I was intrigued by the idea that a master of fine arts is now one of the hottest credentials and that corporate recruiters have begun visiting the top arts grad schools. It makes sense that in order for manufacturers, like GM, to compete with the world market their products need to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional and who better for this than a graphic designer or an artist.
I had to smile when I read Daniel Goleman's research on IQ testing. This is the second time lately I have read about the unjust use of IQ scores to define a person's ability. Just because one cannot easily measure a persons imagination, joyfulness and social dexterity doesn't mean these qualities are just as important to the success of a person. I appreciate Pink's acknowledgment that " the capacity for compassion, care and uplift are becoming a key component of the Conceptual Age." These are much needed qualities in today's teachers.
What I have taken from reading the first three chapters of Daniel Pink's, A Whole New Mind, is that we, as educators, must begin to understand the value of both sides of the brain and how to help our students use their "whole brain" so they can compete in the 21st century.
This idea of IQ--and SAT tests--not being an indicator of success does seem to be popping up everywhere. I'm curious about the direction testing the Common Core will take. I was shocked when Arkansas' Education Commissioner said, at AASCD, that it looks like the ACT for college admittance is going away. That will certainly shake things up!
ReplyDeleteI've been doing alot of reading about Autism and how people with Autism see things. With the Conceptual Age, in order to prepare students for the future, we may first need to understand how they think. Reading "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin. She is Autistic and has a doctorate in Animal Science. She discribes how she processes information like a computer using pictures to create and invent.
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