David Perkins Bio

David Perkins earned his Ph.D. in mathematics and artificial intelligence from MIT in 1970. He is currently a senior professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is also senior co-director of of the educational research group, Project Zero.

Perkins researches and writes about teaching for thinking and meaningful learning. His books deal with learning for students in and out of the classroom, for teachers, and for institutions interesting in harnessing the power of their collective knowledge. One of Perkins' impact goals is to facilitate personal and organizational understanding and intelligence. His work reflects a theory of mind that emphasizes the interwoven relationship among thinking, learning, and understanding. The three are dependent upon one another. Meaningful learning leads to understanding and depends on thinking with and about what one is learning. In order words, thinking about what and how you are thinking is important to learning and understanding.

Perkins' titles include:

The Mind's Best Work (1981) a look at the psychology of creativity
The Teaching of Thinking (1985) with Raymond Nickerson and Edmond Smith
Knowledge as Design (1986) about meaningful instruction design
Teaching Thinking: Issue and Approaches (1989) a practicioner's guide
Block: Getting Out of Your Own Way (1990) the psychology of counterintuitive behavior
Smart Schools: From Training Memories to Educating Minds (1992) a new vision of schooling
Inventive Minds (1992) a collection of articles about inventiveness
The Intelligent Eye (1994) learning to think by looking at art
The Thinking Classroom (1995) developing a culture of thinking
Software Goes to School (1995) role of technology in education
Outsmarting IQ (1995) how to grow your intelligence
The Eureka Effect (2000) an investigation and guide to breakthrough thinking
King Arthur's Round Table (2003) how collaborative conversations create smarts
Learning at Work (2005) about leading learning in the workplace
Making Learning Whole (2009) teaching for understanding and engagement