For my PLN choice assignment I selected the book Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner. This is my second post covering chapters 3 & 4 using the QQCE format.
Chapter 3 - STEM Innovators Quote: “All three seek self-fulfillment while also helping others.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 79 ) This is an important characteristic that is common among all of these young innovators. They follow their passion in the pursuit of helping others. It seems to me that their fulfillment comes from helping either those that are disadvantaged or in support of a greener environment. |
Question: “Once again, we see the importance of an outlier teacher whose collaborative, project-based, interdisciplinary approach to learning had a profound impact on the development of a young person.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 78 ). It strikes me that the teachers and mentors having an impact on these young innovators are all in post secondary educational settings. These setting allow more latitude for the implementation of the “outlier” approaches to teaching. How then can we, as secondary school teachers, implement the same types of strategies within the confines of school district mandated curriculum and standards based assessment goals?
Connection: In this chapter I connected to the parent’s perspective. The parent’s encouragement and desire for their children to follow their passion took precedence over choosing a traditionally more lucrative career path. These parent’s definition of success had nothing to do with earnings, instead success is defined by their child’s sense of fulfillment in their life’s work.
Epiphany: There was nothing that I could classify as an epiphany or even an aha moment so I will comment on the structure of the book. I enjoyed the breakaway videos that were inserted into various points in the text. The personal interview snippets were not long enough to distract from the reading but they did provided a more personal connection to the subjects of the story. I found that it to be a very effective strategy to keep the reader engaged.
Connection: In this chapter I connected to the parent’s perspective. The parent’s encouragement and desire for their children to follow their passion took precedence over choosing a traditionally more lucrative career path. These parent’s definition of success had nothing to do with earnings, instead success is defined by their child’s sense of fulfillment in their life’s work.
Epiphany: There was nothing that I could classify as an epiphany or even an aha moment so I will comment on the structure of the book. I enjoyed the breakaway videos that were inserted into various points in the text. The personal interview snippets were not long enough to distract from the reading but they did provided a more personal connection to the subjects of the story. I found that it to be a very effective strategy to keep the reader engaged.
Chapter 4 - Social Innovators Quote: “Regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds or degree of school success, what all young innovators have in common is the importance of play, passion, and purpose in their lives. These intrinsic motivators are what drive them to achieve and to persevere--and what gives their life texture and meaning” (Wagner, 2012, p. 139). |
This quote summarizes the message of the book thus far. All of the young innovators discussed in the have similar backgrounds in that they would play at many things until they found their passion. Then they followed their passions giving purpose to their lives.
Question: My question is this: How as an educator of mathematics can I balance encouraging high school students to find and follow their passion while at the same time meeting the schedule of and following the structure of the state standards? All of the stories in this book indicate that the young innovators were supported and encouraged to follow their passions outside of the secondary public school system. The author even seems to imply that the school system would dissuade students from pursuing their passion not directly but through the culture the school system has established. So should students with these goals find alternative school settings that can support their learning styles?
Connection: I connected to the statements of Stephanie Barksdale, one of Laura White’s mentors, who said she was basically giving Laura permission to pursue her passions. She felt students should be encouraged to “give voice to their beliefs and to support their intrinsic empathy and commitment to justice.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 111) Instead students were discouraged from pursuing their passion because their openness was seen as naivete and they were painted as uninformed or overly sensitive. I have been on the receiving end of that kind of judgement and it is demoralizing.
Epiphany: This entire chapter was a bit of an epiphany for me in that I had perceived innovators as coming from STEM disciplines and not the liberal arts. The category of “social innovator” had not occurred to me while reading the previous chapters of the book however, after finishing this chapter I feel the social innovators will have a crucial role in establishing the play, passion and purpose mantra within the educational system.
Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. New York: Scribner.
Question: My question is this: How as an educator of mathematics can I balance encouraging high school students to find and follow their passion while at the same time meeting the schedule of and following the structure of the state standards? All of the stories in this book indicate that the young innovators were supported and encouraged to follow their passions outside of the secondary public school system. The author even seems to imply that the school system would dissuade students from pursuing their passion not directly but through the culture the school system has established. So should students with these goals find alternative school settings that can support their learning styles?
Connection: I connected to the statements of Stephanie Barksdale, one of Laura White’s mentors, who said she was basically giving Laura permission to pursue her passions. She felt students should be encouraged to “give voice to their beliefs and to support their intrinsic empathy and commitment to justice.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 111) Instead students were discouraged from pursuing their passion because their openness was seen as naivete and they were painted as uninformed or overly sensitive. I have been on the receiving end of that kind of judgement and it is demoralizing.
Epiphany: This entire chapter was a bit of an epiphany for me in that I had perceived innovators as coming from STEM disciplines and not the liberal arts. The category of “social innovator” had not occurred to me while reading the previous chapters of the book however, after finishing this chapter I feel the social innovators will have a crucial role in establishing the play, passion and purpose mantra within the educational system.
Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. New York: Scribner.