Holt’s criticisms of schools

Gardner’s multiple intelligences

1.    They convert curiosity, natural intelligence, confidence into passiveness, dependence, boredom, low self-esteem par 1-5

2.    Discourage experimentation, creativity and originality 1

3.    Teach children learning is separate from living. Learning becomes passive 2

4.    Neglect students needs and interest; show no respect for individual differences 3

5.    Teach students to be wrong, uncertain, confused is a crime, the result is fake, bluff, cheat 4

6.    Teach students not to interact with other people 5 live without paying attention 6

MI and EI stress interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities

7.    Schools are ugly, cold 6

8.    Encourage dishonesty, suspicion, anxiety7

9.    Provide no opportunity to learn about real world 10-11

Existential intelligence

Holt’s recommendations for improving schools

1.    Abolish compulsory attendance 8-9

2.    Take students into community to learn about real world first hand10

Students should develop diverse intelligences

3.    Bring real world into schools, different professions, talk about what they do 11

MI and EI reflect a broad, flexible notion of human intelligence vs a fixed permanent measure of human ability 5

4.    Encourage students to work together and learn from one another 12

MI and EI stress interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities; MI stresses that specific aspects of intelligence vary cross-culturally vs traditional idea of intelligence 5

5.    Encourage students to learn to evaluate their own work to find mistakes and correct them 13

Holistic evaluation: portfolio 7

6.    Eliminate grades, exams and marks 13

Mi and EI emphasize different ways of assessing a person’s diverse abilities such as portfolios and descriptive assessment 7

7.    Abolish fixed, required curriculum 14