Four: Design
Quote: “Design is a high-concept aptitude that is difficult to outsource or automate- and that increasingly confers a competitive advantage in business. Good design, now more accessible and affordable than ever, also offers us a chance to bring pleasure, meaning, and beauty to our lives. But most important, cultivating a design sensibility can make our small planet a better place for us all.” (pg. 73)
Question: How does design affect my ability to learn?
Connection: This section makes me think of the classrooms in which I felt most comfortable in when I was in school. Thinking back, it was because the classroom had a good design and looked inviting and comfortable. In this section I read that not much thought is given into the design of schools, and I think this has to change because if students feel comfortable in their classrooms, then they are more likely to succeed.
Epiphany/Aha: The aha moment that I had was when I read about the inner city students who attend the school of design and how their graduation rates and college attendance rates are much higher than the students in the same city who attend a regular school. This just makes me think that students need to be able to create/design and that this helps them make meaning.
Five: Story
Quote: “When facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” (pg. 84)
Question: How can I help students create a powerful, meaningful story?
Connection: The connection that I make after reading this section has to do with my time as a student-teacher in the credential program. It’s funny how Pink mentions that the best way to learn is through stories, and I agree based on my own experience. I could have never learned how to be a teacher by reading about it. I had to go out and create my own stories with my own experiences in order to learn my craft.
Epiphany/Aha: My epiphany is that everyone has a story to tell. Sometimes, as teachers, we get so caught up in ‘doing’ our job and we forget to see the student as an individual with a unique story. This must never happen because our stories are what makes us individuals, and as teachers, we need to create a safe space where students can share their stories.
Six: Symphony
Quote: “Like drawing, symphony is largely about relationships. People who hope to thrive in the Conceptual Age must understand the connections between diverse, and seemingly separate, disciplines. They must know how to link apparently unconnected elements to create something new. And they must become adept at analogy- at seeing one thing in terms of another.” (pg. 109)
Question: How can technology help me create connections between disciplines?
Connection: To me, a symphony means taking all the pieces and putting them together. This makes me think of my bilingualism and my biculturalism. I take all my ‘masks,’ as they are often called, and wear them at the same time in order to function in this society. That is something that could never be outsourced.
Epiphany/Aha: This section was very interesting to read. In fact, this section mentioned that most Aha! Moments happen in the right brain. It’s better to not think linearly, but how do you silence the way you’ve been thinking all your life?
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print.
Quote: “Design is a high-concept aptitude that is difficult to outsource or automate- and that increasingly confers a competitive advantage in business. Good design, now more accessible and affordable than ever, also offers us a chance to bring pleasure, meaning, and beauty to our lives. But most important, cultivating a design sensibility can make our small planet a better place for us all.” (pg. 73)
Question: How does design affect my ability to learn?
Connection: This section makes me think of the classrooms in which I felt most comfortable in when I was in school. Thinking back, it was because the classroom had a good design and looked inviting and comfortable. In this section I read that not much thought is given into the design of schools, and I think this has to change because if students feel comfortable in their classrooms, then they are more likely to succeed.
Epiphany/Aha: The aha moment that I had was when I read about the inner city students who attend the school of design and how their graduation rates and college attendance rates are much higher than the students in the same city who attend a regular school. This just makes me think that students need to be able to create/design and that this helps them make meaning.
Five: Story
Quote: “When facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” (pg. 84)
Question: How can I help students create a powerful, meaningful story?
Connection: The connection that I make after reading this section has to do with my time as a student-teacher in the credential program. It’s funny how Pink mentions that the best way to learn is through stories, and I agree based on my own experience. I could have never learned how to be a teacher by reading about it. I had to go out and create my own stories with my own experiences in order to learn my craft.
Epiphany/Aha: My epiphany is that everyone has a story to tell. Sometimes, as teachers, we get so caught up in ‘doing’ our job and we forget to see the student as an individual with a unique story. This must never happen because our stories are what makes us individuals, and as teachers, we need to create a safe space where students can share their stories.
Six: Symphony
Quote: “Like drawing, symphony is largely about relationships. People who hope to thrive in the Conceptual Age must understand the connections between diverse, and seemingly separate, disciplines. They must know how to link apparently unconnected elements to create something new. And they must become adept at analogy- at seeing one thing in terms of another.” (pg. 109)
Question: How can technology help me create connections between disciplines?
Connection: To me, a symphony means taking all the pieces and putting them together. This makes me think of my bilingualism and my biculturalism. I take all my ‘masks,’ as they are often called, and wear them at the same time in order to function in this society. That is something that could never be outsourced.
Epiphany/Aha: This section was very interesting to read. In fact, this section mentioned that most Aha! Moments happen in the right brain. It’s better to not think linearly, but how do you silence the way you’ve been thinking all your life?
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print.