What if he is right?
Some of my professional colleagues have asked why they should bother to go to the simulcast to listen to Daniel Pink; isn’t he just another one shot Guru they ask!! Will his message resonate; will his presentation lead to anything meaningful? Will it change the way we educate our students or train our teachers?
My retort, “in large measure that depends on you now doesn’t it”!
In our heart of hearts we know that no key note speaker, no matter how inspirational can help us take their ideas to the application level; that is really our job. What they can do if they are really good, is to challenge our thinking by creating some cognitive dissonance and new awareness that will help us break out of our psychic prisons.
Consider this my friends, Daniel Pink, the author of the best selling book A Whole New Mind has some very provocative things to say, he will challenge some of your operating assumptions about what you will be offering up for your students this year. He will make you wonder if you are doing anything worth while to engage students in the learning process, you will wonder if you are doing enough to stimulate their curiosity and their natural design talents. He will make you wonder if your teachers have the skills they will need to help create a generation of right brain thinkers, right brainers who will “rule the future” by taking their game to the next level.
Pink will contend that the “left brain” focused school system that we continue to perpetuate year after year is bordering on irrelevant!! He will be generous and say that left brain skills are absolutely necessary and then in the next breath he will tell you that a left brain skill set is woefully insufficient if you and your students hope to compete and succeed in the Conceptual Age. Pink contends that we are no longer preparing our students for the Information Age, that’s “old school” thinking. In order to engage in the 21st century our students will need high concept and high touch abilities.
Pink suggest that the scariest word in our language will be “ROUTINE”. If someone overseas can produce your product cheaper, if a computer can do it faster and if what you offer is not in demand in an age of affluence you are simply out of luck. Game over for graduates who have to live and compete with 20th century skills in the global market place. Game over for a nation who can not or will not look ahead…..
Think of the ramifications: What if he is right!! What if Pink’s list of “right-directed aptitudes”, the six senses (design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning) are really the new essential skills? Are we doing anything to shift our thinking, are we prepared to re-tool our educational delivery system? Are we willing and able to change?
Maybe you should read his book, better yet; maybe you should go check him out yourself at the simulcast on August 22 at the Pavilion? I bet you can afford to invest two hours to see if there is any merit to his claims? As an educational leader, can you really afford not to explore these powerful and provocative ideas?
(To access Pink's website click the link below)
