make their own cards or to learn from these as is... note that there will eventually be a sophisticate template of guides universal in design for each card to enrich the learning process... of thinking about thinking.

  • Wrote this to a colleague (and father):

    I Merely in quantitative terms, I was thinking what if you sat down with each of your children one by one, and gave them a piece of paper and pencil, asked them, by memory, to name (identify) all the different kinds (types) of: (a) medicinal plants (curing, healing) (b) birds (c) countries (d) business logos (e) cartoon shows (f) book titles AND (most importantly) -- the question not yet researched that I know of... is... (g) thinking [p.s. regarding (g), what would the average school teacher produce in their list on types of thinking?] [btw, I have now mapped nearly 500 types of thinking essential I believe for the global 21st century learner] [p.s.s. regarding (g), of course naming by memory, and then actually identifying them in everyday life is another thing, as well as actually being able to use them and cross-link them, etc. --thus, the Global Thinking Card Deck ]

    [he wrote back and said this sounds like a good idea to try this summer with his 3 kids]

  • Another colleague responded:

    Thank you, Michael, for sending your latest manifesto/reflection on thinking. I read it with keen interest. In thinking about thinking, I am always eager to understanding thinking in complicated and diverse and creative ways. The integral model opens up that kind of creative complexity with compelling possibilities. Are you submitting any of your writing to journals like JCACS or in education or Canadian Journal of Education?
    Appreciatively,
  • Here's some of the first responses from some colleagues to the Manifesto:

    i started reading.  The first query that came up for me was that your manifesto is challenging both rational and religious thinking.  How also might we challenge de-constructive and/or relativistic thinking?

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    I enjoyed reading this piece Michael, thank you. And though I "braced" on the word "manifesto" when I opened it, I "embraced" it at the end when you clearly stated the framework and pillars of this manifesto and presented a brilliant offer at that, the deck of cards that can be used to teach and train others in "thinking about thinking". As you both know I am much more a "prac-ademic" than an academic.  For me what one teaches has to be in the world of shared experiences. And this piece offers such very nicely. In the words of Thoreau and in tune with what you've written Michael, "to affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the arts". You've done that for me Michael. It is MUCH appreciated. If f there was someway to make "the deck of cards" dialogic and interactive via technology then that would be stellar???

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    Thanks Michael for the honor you bestow by sharing your excellent Manifesto.

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    A colleague added more in their response to finishing the Manifesto:

    Critiquing "green" thinking as well from a "teal" standpoint, yes.  Love the focus on education reform!

    [I wrote back that on the top of p.8 of the Manifesto, I'll add some of these thoughts different kinds of thinking re: postmodern, "green" etc.]

    well, i really liked the manifesto and your creative application in the cards concept, which seems ideal to me in some combination with... a "future of the internet" project about which I am still sworn to privacy, but am on the core team for or perhaps more straightforwardly in developing an "app" that could be downloaded onto tablet computers or smartphones.

    [indeed that's where the Deck of Cards part of the Manifesto needs to eventually go]

    also, the cards are a practical tool for enabling someone's Integral life practice, mental module so potentially for inclusion in the next iteration of the integral life practice kit which i believe they are working on at Integral Life.

     How many cards have you already completed?

    [not a one yet... there's an immense amount of work and a research team is needed for this phase; right now, I'm working on the 300 + types of thinking and cross-referencing them all, which I can do over the next weeks, and write them on 300 some cards color-coded so the deck is actually really, even if at this skeleton phase]

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