For my PLN choice assignment I selected the book Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner. Here are my thoughts on the first two chapters using the QQCE format.
Chapter 1 - A Primer on Innovation
Quote: “... a major innovation is one that is so successful that soon after its introduction few people can even remember what life was like before the innovation was introduced.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 8) This characterization of how to identify a product as innovative also establishes why society as a whole should be concerned with adapting our educational system to cultivate innovators. Specifically, because we have a consumer based economy. This means that our economic growth is based on the volume of products that are purchased from American companies. Our country has for years been a leader in the production of the latest innovative products. This trend is changing and our business and education models need to adapt to stay competitive in the world marketplace. As Wagner stated, “our lead in innovation--and thus our economic vitality--is rapidly eroding.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 8)
Question: “Sir Ken Robinson’s recent book, The Element, and his TED Talks describe many of the ways curiosity and creativity are discouraged--‘educated out of us’ ” (Wagner, 2012, p. 17) My question is this; Who is the target audience that needs to be convinced of the need for education reform to create innovators? Is it the public at large, school districts, businesses, colleges and universities, politicians, parents?
Connection: I connected to the author’s description of the “three interrelated elements of intrinsic motivation: play, passion, and purpose” (Wagner, 2012, p. 26) I find that I am more engaged and willing to fight through a challenge if the topic is something I am passionate about. I know it sounds obvious but think about what we are asking our students to fight through in school. Is it always something that they are passionate about? Of course not. We, as teachers, need to find and connect to their interests and passions to create the intrinsic motivation that drives the students capacity for “design thinking.”
Epiphany: The whole discussion about play as an element of intrinsic motivation was enlightening to me. Of course we are all motivated by playing games that we enjoy but the example of the MIT pranks, specifically assembling a car on top of the dome, stood out to me as something that required a significant amount of planning, ingenuity, and collaboration. All things that contribute to innovative outcomes.
Chapter 2 - Portrait of the Innovator as a Young Man
Quote: “Teamwork, interdisciplinary problem solving, intrinsic drivers, and a kind of empowerment that gives individuals the confidence they need to risks--these were also what Kirk described as essential to the culture at Apple.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 57) I chose this quote because it seemed to illustrate the message of this chapter. It demonstrates how the skills Kirk had developed through his educational process matched the mindset of Apple.
Question: I agree that there needs to be more opportunities to cultivate creativity in our educational system, but I am not sure is transitioning from one extreme form if instruction to another is the answer. Wagner quoted Kirk Phelps, when referring to his job as a product manager at Apple as saying “I couldn’t do any of these guys’ jobs, but I knew enough about what they did to have an intelligent conversation and to represent their interests.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 44) My question is this; How can we ensure that those individuals who were highly specialized in their respective fields that Kirk was managing are still provided the educational rigor to develop the necessary level of content knowledge needed to create the technology they produced and why are those individuals not considered innovators of the same endeavor?
Connection: I connected to Kirk’s parents and their philosophy that they did not necessarily care about what he was interested in as much as the process of finding what he was interested in. As a parent, this rang true for me as well. You want your child to choose a career that is centered around something they are passionate about. It reminds me of the quote by Confucius - “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.”
Epiphany: “Ed’s description of Stanford as being more focused on churning out PhDs, rather than people who will make and create things, was unsettling.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 53) This gave me pause as I had the same unsettling feeling as I was reading Ed Carryer’s description of what Research One universities value. One wants to believe that our hallmark educational institutions are pure in their goals to provide the best education but the reality is that they are as much a business as any company. Their product is students with degrees.
Sources:
Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. New York: Scribner.
Richard K Miller, “How Do You Recognize and Cultivate Potential Innovations?” ) paper prepared and presented at Olin College, May 9, 2011).
Chapter 1 - A Primer on Innovation
Quote: “... a major innovation is one that is so successful that soon after its introduction few people can even remember what life was like before the innovation was introduced.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 8) This characterization of how to identify a product as innovative also establishes why society as a whole should be concerned with adapting our educational system to cultivate innovators. Specifically, because we have a consumer based economy. This means that our economic growth is based on the volume of products that are purchased from American companies. Our country has for years been a leader in the production of the latest innovative products. This trend is changing and our business and education models need to adapt to stay competitive in the world marketplace. As Wagner stated, “our lead in innovation--and thus our economic vitality--is rapidly eroding.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 8)
Question: “Sir Ken Robinson’s recent book, The Element, and his TED Talks describe many of the ways curiosity and creativity are discouraged--‘educated out of us’ ” (Wagner, 2012, p. 17) My question is this; Who is the target audience that needs to be convinced of the need for education reform to create innovators? Is it the public at large, school districts, businesses, colleges and universities, politicians, parents?
Connection: I connected to the author’s description of the “three interrelated elements of intrinsic motivation: play, passion, and purpose” (Wagner, 2012, p. 26) I find that I am more engaged and willing to fight through a challenge if the topic is something I am passionate about. I know it sounds obvious but think about what we are asking our students to fight through in school. Is it always something that they are passionate about? Of course not. We, as teachers, need to find and connect to their interests and passions to create the intrinsic motivation that drives the students capacity for “design thinking.”
Epiphany: The whole discussion about play as an element of intrinsic motivation was enlightening to me. Of course we are all motivated by playing games that we enjoy but the example of the MIT pranks, specifically assembling a car on top of the dome, stood out to me as something that required a significant amount of planning, ingenuity, and collaboration. All things that contribute to innovative outcomes.
Chapter 2 - Portrait of the Innovator as a Young Man
Quote: “Teamwork, interdisciplinary problem solving, intrinsic drivers, and a kind of empowerment that gives individuals the confidence they need to risks--these were also what Kirk described as essential to the culture at Apple.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 57) I chose this quote because it seemed to illustrate the message of this chapter. It demonstrates how the skills Kirk had developed through his educational process matched the mindset of Apple.
Question: I agree that there needs to be more opportunities to cultivate creativity in our educational system, but I am not sure is transitioning from one extreme form if instruction to another is the answer. Wagner quoted Kirk Phelps, when referring to his job as a product manager at Apple as saying “I couldn’t do any of these guys’ jobs, but I knew enough about what they did to have an intelligent conversation and to represent their interests.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 44) My question is this; How can we ensure that those individuals who were highly specialized in their respective fields that Kirk was managing are still provided the educational rigor to develop the necessary level of content knowledge needed to create the technology they produced and why are those individuals not considered innovators of the same endeavor?
Connection: I connected to Kirk’s parents and their philosophy that they did not necessarily care about what he was interested in as much as the process of finding what he was interested in. As a parent, this rang true for me as well. You want your child to choose a career that is centered around something they are passionate about. It reminds me of the quote by Confucius - “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.”
Epiphany: “Ed’s description of Stanford as being more focused on churning out PhDs, rather than people who will make and create things, was unsettling.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 53) This gave me pause as I had the same unsettling feeling as I was reading Ed Carryer’s description of what Research One universities value. One wants to believe that our hallmark educational institutions are pure in their goals to provide the best education but the reality is that they are as much a business as any company. Their product is students with degrees.
Sources:
Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. New York: Scribner.
Richard K Miller, “How Do You Recognize and Cultivate Potential Innovations?” ) paper prepared and presented at Olin College, May 9, 2011).