Book Summary: A Whole New Mind by Peggy Roberts Titze
This book was my saving grace this school year. If it were November 1, 2013 (my rule of 85 date)this year, I would have walked away from teaching. I never anticipated this feeling. I am struggling with the added paperwork that takes my valuable time away from my actual teaching. This book validated my intuitive art of teaching. It gave me the strength to focus on the joy of my art, rather than politics of my job. It validated my whole child or symphonic philosophy. It gave me hope that “this too shall pass”, and that the child may actually become the focus of education. I believe in Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence integration, developmentally appropriate practice, gifted education modalities, differentiated curriculum, student empowerment, and facilitation of learning. To me, teaching is an intuitive art first. The science of teaching is secondary. I belong in Daniel Pink’s “Conceptual Age”. He labels six essential aptitudes for success in this Conceptual Age: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. He advocates for the development of these R-directed thinking aptitudes, integrated with the L-directed, sequential, logical, and analytical, attributes. A Whole New Mind is blending the strengths of both hemispheres for success in this new Conceptual Age. I believe he is right. His success examples support his theory. I feel his ideals have and will continue to transfer into public education practices. My symphonic teaching style will fit well with this philosophy. This is what is giving me hope!
America’s future livelihood depends on three questions: 1) Can someone overseas do it cheaper? 2) Can a computer do it better, faster, or cheaper? 3) Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance? Pink feels the successful answers to these questions revolve around design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. I have a lot to offer in this realm of thinking. The experience of choosing this book has given me the strength and courage to follow my intuition.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Reflection of A Whole New Mind
Reflection of “A Whole New Mind” authored by Daniel Pink
By Deb Schnell
I found this book to be an easy, fun read. It is full of eye opening truths and ideas about the present and future. It starts out a little scary when Pink talks about outsourcing many of our jobs overseas, but then he talks about what we can do to make ourselves more employable and what skills are becoming more important.
When Pink speaks about the past and how the right brain was thought of as being unimportant, it is very surprising to see what value the right brain actually is now and will be in the future. There is a definite shift in thinking that the left brain is more important than the right brain. Things we use to think of as “artsy” but not very important, are now coming to the forefront as being necessary skills for employment in the future.
The importance placed on “design” was something of an eye opener. The fact is that everything from a pencil to a skyscraper is based on someone’s design. This is something that will make a person employable in the present and future that we rarely even considered in the past. When I think I don’t have enough time to do art in the classroom, I might think twice about the importance of allowing my students to show their creativity.
Story is such a must when it comes to people remembering what was said in a speech, classroom, or a friend’s rendition of something that happened to them. It is a reminder to me that I need to use it much more frequently in my classroom with my first graders. They love stories, and that is one way to help them remember important ideas rather than expect them to memorize facts.
When it comes to symphony, the ability to put together the pieces, it makes me think of the students in my classroom. I have those students who know their math facts, are top notch readers, follow the rules, get ready on time, and keep their desks neat. Then there are my students who can’t sit down in their desks to work, bring in treasures (rocks) from the playground when they are to be left on the ground, write their b’s and d’s backwards, and lose most of their crayons. They are diversely different yet, as a whole, they make the classroom a working unit. Many of those unorganized students have more creativity than others yet the “better” students keep things going. They remind me of the left brain working in “symphony” with the right brain. We need both to create a whole.
Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s position and to feel what that person is feeling. The good news as far as computers replacing people in many jobs is that computers cannot feel empathy. Empathy is something that is being taught to people in different fields of work. It is a major factor in relationships and in my classroom when students have a conflict; we try to have students understand what others are feeling when they say or do hurtful things to others.
I enjoyed the part of the book on play. As often as students are playing video games at home, it’s nice to know there are positive effects of gaming. Humor and joyfulness are things that come naturally in children and seem to diminish in many people as they get older. The laughter club really caught my attention. Laughing can have positive physical and mental benefits. Many times in the classroom, the student who is laughing gets in trouble, mainly because it is at an inappropriate time. I have decided I’d like to have one laughing time a day in my classroom where students can feel free to laugh about something. Now, it seems, more than ever, we are seeing children from single parent homes where children are not getting all of their needs met and the stress that can cause in children just doesn’t seem fair. When they are in school, they should feel safe and if we can allow them one time a day to laugh to help reduce the stresses of life, maybe we can help those children become a little happier.
The final chapter of the book was probably the most important of all and that was on “meaning”. The author made some good points about what truly makes a person happy and it’s not necessarily what we’d think. Money and things are not what make people truly happy. One of the most important things a person can possess to make them happy is spirituality. Children talk openly in my classroom about God without me even having to bring it up. It is something that most people believe in.
When we read a story or fable in the classroom, we often discuss the lesson or the meaning of the story. We’re always looking for the answers. They sometimes surprise us because they’re not what we’re expecting. Just as in life, we’re always looking for the answers and we might be surprised by what they are. We just need to remember that the meaning of life or happiness is not found at our destination or in the final answer, but it’s through the journey itself that we learn our most valuable lessons or meaning.
Daniel Pink’s message through writing this book is about how diverse the mind is from the right side to the left, just as the world is made up of diverse people and cultures around the world. We can no longer rely on left brained people. The idea of our brains is that in order to function in the world, we need both sides of the brain to work together rather than relying on just one side. We need both left brain and right brain people. The ideas in this book help us to make better use of the right hemisphere of our brains.
By Deb Schnell
I found this book to be an easy, fun read. It is full of eye opening truths and ideas about the present and future. It starts out a little scary when Pink talks about outsourcing many of our jobs overseas, but then he talks about what we can do to make ourselves more employable and what skills are becoming more important.
When Pink speaks about the past and how the right brain was thought of as being unimportant, it is very surprising to see what value the right brain actually is now and will be in the future. There is a definite shift in thinking that the left brain is more important than the right brain. Things we use to think of as “artsy” but not very important, are now coming to the forefront as being necessary skills for employment in the future.
The importance placed on “design” was something of an eye opener. The fact is that everything from a pencil to a skyscraper is based on someone’s design. This is something that will make a person employable in the present and future that we rarely even considered in the past. When I think I don’t have enough time to do art in the classroom, I might think twice about the importance of allowing my students to show their creativity.
Story is such a must when it comes to people remembering what was said in a speech, classroom, or a friend’s rendition of something that happened to them. It is a reminder to me that I need to use it much more frequently in my classroom with my first graders. They love stories, and that is one way to help them remember important ideas rather than expect them to memorize facts.
When it comes to symphony, the ability to put together the pieces, it makes me think of the students in my classroom. I have those students who know their math facts, are top notch readers, follow the rules, get ready on time, and keep their desks neat. Then there are my students who can’t sit down in their desks to work, bring in treasures (rocks) from the playground when they are to be left on the ground, write their b’s and d’s backwards, and lose most of their crayons. They are diversely different yet, as a whole, they make the classroom a working unit. Many of those unorganized students have more creativity than others yet the “better” students keep things going. They remind me of the left brain working in “symphony” with the right brain. We need both to create a whole.
Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s position and to feel what that person is feeling. The good news as far as computers replacing people in many jobs is that computers cannot feel empathy. Empathy is something that is being taught to people in different fields of work. It is a major factor in relationships and in my classroom when students have a conflict; we try to have students understand what others are feeling when they say or do hurtful things to others.
I enjoyed the part of the book on play. As often as students are playing video games at home, it’s nice to know there are positive effects of gaming. Humor and joyfulness are things that come naturally in children and seem to diminish in many people as they get older. The laughter club really caught my attention. Laughing can have positive physical and mental benefits. Many times in the classroom, the student who is laughing gets in trouble, mainly because it is at an inappropriate time. I have decided I’d like to have one laughing time a day in my classroom where students can feel free to laugh about something. Now, it seems, more than ever, we are seeing children from single parent homes where children are not getting all of their needs met and the stress that can cause in children just doesn’t seem fair. When they are in school, they should feel safe and if we can allow them one time a day to laugh to help reduce the stresses of life, maybe we can help those children become a little happier.
The final chapter of the book was probably the most important of all and that was on “meaning”. The author made some good points about what truly makes a person happy and it’s not necessarily what we’d think. Money and things are not what make people truly happy. One of the most important things a person can possess to make them happy is spirituality. Children talk openly in my classroom about God without me even having to bring it up. It is something that most people believe in.
When we read a story or fable in the classroom, we often discuss the lesson or the meaning of the story. We’re always looking for the answers. They sometimes surprise us because they’re not what we’re expecting. Just as in life, we’re always looking for the answers and we might be surprised by what they are. We just need to remember that the meaning of life or happiness is not found at our destination or in the final answer, but it’s through the journey itself that we learn our most valuable lessons or meaning.
Daniel Pink’s message through writing this book is about how diverse the mind is from the right side to the left, just as the world is made up of diverse people and cultures around the world. We can no longer rely on left brained people. The idea of our brains is that in order to function in the world, we need both sides of the brain to work together rather than relying on just one side. We need both left brain and right brain people. The ideas in this book help us to make better use of the right hemisphere of our brains.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Conni's reflection post
I was not familiar with any of the books when we were asked to chose one. I tried to go with recommendations and reading the excerpts and previews hoping to get a book that I would find valuable. So often this fall, I found myself talking about this book and the findings in the book that supported things we were doing in school. The key ideas of empathy, play and story have surfaced many times in my room this year. In Kindergarten our new 2nd Step Bullying program spends the first unit teaching about understanding and recognizing emotions and having students study photos. The next section in the program is on empathy. I also have tried to use thoughts from this book as I weigh my conflicting thoughts on the increasing standards and academic push in kindergarten. I have seen students are definitely capable of achieving the expectations we set for them, and I am proud of all the successful readers and writers that leave my classroom. We need to not forget the social aspects either though. I have attended conferences on using play in the classroom, and think maybe I need to revisit some of my notes and books to think about incorporate more play and movement and social skill development, encourage a few more right brain activities.
Ever since attending the conference for our ESA by Kathie Nunley, I have received her newsletter. This fall just as we began reading this book, one of her hot topics featured research on one of the key ideas from the book. The following is the hot topic :
“ The right amygdala (RA) is responsible for recognizing
interpersonal emotions. It begins functioning around 6 months gestation.
Prenatal drug use or severe depression in the third trimester, or early
neglect can hijack the RA. A child with such a tainted RA cannot self-regulate.
They are in perpetual stress, the RA is running free and the child cannot
participate in the bonding event. They have difficulty reading others. This
creates the “attachment disorders”. Steven Gray, PhD, University
of the Rockies. “Amygdala and Attachment: Existential Implications.”
Presented August 13, 2010. APA Annual Convention, San Diego, CA.
Ever since attending the conference for our ESA by Kathie Nunley, I have received her newsletter. This fall just as we began reading this book, one of her hot topics featured research on one of the key ideas from the book. The following is the hot topic :
“ The right amygdala (RA) is responsible for recognizing
interpersonal emotions. It begins functioning around 6 months gestation.
Prenatal drug use or severe depression in the third trimester, or early
neglect can hijack the RA. A child with such a tainted RA cannot self-regulate.
They are in perpetual stress, the RA is running free and the child cannot
participate in the bonding event. They have difficulty reading others. This
creates the “attachment disorders”. Steven Gray, PhD, University
of the Rockies. “Amygdala and Attachment: Existential Implications.”
Presented August 13, 2010. APA Annual Convention, San Diego, CA.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Laura's final reflection
I really needed to read this book and I'm so glad I did. I have been guilty of under-valuing right brain skills. Until I read A Whole New Mind, I considered empathy, creativity, and spirituality to be nice extras, but certainly not requirements for a successful life. I've studied some brain research in the past, but I've always gone about it with a left-brain approach. Daniel Pink changed my thinking and I appreciate that.
I also enjoyed reading everyone else's posts and loved viewing the Blabbers and Animotos. Good job everyone!
I also enjoyed reading everyone else's posts and loved viewing the Blabbers and Animotos. Good job everyone!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Reflection on book
Reflection post
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink reinforced some of the ideas that I already had and also made me think anew about other ideas. I have always had an interest in how the mind works and this book helped me to rethink their importance.
Daniel Pink’s opinions on the six senses was very enlightening. The very items that we have been trained disregard, Pink brings to the forefront of importance!
Engaging the right hemisphere into more activity is much like what I had learned in Brain Gym. In the class that I took, we did many “play” activities to improve the right and left hemispheres working together. They included cross crawls and other activities in which the left and right side had to cross over. Through the activities, I was able to gain better balance and tap into both of my hemispheres.
I also attended a class called “The Unveiling”. In it, we learned the vast wealth of capabilities in our own small human minds. We learned how to “see” things with our mind’s eye and to switch back and forth between the two hemispheres.
I plan on dusting off those Brain Gym books so that my students and I may benefit from the activities to mesh the two together. I think that these activities will especially help some of my struggling students. Additionally, I plan on reviewing my Unveiling materials to also benefit my students.
I was very intrigued by many of the activities that Mr. Pink suggested for developing the six senses and I would like to incorporate a few of these at a time to see how this could improve performance for my students.
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink reinforced some of the ideas that I already had and also made me think anew about other ideas. I have always had an interest in how the mind works and this book helped me to rethink their importance.
Daniel Pink’s opinions on the six senses was very enlightening. The very items that we have been trained disregard, Pink brings to the forefront of importance!
Engaging the right hemisphere into more activity is much like what I had learned in Brain Gym. In the class that I took, we did many “play” activities to improve the right and left hemispheres working together. They included cross crawls and other activities in which the left and right side had to cross over. Through the activities, I was able to gain better balance and tap into both of my hemispheres.
I also attended a class called “The Unveiling”. In it, we learned the vast wealth of capabilities in our own small human minds. We learned how to “see” things with our mind’s eye and to switch back and forth between the two hemispheres.
I plan on dusting off those Brain Gym books so that my students and I may benefit from the activities to mesh the two together. I think that these activities will especially help some of my struggling students. Additionally, I plan on reviewing my Unveiling materials to also benefit my students.
I was very intrigued by many of the activities that Mr. Pink suggested for developing the six senses and I would like to incorporate a few of these at a time to see how this could improve performance for my students.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Super Summarizer section 6
Chapter nine is about finding meaning and purpose in our lives. Pink recommends that we begin taking spirituality and happiness seriously. He states that people have all the material goods they need to survive and much of the suffering and hardship have been removed from the advanced world. Now we need to focus on being fulfilled in non-material ways.
Pink tells about the “investigating the Mind” conference at MIT where scientists and spiritual leaders gather to learn about the science of spirituality. They have scanned the brains of meditating monks and of nuns who have experienced religious ecstasy. This new field of study is called neuro-theology and it is devoted to studying the relationship between the brain and spirituality.
People who live healthy spiritual lives are also healthier in body. Many studies have shown that people who attend church and pray regularly have lower blood pressure, less heart disease, suicide, and cancer. Generally, spiritually fulfilled people live longer than people who do not seek a higher power. Pink points out that this doesn’t mean we should stop going to medical doctors, but that we should have a balance, “L-directed reason combined with R-directed spirit.”
Additionally, businesses can benefit from aligning spiritual values with company goals. Research is showing that employees crave jobs that acknowledge their spiritual needs. Pink says that companies who meet these needs outperform companies that do not.
Pink gives practical recommendations for finding meaning and happiness. He says to practice expressing gratitude, think about how you would live your life if you were dying, replace “but” with “and” to get rid of excuses, take a Sabbath day to reflect, rest, and pray, and picture yourself at 90. One of my favorite suggestions was to make a short list of your favorite people, activities, and values and then check to see if the way you spend your time aligns with your list. Finally he suggests visiting a labyrinth. Has anyone tried this? It sounds fascinating.
Pink tells about the “investigating the Mind” conference at MIT where scientists and spiritual leaders gather to learn about the science of spirituality. They have scanned the brains of meditating monks and of nuns who have experienced religious ecstasy. This new field of study is called neuro-theology and it is devoted to studying the relationship between the brain and spirituality.
People who live healthy spiritual lives are also healthier in body. Many studies have shown that people who attend church and pray regularly have lower blood pressure, less heart disease, suicide, and cancer. Generally, spiritually fulfilled people live longer than people who do not seek a higher power. Pink points out that this doesn’t mean we should stop going to medical doctors, but that we should have a balance, “L-directed reason combined with R-directed spirit.”
Additionally, businesses can benefit from aligning spiritual values with company goals. Research is showing that employees crave jobs that acknowledge their spiritual needs. Pink says that companies who meet these needs outperform companies that do not.
Pink gives practical recommendations for finding meaning and happiness. He says to practice expressing gratitude, think about how you would live your life if you were dying, replace “but” with “and” to get rid of excuses, take a Sabbath day to reflect, rest, and pray, and picture yourself at 90. One of my favorite suggestions was to make a short list of your favorite people, activities, and values and then check to see if the way you spend your time aligns with your list. Finally he suggests visiting a labyrinth. Has anyone tried this? It sounds fascinating.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Super Summarizer 5: Play
Super Summarizer 5 on “Play”
p.185-215
By Deb Schnell
This part of the book is entitled “Play.” It focuses on three important ideas. They are games, humor, and joyfulness. The reading elaborates on each.
Games: This section spoke about video games and their benefits. In the U.S. video gaming is larger than the motion picture industry. People now spend more time and money on video games than on movie tickets. For a generation of people games have become a tool for solving problems as well as a vehicle for self-expression and self exploration.
James Paul Gee argues that games can be the ultimate learning machine. He states that “Learning isn’t about memorizing isolated facts. It’s about connecting and manipulating them.” One study found that playing video games at work can boost productivity and enhance job satisfaction. In the gaming industry there is more demand for artists, producers, storytellers, and designers.
Humor: The right hemisphere plays an important role in humor. When the right hemisphere is impaired, the brain has difficulty with humor. Shammi and Struss maintain that humor represents one of the highest forms of human intelligence. Fabio Sala in the Harvard Business Review writes, “It reduces hostility, deflects criticism, relieves tension, improves morale, and helps communicate difficult messages. It is a marker for high emotional intelligence.”
Joyfulness: Madan Kataria, a physician in Mumbai, India believes that laughter has many benefits. He started a laughter club that allows adults to be more playful. Laughter activates the right side of the brain. Kataria says the source of laughter is not outside the body, it’s within us. If you’re laughing, you cannot think. Laughter has aerobic benefits. It activates the cardiovascular system, increases the heart rate, and pumps blood to internal organs. Socially, people who laugh regularly are healthier and happier. They are more creative and productive.
Many businesses are finding laughter beneficial to employees. A quote that I found interesting was from the company, Southwest Airlines that claims, “People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.” Play is becoming an important part of work, business, and personal well-being. Its importance manifests itself in the three ways mentioned: games, humor, and joyfulness.
The reading is concluded with suggestions on ways to include “Play” in our lives.
p.185-215
By Deb Schnell
This part of the book is entitled “Play.” It focuses on three important ideas. They are games, humor, and joyfulness. The reading elaborates on each.
Games: This section spoke about video games and their benefits. In the U.S. video gaming is larger than the motion picture industry. People now spend more time and money on video games than on movie tickets. For a generation of people games have become a tool for solving problems as well as a vehicle for self-expression and self exploration.
James Paul Gee argues that games can be the ultimate learning machine. He states that “Learning isn’t about memorizing isolated facts. It’s about connecting and manipulating them.” One study found that playing video games at work can boost productivity and enhance job satisfaction. In the gaming industry there is more demand for artists, producers, storytellers, and designers.
Humor: The right hemisphere plays an important role in humor. When the right hemisphere is impaired, the brain has difficulty with humor. Shammi and Struss maintain that humor represents one of the highest forms of human intelligence. Fabio Sala in the Harvard Business Review writes, “It reduces hostility, deflects criticism, relieves tension, improves morale, and helps communicate difficult messages. It is a marker for high emotional intelligence.”
Joyfulness: Madan Kataria, a physician in Mumbai, India believes that laughter has many benefits. He started a laughter club that allows adults to be more playful. Laughter activates the right side of the brain. Kataria says the source of laughter is not outside the body, it’s within us. If you’re laughing, you cannot think. Laughter has aerobic benefits. It activates the cardiovascular system, increases the heart rate, and pumps blood to internal organs. Socially, people who laugh regularly are healthier and happier. They are more creative and productive.
Many businesses are finding laughter beneficial to employees. A quote that I found interesting was from the company, Southwest Airlines that claims, “People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.” Play is becoming an important part of work, business, and personal well-being. Its importance manifests itself in the three ways mentioned: games, humor, and joyfulness.
The reading is concluded with suggestions on ways to include “Play” in our lives.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Super Summary Unit 4
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
Pages 158-184
This unit discussed the importance of Empathy and how it is that aptitude that will drive the future of our society. Being able to recognize the emotions of others and act accordingly is singularly a skill that computers cannot possess and so further enforces the belief that the right brain abilities are being cemented in the future of our society. Daniel Pink states on page 161..."and the one aptitude that's proven impossible for computers to reproduce, and very difficult for faraway workers connected by electrons to match, is Empathy."
Daniel Pink expresses in Unit 4 that for a long time the empathetic right side of the brain was considered weak and undesirable. It was something that was considered "nice", but really had no place in the Information Age when it was more important to know HOW to do something than it know WHY to do it. Lately, the importance of the right hemisphere has come to the forefront.
Studies have been going on for decades (at least since 1872 with Charles Darwin) about the ability to show, experience, and identify emotions. The results of these studies were mostly poo-pooed and guffawed upon until Paul Ekman, beginning in 1965, shared results of his facial expression photographs around the world. He did studies across the globe and discovered that people from all over recognized the different expressions representing in the photographs. Thus, the belief that facial expressions are important have gained popularity. In, fact, Ekman has taught face reading skills to people from law enforcement, to entertainment, to those in the medical field .
Pink states on page 162. "since Empathy depends on emotion and since emotion is conveyed non verbally, to enter another's heart, you must begin the journey by looking into his face." This is where the fright side of the brain really shines. It is also, again, the area that computers cannot replicate.
There are a multitude of expressions that can be illustrated non verbally, but Ekman narrowed the list down to a few basics. The seven basic emotional facial signals are: anger, sadness, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt, and happiness.
Studies tend to lean to the fact that women are more empathetic than men and that both men and women have deeper, more rewarding, and more intimate relationships with women than with men. This joined with the information that the nursing field is on rise, helps to justify why most nurses are women....it is not a gender bias. It is a matter of Empathy.
Pink is not saying that the right side is more important than the left. He also says that one side of the brain is not "smarter" than the other. He is saying, on page 174, that "empathy is neither a deviation from intelligence nor the single route to it." It is important to foster the two halves together-the right empathetic side with the left analytical side.
The Portfolio for Empathy starts on page 175 and concludes on page 184. It includes sites for testing your own empathy, other books written by Daniel Pink, and exercises for improving your empathy. Not only do the activities sound beneficial, they sound extremely FUN!
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
Pages 158-184
This unit discussed the importance of Empathy and how it is that aptitude that will drive the future of our society. Being able to recognize the emotions of others and act accordingly is singularly a skill that computers cannot possess and so further enforces the belief that the right brain abilities are being cemented in the future of our society. Daniel Pink states on page 161..."and the one aptitude that's proven impossible for computers to reproduce, and very difficult for faraway workers connected by electrons to match, is Empathy."
Daniel Pink expresses in Unit 4 that for a long time the empathetic right side of the brain was considered weak and undesirable. It was something that was considered "nice", but really had no place in the Information Age when it was more important to know HOW to do something than it know WHY to do it. Lately, the importance of the right hemisphere has come to the forefront.
Studies have been going on for decades (at least since 1872 with Charles Darwin) about the ability to show, experience, and identify emotions. The results of these studies were mostly poo-pooed and guffawed upon until Paul Ekman, beginning in 1965, shared results of his facial expression photographs around the world. He did studies across the globe and discovered that people from all over recognized the different expressions representing in the photographs. Thus, the belief that facial expressions are important have gained popularity. In, fact, Ekman has taught face reading skills to people from law enforcement, to entertainment, to those in the medical field .
Pink states on page 162. "since Empathy depends on emotion and since emotion is conveyed non verbally, to enter another's heart, you must begin the journey by looking into his face." This is where the fright side of the brain really shines. It is also, again, the area that computers cannot replicate.
There are a multitude of expressions that can be illustrated non verbally, but Ekman narrowed the list down to a few basics. The seven basic emotional facial signals are: anger, sadness, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt, and happiness.
Studies tend to lean to the fact that women are more empathetic than men and that both men and women have deeper, more rewarding, and more intimate relationships with women than with men. This joined with the information that the nursing field is on rise, helps to justify why most nurses are women....it is not a gender bias. It is a matter of Empathy.
Pink is not saying that the right side is more important than the left. He also says that one side of the brain is not "smarter" than the other. He is saying, on page 174, that "empathy is neither a deviation from intelligence nor the single route to it." It is important to foster the two halves together-the right empathetic side with the left analytical side.
The Portfolio for Empathy starts on page 175 and concludes on page 184. It includes sites for testing your own empathy, other books written by Daniel Pink, and exercises for improving your empathy. Not only do the activities sound beneficial, they sound extremely FUN!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Summary Section 3
A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink
Part 3
Pages 100-158
STORY
Context enriched by emotion pg 103
Part 3
Pages 100-158
STORY
Context enriched by emotion pg 103
Daniel Pink uses this chapter to illustrate that stories are easier to remember than facts because stories are how we remember. In society today facts can be found in seconds using technology. The author suggests when facts become so accessible, the value decreases. Being able to put these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact is what begins to emerge as important. According to the author, in the conceptual age minimizing the importance of story places you in professional and personal peril. The author continues by telling a variation of “the hero’s journey”. He identifies the hero’s journey as the underlying story of this book. The three main parts of the journey: Departure, Initiation, & Return. The master of L-Directed aptitudes facing a crisis, resisting, but answering a call and eventually crossing the threshold into the conceptual age with a whole new mind – the capability to inhabit both worlds.
This chapter examines how story has become an essential aptitude in business, medicine and personal life.
**IN BUSINESS Daniel Pink names many well known companies incorporating the aptitude of Story into their businesses. It is becoming a key way to distinguish good s and services.
**IN MEDICINE With all the astounding advances in medicine, anecdote is seen as a low form of science. Narrative medicine proponents are trying to change this. They believe physicians need the ability to listen to the narratives of the patient, grasp and honor their meanings, and be moved to act on the patient’s behalf. They acknowledge stories alone won’t heal the sick, but they have an undeniable healing power.
**IN PERSONAL LIFE “WE ARE OUR STORIES.”pg 115. This section mentions the scrapbooking movement and popularity of genealogy as examples of the importance of story in our lives. He reminds us that we must listen to each other’s stories and that we are each the “authors of our own lives.”
In the portfolio section for Story the author offers a collection of tools, exercises, and further readings including: Write a Mini-Saga, Enlist in StoryCorps, Whip Out the Tape Recorder, Visit a Storytelling Festival, Get One Story, Riff on Opening Lines, Play Photo Finish, Experiment with Digital Storytelling, Ask Yourself: “Who Are These People?”, Read from A list of suggestions Books
SYMPHONY
The ability to put together the pieces, to synthesize rather than analyze, see relationships between items that appear unrelated, invent something new by combining elements no one else has thought to put together, the ability of composers and conductors to create a beautiful masterpiece.
Through the chapter the author describes his attempt to learn to draw. Learning how to draw helps understand and develop the skill of Symphony. His instructor informed the class it was about tricking the left hemisphere so the right can work. An element in learning to draw was learning to see the relationships between space and negative space, light and shadow, angles and proportion. This understanding led to seeing the big picture. These notions were the two topics of chapter 6.
**SEEING RELATIONSHIPS This section defines symphony as seeing relationships. The author identified 3 types of people who excel in understanding the importance of relationships:
• Boundary crosser who are comfortable operating in multiply roles and worlds
• Inventors who have the intuitiveness to see relationships between seemingly unrelated objects. They may take something that exists and transform it in a new way.
• Metaphor makers who can think metaphorically and see relationships computers can’t. It aides in understand others and understanding ourselves.
**SEEING THE BIG PICTURE This section describes the need to distinguish what really matters. To create a final product in which the outcome exceeds the sum of its parts. This section included research on Dyslexia. It stated “self made millionaires are four times more likely than the rest of the population to be dyslexic.” Pg 141. They struggle with L-directed Thinking. The author suggests they compensate for this by strengthening other abilities such as problem-solving, and seeing the big picture.
Seeing the big picture transformed the author’s original self-portrait to a remarkable rending of himself.
The symphony portfolio includes: Listen to the Great Symphonies, Hit the Newsstand, Draw, Keep a Metaphor Log, Follow the Links, Look for Solutions in Search of Problems, Create an Inspiration Board, Read Suggested Books, Do some Real Brainstorming, Celebrate your Amateurness, Look for the Negative Spaces.
One question – What did you see in the negative space of the Hershey’s kiss? Was it the image of a kiss between the K & I or something else?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
response to unit 1
I think that Peggy did an excellent job summarizing. Mr. Pink has certainly hit the nail on the head as far as I am concerned. I feel that we have become a society that concerns itself less with getting the basic necessities of life and more with abundance. Not so many years ago, having a cell phone was a luxury and now many people, including myself consider it a necesssity. The applications and extras of years past have become the standard packages of today and designers are constantly trying to make their products more appealing rather than just practical.
Even the seemingly mundane items are being influenced by design. As Pink states on pages 74-75 when discussing print fonts..."Today we live in a new habitat." What we as a society would never have been exposed to (types of font) is now considered common knowledge if we can read, write, and use a computer. Our habitat and how we learn to survive it in Western Civilization is much how natives of a rainforest must learn to "read" their environment to survive.
Even the seemingly mundane items are being influenced by design. As Pink states on pages 74-75 when discussing print fonts..."Today we live in a new habitat." What we as a society would never have been exposed to (types of font) is now considered common knowledge if we can read, write, and use a computer. Our habitat and how we learn to survive it in Western Civilization is much how natives of a rainforest must learn to "read" their environment to survive.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Super Summary pages 65-100
A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink
Part Two – Introducing the Six Senses and Chapter 4
Pages 65-100
A summary
The author offers six high-concept, high-touch senses for success in Conceptual Age. He denotes them as six essential R-Directed aptitudes to compliment L-Directed reasoning:
1) Design – emotionally engaging, whimsical, and/or beautiful
2) Story – narrative
3) Symphony - synthesis
4) Empathy – caring relationships
5) Play – benefiting health and profession
6) Meaning – purpose
He states, “Anyone can master the six Conceptual Age senses. But those who master them first will have a huge advantage.” (p. 67)
Chapter 4 focuses on the first attribute, Design. The author tells a school story that draws in our audience, teachers. It’s about a Hallmark designer that visits classrooms and asks if there are any artists in the room. He finds, as the students age, their vision of themselves as artists dies. Pink calls it a cautionary tale, because artistic sensibility must be cultivated. In this Conceptual Age we must all be designers for personal fulfillment and professional success. He states three reasons:
1) Due to prosperity and technology, good design is accessible, allowing the public its pleasures and becoming connoisseurs of good design products.
2) It is a means of differentiation and crucial for creating new markets in an age of abundance.
3) Its ultimate purpose is changing the world.
His story continues at CHAD (Charter High School for Architecture and Design – a tuition free Philadelphia public school), with a design-centered curriculum infusing design to teach core academic subjects. They also spend 100 minutes a day in a design studio. Other subjects include architecture, industrial design, color theory, and painting. It is interdisciplinary. The result is producing holistic thinkers that can work with others and inspire others. They have a 95% attendance rate and the only high school in Philadelphia without metal detectors. CHAD is a pioneer but there are others. Miami public schools has Design and Architecture Senior High. New York City has the High School of Art and Design.
Washington, D.C. has Studio School, a charter elementary school. The concept is providing a liberal arts education that enhances student’s ability to solve problems, understand others, and appreciate the world around them.
Pink discusses the economic advantages of design, as the competitive edge over the pricing structure and labor costs of the Far East. “Design’s most potent economic effects is this very capacity to create new markets” (p. 81). He shares more stories reflecting the cause and effect of ‘design’ in various circumstances. He closes with, “Design is a high-concept aptitude that is difficult to outsource or automate – and that increasingly confers a competitive advantage in business.”
The Portfolio for Design is found on pages 87-100. Readers will find exercises, activities, magazines, websites, museums, and books to enhance their R-Directed aptitude of design, and expand their ‘whole new mind’.
Part Two – Introducing the Six Senses and Chapter 4
Pages 65-100
A summary
The author offers six high-concept, high-touch senses for success in Conceptual Age. He denotes them as six essential R-Directed aptitudes to compliment L-Directed reasoning:
1) Design – emotionally engaging, whimsical, and/or beautiful
2) Story – narrative
3) Symphony - synthesis
4) Empathy – caring relationships
5) Play – benefiting health and profession
6) Meaning – purpose
He states, “Anyone can master the six Conceptual Age senses. But those who master them first will have a huge advantage.” (p. 67)
Chapter 4 focuses on the first attribute, Design. The author tells a school story that draws in our audience, teachers. It’s about a Hallmark designer that visits classrooms and asks if there are any artists in the room. He finds, as the students age, their vision of themselves as artists dies. Pink calls it a cautionary tale, because artistic sensibility must be cultivated. In this Conceptual Age we must all be designers for personal fulfillment and professional success. He states three reasons:
1) Due to prosperity and technology, good design is accessible, allowing the public its pleasures and becoming connoisseurs of good design products.
2) It is a means of differentiation and crucial for creating new markets in an age of abundance.
3) Its ultimate purpose is changing the world.
His story continues at CHAD (Charter High School for Architecture and Design – a tuition free Philadelphia public school), with a design-centered curriculum infusing design to teach core academic subjects. They also spend 100 minutes a day in a design studio. Other subjects include architecture, industrial design, color theory, and painting. It is interdisciplinary. The result is producing holistic thinkers that can work with others and inspire others. They have a 95% attendance rate and the only high school in Philadelphia without metal detectors. CHAD is a pioneer but there are others. Miami public schools has Design and Architecture Senior High. New York City has the High School of Art and Design.
Washington, D.C. has Studio School, a charter elementary school. The concept is providing a liberal arts education that enhances student’s ability to solve problems, understand others, and appreciate the world around them.
Pink discusses the economic advantages of design, as the competitive edge over the pricing structure and labor costs of the Far East. “Design’s most potent economic effects is this very capacity to create new markets” (p. 81). He shares more stories reflecting the cause and effect of ‘design’ in various circumstances. He closes with, “Design is a high-concept aptitude that is difficult to outsource or automate – and that increasingly confers a competitive advantage in business.”
The Portfolio for Design is found on pages 87-100. Readers will find exercises, activities, magazines, websites, museums, and books to enhance their R-Directed aptitude of design, and expand their ‘whole new mind’.
Renaissance of the Mind
I chose a renaissance festival because I think A Whole New Mind is a renaissance of the mind. I like the metaphors it represents to me. The castle is the mind. The drawbridge is 'drawing on research from around the advanced world'. The turrets represent the six abilities Pink outlines for professional success and personal fulfillment. The joy shown in the photo, with the subjects of this kingdom, is a personal connection. I feel this book supports what I intuitively know!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Section One Summary
Our summarizer did a great job of summarizing the key components of part one. The scary part of the reading was how things are changing with the outsourcing of jobs, in particular. But change is inevidible as shown in figure 3.2 on page 50. That picture spoke to me as it put in one picture what a thousand words could describe (the picture of the monkey to the artist). I didn't really think the monkey was necessary but maybe the author is trying to get the reader to see how we have "evolved". When I read about all the changes taking place, like machines playing chess better than humans, I'm seeing that educating our students has to change to keep up with the rest of the world. I had this feeling when I was reading that transitions are being made in so many facets in the world, yet we're still teaching a lot like we have been in the past. We are slowly coming to see that we're teaching to a whole new set of kids these days with different needs. My son just took the pre-ACT (the test that Sophomores now take to prepare) and am wondering how long they will continue to judge students by those scores to decide if they make it in to college. I enjoyed the reading and am interested to read the next part.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Section One Summary - A Whole New Mind
A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink
Chapters 1, 2 and 3 - A summary
The author begins the book for the reader by giving a personal account of what it was like for him to undergo a series of tests using current technologies to study his own brain. He gives these experiences from the perspective of both patient and researcher.
He provides a history behind the change in thinking about the role that each hemisphere of the brain plays as research was conducted over many years. As far back as Hippocrates, it was thought that the right side of the brain was totally useless. That it was like a piece of the body from the past that we had evolved beyond the need for.
He then gives information as to present research, and current thinking about the role each half of the brain plays:
- The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body.
- The left hemisphere is sequential, and the right hemisphere is simultaneous.
- The left hemisphere is good at recognizing serial events such as talking, understanding the speech of other people, reading and writing. The right hemisphere interprets things simultaneously.
- The right hemisphere is the picture, the left hemisphere is the thousand words.
- The left hemisphere specializes in text, and the right hemisphere specializes in context.
- The left hemisphere understands verbal communication, the right understands non-verbal communication.
- The left understands what is said, the right understands how it’s said.
- The left hemisphere analyzes the details, and the right hemisphere synthesizes the big picture.
- The left participates in the analysis of information, the right is specialized for synthesis – putting isolated elements together to perceive things as a whole.
- The left hemisphere knows how to handle logic, and the right knows about the world.
The author goes on to describe what is known as L-Directed thinking and R-Directed thinking. L-Directed thinking is a form of thinking characteristic of the left hemisphere. This type if thinking is sequential, literal, functional, textual, and analytic. R-Directed thinking is a form of thinking directed by the right hemisphere – simultaneous, metaphorical, aesthetic, contextual and synthetic.
It is the author’s view that L-Directed thinking was prevalent in the Information Age, but it is the R-Directed thinker in this Conceptual Age that is, and will continue, to surpass the L-Directed thinker for the dominant highly-prized jobs of current and future.
Jobs, such as programmers, used to be highly prized positions – paying handsomely for the talents of the individual possessing those skills. Now those types of positions have been overtaken by the computers and software themselves that these individuals have created. These L-Directed jobs have also been out-sourced all over the world, employing individuals from other countries to do the same work for far less money.
It is the “Idea Guy/Gal” that holds the purse strings of the current world. The R-Directed thinker who can take seemingly unrelated thoughts, patterns and ideas and put them together to make whole new products, services, plans and approaches. Ingenuity. Entrepreneurship. Creativity. Artistry. These individuals are the ones who are, and will be, in demand by companies and employers.
Leadership roles have also changed. Leaders who inspire through laughter, empathy, kindness, and example. Those that take an active, on-going interest in their employees, thus creating a more “family-feel” to the workplace are those who are more in demand. Thank heavens! Perhaps we are getting beyond the “Divide and Conquer” approach to management. We continue to see that approach epically fail time, and time again.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Tammy's Book Cover
I chose the image of the neon lights around the brain because the Internet, and technology in general, is bringing a new light to human existence.
Friday, October 22, 2010
A Whole New Mind
I chose this image with the idea that we haven't yet read the book, but am anticipating what the book will be about with the title "A Whole New Mind". This picture shows a cast iron sculpture of a person's head and the brain is glowing as if it is creating, receiving, and processing new information. It's as though the mind never dies and is this wonderful, mystifying part of the human body.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Conni's Book Cover
I selected the picture of a baby's mind. I thought this would be appropriate as I read the title - A Whole New Mind Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future. Thinking about new minds and future reminded me of children & babies.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Laura's book cover
I chose the caveman because it shows an OLD mind as opposed to a Whole New Mind. This must be how fast brains are changing as we adapt to new technology and new expectations. I never thought I had the caveman mind until I enrolled in this course! very humbling.
Welcome to Literature Circle Four!
Your Super Summarizer schedule is as follows:
Section One--Due October 28, Tamara Jacobi
Section Two--Due November 4, Peggy Roberts-Titze
Section Three--Due November 11, Conni Virtue
Section Four--Due November 18, Jamie Hockenbary
Section Five--Due December 2, Deb Schnell
Section Six--Due December 9, Laura Williams
Section One--Due October 28, Tamara Jacobi
Section Two--Due November 4, Peggy Roberts-Titze
Section Three--Due November 11, Conni Virtue
Section Four--Due November 18, Jamie Hockenbary
Section Five--Due December 2, Deb Schnell
Section Six--Due December 9, Laura Williams
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)