Language is but one of several codes (or symbol systems) that constitute human thought. (John-Steiner, 1997, p. xvi)
In her study, John-Steiner interviewed more than 50 artists and scientists and described the variety of drawings and writings they made in the process of creating a variety of projects. She identified four general types of thinking based on her participants’ experiences: visual thinking, verbal thinking, the languages of emotion (including music and choreography), and scientific thinking.
According to John-Steiner, the “thinking languages” that we use stem from our history:
The choice of such a language, or inner symbol system, is not always a conscious one. It is embodied in the history of an individual, beginning with his or her efforts at reflection that first developed in childhood. But the transformation of what is heard, seen or touched is dependent upon the individual skill of the human mind in representing experience as images, as inner speech, as movement ideas. Through these varied languages of thought, the meanings of these experiences are stored and organized. (p. 8)
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
From Kist, W. “Searching for New Literacy Classrooms: An Invitation,” Posted July 2001
© 2001 International Reading Association, Inc. ISSN 1096-1232