Middle Ground --------------------------------------------------------- In A Whole New Mind, author Daniel Pink suggests that although the past few decades have been dominated by logical, linear thinkers, the future belongs to a very different person with a very different mind: "creators, empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers—artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers." Deep thinking skills that will be sought after in tomorrow's work world.If this is so, the role of educators in the next decade will be to foster the development of this creative edge in their students and within themselves. Developing students with the right-brained capacities identified by Pink will require today's teachers to move beyond knowledge delivery and a preoccupation with numbers to the creation of classrooms where inventive, empathetic, big picture capacities are developed among its students. The bridge between the logical, linear learning and the changes needed to develop students with a different mind can be forged by linking curriculum with an integrated approach to teaching and with help from emerging technology applications and services. These links promote the deep thinking skills that will be sought after in tomorrow's work world, tools that will prepare students to not just push the envelope or think outside the box but, as Tom Peters says, to "rip up the envelope and burn the box" as they use their inventive, forward-thinking, big, picture capacities. Thomas Homer-Dixen said that "ingenuity is like cooking recipes and these recipes allow us to manipulate process and reconfigure the matter that surrounds us … into things that will improve our lives." In April 2006 I had the opportunity to be a fly on the wall at a middle school conference session led by Nancy Doda. Using the Negotiated, Integrated Curriculum Model, a teaching model developed by James Beane and Barbara Brodhagen (http://coe.winthrop.edu/blackburnb/EDCI%20600/Beane.pdf), Doda led 50 teachers and 20 middle school students through a collaborative session aimed at establishing a middle school curriculum based on students' own questions about themselves and about the world around them. Small groups of middle school students, working shoulder to shoulder with teachers, listed questions and concerns they have about their world near and far. The results from this cross-generational discussion revealed a group of young people who had more on their minds than music, video games, and clothes. Students wondered about poverty, waste, world affairs, war, religion, the power of love, and the love of power. Teachers were challenged to consider how these concerns could be integrated with their curriculum to create a program that springs from the very things that students are thinking about. What an incredible starting place for a curriculum bent toward engaging student interest and using that interest as a catalyst for helping students make a difference in the world. "Hard imaginative thinking has not increased so as to keep pace with the expansion and complication of human societies and organizations. This is the darkest shadow upon the hopes of mankind," according to H. G. Wells. Using technology to solve open-ended, real-world problems and using computer-based tools to push students to wonder about and explore inter-relationships between other areas of the curriculum has encouraged teachers to turn to online idea tools and resources to initiate and foster idea development in their students. In A Whole New Mind, Pink points to six aptitudes that need to be developed for individuals and organizations to excel in the future: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Paola Antonelli, curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art, said, "Good design is a renaissance attitude that combines technology, human need, and beauty to produce something that the world didn't know was missing." So what is design thinking? You'll find a great definition and discussion of design thinking at http://noisebetweenstations.com/personal/weblogs/?page_id=1688. And for a discussion of designers in an emerging economy, visit www.howdesign.com/db/features/followyourheart1.asp. Here, Daniel Pink shares his thoughts about the importance of designers—creative, unorthodox thinkers—in our emerging economy. How does one go about teaching design thinking? Look no further than Seven Ways of Design Thinking. This Web site (www.idesignthinking.com/main.html) discusses the importance of teaching design thinking, offers instructional and assessment strategies, and tells you what it all means to our future. Stanford University has embraced design thinking. Get the big picture at www.stanford.edu/group/dschool. And when you are ready to stimulate your creative juices, download Google SketchUp software from www.sketchup.com and start designing in 3D. "The shortest distance between two people is a story" (Makingstories.net). Stories and storytelling are powerful forces in every society around the world. Learn more about the importance of stories—creating, telling, listening, and understanding them—at these digital locations: * Narrative Program at Columbia University: www.narrativemedicine.org Symphony "What I do is pattern recognition. I try to recognize the pattern before anyone else does," Cayce Pollard, protagonist of William Gibson's novel, Pattern Recognition, says. Daniel Pink explains that people must be able to understand and interpret elements such as patterns. They must be able to recognize "the connections between diverse and seemingly separate disciplines," to view things relative to their association with other things. In essence, they must be able to join the separate parts into a symphony. Two sites that may help you and your students make those connections are Metaphorically Speaking (www.learner.org/channel/workshops/nextmove/metaphor) and Chasing Metaphors (http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=152). Oprah Winfrey said it well when she said, "Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering lives." We all strive to teach our students tolerance, generosity, and empathy for others. Ninemillion.org is a UN Refugee Agency-led campaign to raise awareness and funds for education and sport programs for refugee youth. Visit www.ninemillion.org and meet some of the children who call refugee camps around the world "home." Social entrepreneur Bill Drayton wrote a booklet called Everyone a Changemaker: Social Entrepreneurship's Ultimate Goal in which he describes the increase in social entrepreneurship and how young people can—and should—become involved. Visit www.ashoka.org/files/InnovationsBookletSmall.pdf to read his report. Learn about the connection between empathy, consumerism, and the economy in the March 2005 BusinessWeek article, "The Empathy Economy." Finally, learn how seventh graders at Cary Academy in North Carolina gained an understanding of what it is like to have heart disease by interviewing loved ones suffering from the disease. Their project, Podcasts from the Heart, is at http://web1.caryacademy.org/facultywebs/joselyn_todd "Games are the most elevated form of investigation," according to Albert Einstein, and that's certainly true in today's fast-paced technology based world. "Seven Games of Highly Effective People" is an article by Marc Prensky that makes a connection between computer games and success in life and school. See what he has to say about games and learning at www.marcprensky.com. You'll find examples of games, types of learning and game styles, and information about interactive pretending. Robert Firestone, author and psychotherapist, warned, "You're not going to find the meaning to life hidden under a rock written by someone else. You'll only find it by giving meaning to life from inside yourself." For a discussion about how professionals—including educators—can help students find meaning, read Howard Gardner's Ethical Responsibilities of Professionals (http://pzweb.harvard.edu/eBookstore/PDFs/GoodWork2.pdf) Be inspired by Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, who decided to make her life more meaningful by helping others. Read her story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4524046.stm Students will get an entirely new perspective by reading the stories at Beyond the Fire, which offers the real-life stories of 15 teenagers, now living in the United States, who survived war in seven war zones. Their stories are ones of loss, hope, fear, strength, and resilience. Learn about their experiences at www.itvs.org/beyondthefire Listen to technology leader Alan November interview Daniel Pink. They discuss new school design, global education, assessment, and 21st Century learning skills. Visit http://nlcommunities.com/podcasts/1798/blc06/entry117901.aspx What is a creative economy and how do we facilitate its growth? Economist Richard Florida discusses his thoughts on how technology, talent, and tolerance can be translated into creating learning environments rich in creativity. Learn more at http://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/video *Links were live at presstime.
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