June 12, 2011
Daniel Pink in his 2005 book, A Whole New Mind, tells us the
world is changing and that our brains need to change, too. Pink sees the world
becoming geared more to creative endeavors in order to maintain our economic
system.
Our work and behavior will need to draw on the creative side
or right side of our brain. Success in the future will be determined by
the creativity and flexibility of our thinking. What changes in the
brain, which can also be seen as shifts in thinking, does Pink view as
important?
Pink asserts that basic changes are occurring in these six areas:
Design: It won't be enough in the future to be involved in producing
a functional product or service. Our outcomes must be beautiful, fun and
engage the consumer at an emotional level.
Story: Enough of a diet of facts and information. We'll want
and need facts but we will be required to craft them into a compelling story.
Symphony: Focus and analysis will not
satisfy the demands of a whole new mind. Synthesis and the creation of
meaning giving the big picture will become the new standard.
Empathy: Dr. Spock logic will be
replaced with meaningful relationships where emotional well-being is tantamount.
Play: Work is important, of course, but we need to learn to
laugh and have fun as part of the process. Our physical, mental and
emotional health will benefit from a new balance of play and work, or perhaps
the development of work as play.
Meaning: With our new minds, meaning comes
to the forefront pushing materialism into the background. Purpose,
understanding, spiritual fulfillment and purposeful activity will become our
focus versus the accumulation of things.
Pink's concept of a whole new mind merges left-brain
activities that areanalytical, linear, explicit, sequential, verbal, concrete,
rational, active, goal-oriented with the creative right brain's way of being
intuitive, spontaneous, emotional, nonverbal, visual, artistic, holistic,
playful, diffuse, symbolic, and physical, thus creating a more balanced
approach to life.
What does this mean for our work with children? Perhaps
we should be thinking of ways that we can integrate creative activity within
our learning environments of school and home. Perhaps we need to nourish
the ideas of design and meaning by creating opportunities for our children to
appreciate beauty.
A softer delineation between work and play might help us
create stronger learning in the brain, and deeper satisfaction with life.
In the words of Mark Twain, "Work and play are words to describe the same
thing under differing conditions." Research shows that we retain
information longer and more accurately when we laugh and have fun.
Dramatic play, singing, and art can be used to integrate learning for our whole
new minds.
We also need to help our children make the connections to a
bigger picture and offer opportunities for meaningful personal relationships.
Pink describes a world that is hopeful, meaningful, and fun when we develop a
whole new way of thinking with a whole new mind.
Next time: Success is not an outlier
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The Understanding Montessori Newsletter is written by Maren Schmidt and is part of of her
award winning Kids Talk weekly syndicated
newspaper column.
Ms. Schmidt is founder of a Montessori school
and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland. She has
over twenty-five years experience working with young children and holds
teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She is
the author of two books, Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents and Building Cathedrals Not Walls.
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