We recently came across a product called I Want It in an electronic goods store and had a good laugh about its tongue-in-cheek jibe at today's consumer. Something to think about in this fast moving, fast changing world, where attention spans are short and the name of the game is instant gratification. It is a world where people want quick results and easy answers.
In his book Emotional Intelligence (Why it can matter more than IQ), Daniel Goleman describes The Marshmallow Test conducted by Walter Mischel. A group of four year olds were offered two marshmallows if they could wait till the researcher returned, and one if they didn't want to wait.
"There is perhaps no psychological skill more fundamental than resisting impulse. It is the root of all emotional self-control..." (Goleman, 2004, p.81)
When these children were tracked down fourteen years later, it was found that those who had resisted temptation at the age of four, were now more socially competent and better able to cope with life's frustrations than those who had given in to impulse and grabbed the one marshmallow. They also fared better academically than those who had acted on whim. "More than a decade later, they were still able to delay gratification in pursuit of their goals."
But there's hope for us all. As Goleman states, "There is ample evidence that emotional skills such as impulse control and accurately reading a social situation can be learned."
Reference: Goleman, Daniel,(2004), Emotional Intelligence and Working with Emotional Intelligence, Bloomsbury Publishing
Monday, 24 August 2009
Monday, 3 August 2009
Changin Times and the Evolving Self
(Image courtesy: Paavan Karia)"Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'..." Bob Dylan
Do you remember this Bob Dylan classic?
Classic because its still true and relevant today. Today I write about some eternal truths. Changing times and The Evolving Self (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). In this brilliant discourse, Csikszentmihalyi delves into the role played by evolutionary adaptation and wired in, genetic programmes in shaping our psychology. And how in order to survive and progress and adapt to changing times, we must remain flexibhle because "with each generation the conditions that affect human consciousness change in subtle but important ways "(p.42). He recognises that in order for the human race to thrive, there is a need to develop skills beyond logic and rational thought because:
"The future...is not constrained by rules and predictable outcomes. We need to cultivate more than logic if we want to thrive in it. We must foster intuition to anticipate changes before they occur; empathy to understand that which cannot be clearly expressed; wisdom to see the connection between apparently unrelated events and creativity to discover new ways of defining problems, new rules that will make it possible to adapt to the unexpected."
For providers of learning, there is much to chew upon. Let us awaken to the changing times and the need to change the way learning is dished out. Let us stop cultivating sheep (no offence to sheep!).
For more insight into changing paradigms and new perspectives into learning, listen to this podcast - Informal Learning – an interview with Brian Sutton.
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'..." Bob Dylan
Do you remember this Bob Dylan classic?
Classic because its still true and relevant today. Today I write about some eternal truths. Changing times and The Evolving Self (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). In this brilliant discourse, Csikszentmihalyi delves into the role played by evolutionary adaptation and wired in, genetic programmes in shaping our psychology. And how in order to survive and progress and adapt to changing times, we must remain flexibhle because "with each generation the conditions that affect human consciousness change in subtle but important ways "(p.42). He recognises that in order for the human race to thrive, there is a need to develop skills beyond logic and rational thought because:
"The future...is not constrained by rules and predictable outcomes. We need to cultivate more than logic if we want to thrive in it. We must foster intuition to anticipate changes before they occur; empathy to understand that which cannot be clearly expressed; wisdom to see the connection between apparently unrelated events and creativity to discover new ways of defining problems, new rules that will make it possible to adapt to the unexpected."
For providers of learning, there is much to chew upon. Let us awaken to the changing times and the need to change the way learning is dished out. Let us stop cultivating sheep (no offence to sheep!).
For more insight into changing paradigms and new perspectives into learning, listen to this podcast - Informal Learning – an interview with Brian Sutton.
Thursday, 25 June 2009
The long and winding road to happiness
This post is for those who have never lived in India and who have never experienced the rigours of working toward the entrance exams for the famous Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
A true test of endurance.
For an indepth discussion and greater insight into the factors involved in success, read The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He describes the role played by a culture, a culture of sheer effort and hard work in determining the rise to success. And he writes about the role of summer holidays in widening the achievement gap. "Cultures that believe that the route to success lies in rising before dawn 360 days a year are scarcely going to give their children three straight months off in the summer." (p.260) He tells the story of the KIPP Academy (p.250), "the miracle school that transforms losers into winners" (p.263) and the price the children pay to break out of poverty.
"Outliers are those who have been given opportunities and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."
Wait no more. Seize the moment and get to work finding your dreams. Because Time Wastes Too Fast.
A true test of endurance.
For an indepth discussion and greater insight into the factors involved in success, read The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He describes the role played by a culture, a culture of sheer effort and hard work in determining the rise to success. And he writes about the role of summer holidays in widening the achievement gap. "Cultures that believe that the route to success lies in rising before dawn 360 days a year are scarcely going to give their children three straight months off in the summer." (p.260) He tells the story of the KIPP Academy (p.250), "the miracle school that transforms losers into winners" (p.263) and the price the children pay to break out of poverty.
"Outliers are those who have been given opportunities and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."
Wait no more. Seize the moment and get to work finding your dreams. Because Time Wastes Too Fast.
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Who's driving?
Some time ago, I had started a review of the many ways in which technology can be used to support teaching and learning.
Before launching any learning programme, it's always a good idea to mark out a baseline, working out your start point and what your finish goals are. Some tools you can use to find out what learners already know are surveys. If you winced at the word 'survey', try this painfree online survey tool.
You can also have some fun and help learners gauge their own progress with classroom response systems. And of course, you can improve access by offering podcasts and lecture webcasting. Carnegie Mellon offers an interesting overview of the possibilities here.
To help your learners work on their research and writing abilities, there are a range of social software tools - a module wiki, a group blog, asynchronous discussion forums, web quests, YouTube videos, podcasts and other forms of learner generated content, open to review and comment. All of these provide excellent built-in audit trails and enable learners to custom build their own e-portfolios and reflective journals.
For the presentation of data and research, there are now a host of charting and mapping tools available. This article sets out a few more tools available to academia.
More on e-learning tools here. The only way to really learn about the possibilities is to really use these tools. If you've been relying heavily on powerpoint slides and one-way transmission lectures, try turning the tables and letting your learners take the wheel for a change. Let them choose their own presentation tools. And let them have a bit of fun!
Before launching any learning programme, it's always a good idea to mark out a baseline, working out your start point and what your finish goals are. Some tools you can use to find out what learners already know are surveys. If you winced at the word 'survey', try this painfree online survey tool.
You can also have some fun and help learners gauge their own progress with classroom response systems. And of course, you can improve access by offering podcasts and lecture webcasting. Carnegie Mellon offers an interesting overview of the possibilities here.
To help your learners work on their research and writing abilities, there are a range of social software tools - a module wiki, a group blog, asynchronous discussion forums, web quests, YouTube videos, podcasts and other forms of learner generated content, open to review and comment. All of these provide excellent built-in audit trails and enable learners to custom build their own e-portfolios and reflective journals.
For the presentation of data and research, there are now a host of charting and mapping tools available. This article sets out a few more tools available to academia.
More on e-learning tools here. The only way to really learn about the possibilities is to really use these tools. If you've been relying heavily on powerpoint slides and one-way transmission lectures, try turning the tables and letting your learners take the wheel for a change. Let them choose their own presentation tools. And let them have a bit of fun!
Friday, 12 June 2009
Not for the likes of me
Yesterday, I chanced upon the debate in Parliament on Social Mobility. MPs were debating a motion on social mobility and fair access to professions.
Alan Milburn eloquently described the barriers to moving up in life and the "not for the likes of me" syndrome that fosters an "aspiration gap".
What I really identified with was the recognition that mobility should be " a chance throughout life, and not just a one-off chance..." and that there was a need for a system that would allow entry and mobility at more mature ages.
Having chosen to reinvent myself and reenter the education system in my thirties, I can describe firsthand the barriers and obstacles.
Read another interesting discussion on "the equality delusion".
"Every survey in the last half century has confirmed that poverty is a fundamental cause of failure".
Coming from India, this is possibly the understatement of the millenium.
But all this discussion is about social mobility within a society. The bitter and stark truth about the accident of birth really goes much deeper. Let's zoom out and talk about the differences in development on a global level. Will there ever be an equal world?
Alan Milburn eloquently described the barriers to moving up in life and the "not for the likes of me" syndrome that fosters an "aspiration gap".
What I really identified with was the recognition that mobility should be " a chance throughout life, and not just a one-off chance..." and that there was a need for a system that would allow entry and mobility at more mature ages.
Having chosen to reinvent myself and reenter the education system in my thirties, I can describe firsthand the barriers and obstacles.
Read another interesting discussion on "the equality delusion".
"Every survey in the last half century has confirmed that poverty is a fundamental cause of failure".
Coming from India, this is possibly the understatement of the millenium.
But all this discussion is about social mobility within a society. The bitter and stark truth about the accident of birth really goes much deeper. Let's zoom out and talk about the differences in development on a global level. Will there ever be an equal world?
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Greatness, Contribution and Making a difference
It's been nearly two months.
Recently, a dear friend gifted me a copy of Stephen R. Covey's book, The 8th Habit.
Synchronicity seems to be at work. I was thrilled when on p. 27, I found another reference to Robert Frost's poem The Road Less Travelled that has been buzzing in my mind for quite a while now, and was discussed in my last post.
"Two roads diverged in a wood and I -
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference..."
I have talked in my last and other posts about the need to break away from old patterns and explore new paths. With a marvellous analogy about the practice of blood-letting used to heal people in the Middle ages, Stephen Covey writes on p.19,
"If you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements, work on practices, behavior or attitude. But if you want to make significant, quantum improvement, work on paradigms."
Further on p. 20 he writes, " ...the problem is that paradigms, like traditions, die hard. Flawed paradigms go on for centuries after a better one is discovered..."
Seems to be that's where we are at really - trying to discard old paradigms and find new ones. Which comes first?
We must teach the new generations that mediocrity cannot walk hand in hand with "greatness and contribution". (p.28) And we must walk the talk.
In the same vein, a really fun and entertaining card game about change and transition that some friends in Cirencester introduced us to is Fluxx. Quite disconcerting at first, dealing with and adapting to rapidly changing rules. Quite too much like life really.
Recently, a dear friend gifted me a copy of Stephen R. Covey's book, The 8th Habit.
Synchronicity seems to be at work. I was thrilled when on p. 27, I found another reference to Robert Frost's poem The Road Less Travelled that has been buzzing in my mind for quite a while now, and was discussed in my last post.
"Two roads diverged in a wood and I -
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference..."
I have talked in my last and other posts about the need to break away from old patterns and explore new paths. With a marvellous analogy about the practice of blood-letting used to heal people in the Middle ages, Stephen Covey writes on p.19,
"If you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements, work on practices, behavior or attitude. But if you want to make significant, quantum improvement, work on paradigms."
Further on p. 20 he writes, " ...the problem is that paradigms, like traditions, die hard. Flawed paradigms go on for centuries after a better one is discovered..."
Seems to be that's where we are at really - trying to discard old paradigms and find new ones. Which comes first?
We must teach the new generations that mediocrity cannot walk hand in hand with "greatness and contribution". (p.28) And we must walk the talk.
In the same vein, a really fun and entertaining card game about change and transition that some friends in Cirencester introduced us to is Fluxx. Quite disconcerting at first, dealing with and adapting to rapidly changing rules. Quite too much like life really.
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
The Road Less Travelled
The Road Less Travelled (or The Road Not Taken) - Robert Frost's famous poem has always been one of my favourites. It comes to mind again as I seem to be repeatedly drawn into discussions about education and employability. There is also a project on hand to design resources for young children to learn "work-related skills". And much discussion about learning outcomes. One of the outcomes identified is to help youngsters recognise common stereotypes in their lives and how stereotypes affect and limit their attitudes, choices and opportunities.
There is also an enlightening discussion about the subtle way in which stereotyped thinking and deep rooted assumptions are woven into our lives, and how and why we tend to fall for tall, dark and handsome men in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. To learn more about the implicit associations that underlie our perceptions about life and people and affect all our decisions, try the Implicit Association Test. You may be very surprised at what you learn about your own way of thinking! Definitely a must for those who pride themselves on being open minded!
How do we learn these stereotypes and how can we avoid teaching these same patterns to our children? How do we unlearn these patterns? Can these patterns be unlearned? While our brain needs to classify and categorise information in order to make sense of the world, this process is not always objective or based on evidence. Breaking the mould takes courage and risks isolation as it is based on asking questions about the relevance and integrity of traditional classification systems and rejecting irrelevant data. It's never easy to walk the road less travelled.
I think it all starts with asking questions. Questions such as, Is this the only way? Why this way? Is there another way? Is there a better way? Why not this way? It also means delving into the past to uncover how many of these classification systems have arisen and understanding their dangers and weaknesses. Let's teach our young to explore the roads less travelled. For that, we must first confront our own fears.
There is also an enlightening discussion about the subtle way in which stereotyped thinking and deep rooted assumptions are woven into our lives, and how and why we tend to fall for tall, dark and handsome men in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. To learn more about the implicit associations that underlie our perceptions about life and people and affect all our decisions, try the Implicit Association Test. You may be very surprised at what you learn about your own way of thinking! Definitely a must for those who pride themselves on being open minded!
How do we learn these stereotypes and how can we avoid teaching these same patterns to our children? How do we unlearn these patterns? Can these patterns be unlearned? While our brain needs to classify and categorise information in order to make sense of the world, this process is not always objective or based on evidence. Breaking the mould takes courage and risks isolation as it is based on asking questions about the relevance and integrity of traditional classification systems and rejecting irrelevant data. It's never easy to walk the road less travelled.
I think it all starts with asking questions. Questions such as, Is this the only way? Why this way? Is there another way? Is there a better way? Why not this way? It also means delving into the past to uncover how many of these classification systems have arisen and understanding their dangers and weaknesses. Let's teach our young to explore the roads less travelled. For that, we must first confront our own fears.
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