A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
Just before our Winter Break, I was hearing a lot about the theories in this book and now I've had the chance to read it cover to cover. The book is written for adults who want to enhance their right-brained skills: skills that Daniel Pink thinks are crucial to success in the workplace in this century. I am most interested in the implications his work has for education and the changes we are still working to make that will help our students in what Pink and others are now calling The Conceptual Age.
There are two big ideas this book brings forth that strike me as crucial for our students. The first is a different assessment of outsourcing than I have heard before. Instead of trying to do better in the areas of left-brained, "knowledge workers" skills that are going to continue to be outsourced, our students need to hone creativity and synthesis and the ability to see the big picture. (Pink, 44.)
I heard a news report on the failed terrorist attempt at Christmas that brought some of these ideas home to me in a real and relevant way. The commentators and President Obama were saying that all the knowledge and data that was needed to predict the terrorist actions had been gathered by all the agencies that were responsible for this "knowledge worker", left-brained activity. They did their jobs well; however, no one saw the big picture and connected the dots: there was no synthesis and that could have spelled disaster. No matter who ultimately takes responsibility, this scenario describes the changes in thinking necessary for The Conceptual Age and the high level of importance right-brained thinking should play in education today.
Pink describes right-brained oriented six senses that complement our left-brained skills that all people should develop to thrive in this new information-rich world:
1. Not just function but also DESIGN
2. Not just argument but also STORY
3. Not just focus but also SYMPHONY
4. Not just logic but also EMPATHY
5. Not just seriousness but also PLAY
6. Not just accumulation but also MEANING
Pink, 65-67
Overall, creativity and higher level thinking skills are emerging as more important then ever before in today's workplace. Students need the arts, cross curricular understandings and opportunities to synthesize, not just collect information. I highly recommend this book for all educators and for anyone else who wants to enhance the workings of their brain.
There are two big ideas this book brings forth that strike me as crucial for our students. The first is a different assessment of outsourcing than I have heard before. Instead of trying to do better in the areas of left-brained, "knowledge workers" skills that are going to continue to be outsourced, our students need to hone creativity and synthesis and the ability to see the big picture. (Pink, 44.)
At Sony, we assume that all products of our competitors have basically the same technology, price, performance, and features. Design is the only thing that differentiates one product from another in the marketplace.
Norio Ohga
Norio Ohga
I heard a news report on the failed terrorist attempt at Christmas that brought some of these ideas home to me in a real and relevant way. The commentators and President Obama were saying that all the knowledge and data that was needed to predict the terrorist actions had been gathered by all the agencies that were responsible for this "knowledge worker", left-brained activity. They did their jobs well; however, no one saw the big picture and connected the dots: there was no synthesis and that could have spelled disaster. No matter who ultimately takes responsibility, this scenario describes the changes in thinking necessary for The Conceptual Age and the high level of importance right-brained thinking should play in education today.
Pink describes right-brained oriented six senses that complement our left-brained skills that all people should develop to thrive in this new information-rich world:
1. Not just function but also DESIGN
2. Not just argument but also STORY
3. Not just focus but also SYMPHONY
4. Not just logic but also EMPATHY
5. Not just seriousness but also PLAY
6. Not just accumulation but also MEANING
Pink, 65-67
Overall, creativity and higher level thinking skills are emerging as more important then ever before in today's workplace. Students need the arts, cross curricular understandings and opportunities to synthesize, not just collect information. I highly recommend this book for all educators and for anyone else who wants to enhance the workings of their brain.
