Monday, May 19, 2008

The High Concept & High Touch Whole Mind

When wabbit just introduced me to Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind, she said, just read the first chapter and you'll be excited. Pinks introductory chapter started with "The future belongs to a different kind of person.... Designers, inventors, teachers, storytellers — creative and empathetic right-brain thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't." The idea that those people who "Think different" may be valued even more than ever instantaneously got me hook onto the book!


Mind map on Daniel Pink's book from http://www.learning-tech.co.ukwhole_new_mind.htm.gif/

Below is a fine piece of how Garr Reynold's combined Pink's aptitudes of Design. Story. Symphony. Empathy. Play. Meaning. with the mastery of great presentation.
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2006/08/from_design_to_.html
In Reynold's words, "these are not the last word on the aptitudes needed by the modern presenter, but mastering these along with other important aptitudes such as strong analytical skills will take you far as a communicator in the "conceptual age."" (And yes, Reynold's blog is simply one of the coolest, well-dated and much wisdom waiting to discover!)


From an educational standpoint, since the ability to see connections require cognitive engagement, brain-based theory recommends that educators ought to engage both sides (hemispheres) of the brains to learn.

“Today the left brain capabilities that powered the information age are
necessary but no longer sufficient.
The “right brain” qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness and meaning – increasingly determine who flourishers and who flounders. …professional success and personal fulfillment
now requires a whole new mind.”
(Daniel Pink, p3)


With these in mind (now that our mind has “expanded”) how do we leverage on the instructional techniques associated with brain-based learning:

  1. Creating learning environments that fully immerse students in an educational experience (Orchestrated immersion)
  2. Eliminate fear in learners, maintaining highly challenging environment (Relaxed alertness)
  3. Allow learners to consolidate and internalise information by actively processing it. (Active processing)


Highly recommended website (learning theories on curriculum design and student engagement) http://www.funderstanding.com/right_left_brain.cfm




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Finally, I have defined myself. After almost 60 years of searching. I am a High Concept, High Touch thinker with an exceptional sense of Symphony and only a slighty lesser sense of Empathy. Maybe now that the defintions are out, more of us will surface. I have only found one other like myself, a lady who lives 2 towns over from us. Found her only 2 years ago. Overwhelmed by knowing I was not alone in my gifts, I just sat there repeating, "I am not alone". It was a singular moment. I inherited my gifts from my father, a rcoket scientist.
My sense of Symphony is so acute, I discern immediately, on an intuitive level, if a situation will succeed or fail based on it's lack of Symphony. It's not like I see a situation , draw facts and make a conclusion. I see a situation and immediately intuite if it will fail or not. For decades, I thought I was alone. maybe this was just a disorder. But it never felt like a disorder. It is an instantanous conclusion.
Wthout a measurement vocabulary, I was unable to explain myself. I still have not figured out if my exceptional sense of Empathy works in concert with the Symphony to make conclusions even more accurate. I am just glad Daniel Pink wrote his book and now I have a name for myself. I hope in the future, business will find a use for HC/HT thinkers with abilities like mine, So we can make contributions to our culture instead of being laughed. It is hard when one knows another is ging to fail, warns them, is ignored and then just watches while the situation implode for lack of Symphony. Then have the folk involved get angry with me because I was right. Of course I was right. The instability and lack of Symphony was there all the time, they just didn't sense it. I wish more folk like me would take off their bushels and let their senses shine. But I do understand why they remain silent. decades of making fun of ones like us will do that to a psyche.
My question now is, what place do my gifts have in this new culture? Does this missive sound odd? Why should we wonder at letters like mine? Every time someone declares a method of measurement, those will come forward who excel at each end of the spectrum measured. It is the nature of things. Perhaps we should rejoice instead of laughing. Karen

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