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The Open Mind: Exploring the 6 Patterns of Natural Intelligence
Every one of us has a special genius and the discovery of yours is the key to faster learning and better communication. Dr. Dawna Markova teaches that each of us fits into one of six basic learning patterns, guides us through detailed descriptions of each learning pattern, and teaches us how to recognize them in ourselves and others. A storehouse of invaluable information that can revolutionize the way you communicate, work, and love.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 1996
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278 people want to read
About the author
Dawna Markova
41 books64 followersDawna Markova’s passion awakens through storytelling and finding open questions to help people discover how to love the life they have been given.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 19, 2008
In The Open Mind Dawna Markova says, “Of necessity, we must learn to facilitate the process of learning. Rather than merely accumulating new theories and more information that will be outmoded in a few years, our focus must shift to learning how to learn.” Thinking style is often confused with personality or presented in narrow terms, and, hence, limits our ability to communicate and act. The fact is, you are not a static label. You cannot label thinking, for it is not a noun, but a dynamic process! Dawna helps us to recognize how we think so that we can truly use our gift—and appreciate how differently others use theirs’.
The concept is fairly simple. All people use a linear thought process, during which time a specific brain wave is exhibited. The beta wave is exhibited when one is concentrating, the alpha wave when sorting, and the theta wave when generating new ideas. The differences occur, however, in the way people access these states: visually (V), auditorily (A) or kinesthetically (K). There are six possible combinations. Although she urges us not to label ourselves, for the sake of example, I am a VKA. When I approach a new problem or need to concentrate, I need to see it. Then, I go through the weeding process to sort through what I can use or not, and I do this with my kinesthetic sense—I need to move after learning something new! And lastly, when I have integrated the new information, I can talk about what I have learned or access it when I hear music. I encounter conflicts with people who do not access the same states in the same way as I do. How could they think that way, or move so little, or talk so much?! Their behavior often appears as ignorant or insulting, because, what is such a sacred experience to me, is so casual for them! However, realizing this about me, I can then appreciate that they must have the converse experience.
I really like Dawna; she expresses an infectious love for life—so much so that I feel like I can call her by her first name. She incorporates her thirty years teaching, private psychotherapy practice, and doctorate degree that give credence to the scientific data, as well as stories of key people in her studies and life that have inspired her. These personal anecdotes bring further depth and clarity to the content. And she combines these inspiring stories with poetic metaphor that creates just enough space around the story to open your mind to your own perception.
The Open Mind truly is a mind-opening experience! I was reading this book to determine how I could better teach my home schooled daughter. In my eagerness to get through the stack of good books that I was reading at the time, I just read through the book and didn’t do the practical exercises. To be perfectly honest, I got to the end of the book and realized that I couldn’t determine, just from reading it, what thinking pattern I used. I was in the ballpark, but even with the wonderful charts, I was confused. This was no help to me—or my daughter. So, I went back through and did the exercises. I was pleasantly surprised; they were great! They were so varied as to speak to all six of the learning styles. I came away being able to, not only identify my own thinking pattern, but able to easily determine those of my whole family! This is a great book for people who yearn to improve their communication and relationships, reconnect to their thinking and passions, and find organization in their thinking and lives. It is such a straight-forward and simple concept that you can easily continue on your own. You do not suddenly become exempt from learning in adulthood or once you have a degree or become a parent or teacher! Learning is a lifelong process.
The concept is fairly simple. All people use a linear thought process, during which time a specific brain wave is exhibited. The beta wave is exhibited when one is concentrating, the alpha wave when sorting, and the theta wave when generating new ideas. The differences occur, however, in the way people access these states: visually (V), auditorily (A) or kinesthetically (K). There are six possible combinations. Although she urges us not to label ourselves, for the sake of example, I am a VKA. When I approach a new problem or need to concentrate, I need to see it. Then, I go through the weeding process to sort through what I can use or not, and I do this with my kinesthetic sense—I need to move after learning something new! And lastly, when I have integrated the new information, I can talk about what I have learned or access it when I hear music. I encounter conflicts with people who do not access the same states in the same way as I do. How could they think that way, or move so little, or talk so much?! Their behavior often appears as ignorant or insulting, because, what is such a sacred experience to me, is so casual for them! However, realizing this about me, I can then appreciate that they must have the converse experience.
I really like Dawna; she expresses an infectious love for life—so much so that I feel like I can call her by her first name. She incorporates her thirty years teaching, private psychotherapy practice, and doctorate degree that give credence to the scientific data, as well as stories of key people in her studies and life that have inspired her. These personal anecdotes bring further depth and clarity to the content. And she combines these inspiring stories with poetic metaphor that creates just enough space around the story to open your mind to your own perception.
The Open Mind truly is a mind-opening experience! I was reading this book to determine how I could better teach my home schooled daughter. In my eagerness to get through the stack of good books that I was reading at the time, I just read through the book and didn’t do the practical exercises. To be perfectly honest, I got to the end of the book and realized that I couldn’t determine, just from reading it, what thinking pattern I used. I was in the ballpark, but even with the wonderful charts, I was confused. This was no help to me—or my daughter. So, I went back through and did the exercises. I was pleasantly surprised; they were great! They were so varied as to speak to all six of the learning styles. I came away being able to, not only identify my own thinking pattern, but able to easily determine those of my whole family! This is a great book for people who yearn to improve their communication and relationships, reconnect to their thinking and passions, and find organization in their thinking and lives. It is such a straight-forward and simple concept that you can easily continue on your own. You do not suddenly become exempt from learning in adulthood or once you have a degree or become a parent or teacher! Learning is a lifelong process.
May 29, 2014
This is an excellent book to help understand why some people think so differently from ourselves and a select few seem to process very similarly. We all have three levels of brain waves, and on each one we are either audio, kinesthetic or visual. Since everyone has each of these choices there are six possible combinations, and the order that this combination is in shapes your perception of the world. If you are audio on the conscious level then music and sound will keep you awake, if it is your unconscious level it will put you to sleep. People with kinesthetic as their conscious level tend to be athletes and more comfortable in their bodies, while kinesthetics at the unconscious tend to be rather awkward. Depending on your order it can make you seek eye contact when talking and think other people who don't maintain it during conversations are disrespectful or it can make you uncomfortable to the point of feeling people are staring at your soul if you look them in the eye during an intense conversation. Reading this book and figuring out your own processing style can help you figure out how to teach yourself new things more effectively and how to interact with others better. This should also give you some insight into why you get along so well with some people and not with others, as well as suggestions to tweak your behavior to get along with people who do not naturally align with your learning/processing style. Regardless of whether you plan on making any of these changes it is a book well worth reading just to be aware of the differences between people and how they perceive the world.
August 8, 2012
In a thought-provoking manner, Dr. Markova describes three intelligences grounded in our senses: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. She then goes on to suggest we use these intelligences in an increasing order of consciousness, starting with the unconscious, then the subconscious, and finally the conscious. Each level depends on a different type of intelligence.
For example, a KVA learner can be described as using kinesthetic knowledge on a conscious level, visual information on a subconscious level, and auditory input on an unconscious level. It follows there are five other combinations: KAV (kinesthetic-auditory-visual), VKA (visual-kinesthetic-auditory) and so on. Dr. Markova goes on to describe both how to identify one’s own combination of intelligences and how best to interact with those whose styles differ from our own.
For example, a KVA learner can be described as using kinesthetic knowledge on a conscious level, visual information on a subconscious level, and auditory input on an unconscious level. It follows there are five other combinations: KAV (kinesthetic-auditory-visual), VKA (visual-kinesthetic-auditory) and so on. Dr. Markova goes on to describe both how to identify one’s own combination of intelligences and how best to interact with those whose styles differ from our own.
August 20, 2008
Book aids understanding of how we all learn differently. Each of us learns visually, auditorially and kinetically. Find out which of these senses you learn consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously. you may be surprised. It can help you in building relationships at work and at home.
July 7, 2011
understanding how our brain works... very interesting...
I would use more as a reference book when I got stymied as to why certain people act the way they do. Wasn't all that interested in the exercises, but gleaned a lot of useful information from it. Really loved the quotes on each page.
I would use more as a reference book when I got stymied as to why certain people act the way they do. Wasn't all that interested in the exercises, but gleaned a lot of useful information from it. Really loved the quotes on each page.
August 12, 2008
Explores some fascinating avenues of how the mind may work, but too often lapses into a grating pop-psychology voice that makes it hard to take seriously.
June 25, 2012
Really enjoyed this book!
July 2, 2015
Gathered a little bit of insight. It's nice to "know thyself".
February 8, 2013
This is an excellent book and I wish all educators would read this!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews