One: Right Brain Rising
Quote: “The left hemisphere reasoned sequentially, excelled at analysis, and handled words. The right hemisphere reasoned holistically, recognized patterns, and interpreted emotions and nonverbal expressions. Human beings were literally of two minds.” (pg. 21)
Question: How can I create lessons that require equal use of my students’ left and right hemispheres?
Connection: Certain skills are seen as desired or worthy in our society. Typically, these skills are associated with left brain thinking. Some of these skills include being analytical, verbal, and logical. These skills are often attributed to being “professional.” On the other hand, skills attributed to the right brain are skills that don’t seem useful in society, at least to some people. A connection I made is when students are required to demonstrate their learning through writing instead of drawing, for example. This definitely shows how certain skills are preferred over others in society.
Epiphany/Aha: An aha moment for me was reading about the “alphabetic mind” (Eric Havelock) and how it has reinforced left hemisphere dominance in the West. This must be why it is so difficult for people who are left hemisphere dominant to learn a language that is read from right to left.
Two: Abundance, Asia, and Automation
Quote: On standardized tests… “They require logic and analysis- and reward test-takers for zeroing in, computer like, on a single correct answer. The exercise is linear, sequential, and bounded by time. You answer one question with one right answer. Then you move on to the next question and the next and the next until time runs out. These tests have become important gatekeepers for entry into meritocratic, middle-class society.” (pg. 29)
Question: How can I create a classroom where the right answer isn’t the end result and students focus on learning out of curiosity?
Connection: This part of the book really reinforces my belief that students need to discover what they are passionate about and that as teachers we have to help them. I remember being so lost after graduating high school, knowing that I didn’t want to go to college, and settling for a job where I wasn’t using my maximum potential. Some people, like myself, are able to discover their passion and then do something about it. For others, it is not that simple. I’d like to actually prepare students for the life that they want to live, instead of just preparing them to pass a test that doesn’t always guarantee happiness or fulfillment.
Epiphany/Aha: This part made me realize how important it is for students to be prepared to compete in a global job market where jobs are quickly being shipped off overseas or where human employees are being replaced with computers.
Three: High Concept, High Touch
Quote: “High concept involves the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a satisfying narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into a novel invention. High touch involves the ability to empathize, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one’s self and to elicit it in others, and to stretch beyond the quotidian, in pursuit of purpose and meaning.” (pg. 49)
Questions: How can I create a ‘high concept’ classroom?
Connection: I found this section interesting because it mentions that the demand for caring jobs, such as nursing, counseling, etc. was surging, while the need for high-tech, computer programming jobs was declining.
Epiphany/Aha: The aha moment I experienced while reading this section has to do with making meaning and loving the profession that you’re in. In this section, author Daniel Pink mentions baby boomers and how as they enter the Conceptual Age they are more right brain-oriented and focus more on making meaning than on making money.
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print.
Quote: “The left hemisphere reasoned sequentially, excelled at analysis, and handled words. The right hemisphere reasoned holistically, recognized patterns, and interpreted emotions and nonverbal expressions. Human beings were literally of two minds.” (pg. 21)
Question: How can I create lessons that require equal use of my students’ left and right hemispheres?
Connection: Certain skills are seen as desired or worthy in our society. Typically, these skills are associated with left brain thinking. Some of these skills include being analytical, verbal, and logical. These skills are often attributed to being “professional.” On the other hand, skills attributed to the right brain are skills that don’t seem useful in society, at least to some people. A connection I made is when students are required to demonstrate their learning through writing instead of drawing, for example. This definitely shows how certain skills are preferred over others in society.
Epiphany/Aha: An aha moment for me was reading about the “alphabetic mind” (Eric Havelock) and how it has reinforced left hemisphere dominance in the West. This must be why it is so difficult for people who are left hemisphere dominant to learn a language that is read from right to left.
Two: Abundance, Asia, and Automation
Quote: On standardized tests… “They require logic and analysis- and reward test-takers for zeroing in, computer like, on a single correct answer. The exercise is linear, sequential, and bounded by time. You answer one question with one right answer. Then you move on to the next question and the next and the next until time runs out. These tests have become important gatekeepers for entry into meritocratic, middle-class society.” (pg. 29)
Question: How can I create a classroom where the right answer isn’t the end result and students focus on learning out of curiosity?
Connection: This part of the book really reinforces my belief that students need to discover what they are passionate about and that as teachers we have to help them. I remember being so lost after graduating high school, knowing that I didn’t want to go to college, and settling for a job where I wasn’t using my maximum potential. Some people, like myself, are able to discover their passion and then do something about it. For others, it is not that simple. I’d like to actually prepare students for the life that they want to live, instead of just preparing them to pass a test that doesn’t always guarantee happiness or fulfillment.
Epiphany/Aha: This part made me realize how important it is for students to be prepared to compete in a global job market where jobs are quickly being shipped off overseas or where human employees are being replaced with computers.
Three: High Concept, High Touch
Quote: “High concept involves the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a satisfying narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into a novel invention. High touch involves the ability to empathize, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one’s self and to elicit it in others, and to stretch beyond the quotidian, in pursuit of purpose and meaning.” (pg. 49)
Questions: How can I create a ‘high concept’ classroom?
Connection: I found this section interesting because it mentions that the demand for caring jobs, such as nursing, counseling, etc. was surging, while the need for high-tech, computer programming jobs was declining.
Epiphany/Aha: The aha moment I experienced while reading this section has to do with making meaning and loving the profession that you’re in. In this section, author Daniel Pink mentions baby boomers and how as they enter the Conceptual Age they are more right brain-oriented and focus more on making meaning than on making money.
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print.