The Wired to Connect dialogues is a series of dialogues between Daniel Goleman and several leading thinkers. In the dialogue called The Inner Compass for Ethics and Excellence, Daniel Goleman and Naomi Wolf share their thoughts about how to create new social norms and cultures in which women develop their leadership.
Naomi Wolf explains how in order to be heard, women need to use their "true voice" and let go of old, overlearned responses such as, presenting a "false front of compliance" and "playing it safe" and "placate". For women who want to make change, there is a need to get over the aversion to criticism. In order to change this wiring, they need to live by the maxim, feel the fear and do it anyway.
Goleman speaks about how Neuroplasticity comes into play - the brain shapes itself through repeated experiences and it's only by putting women in a place where they are compelled to take risks, will these old, play-it-safe responses be overwritten.
Goleman explains this shift in terms of the amygdala, the part of the brain that receives direct inputs from the senses, to trigger a response even before these stimuli are registered by the neocortex or the thinking centre. The amygdala triggers an emotional response even before the cortical centres (or the thinking brain) have fully understood what is happening.
When women speak with their true voices, this shift resonates outwards, and is instantly and almost unconsciously, perceived by listeners (via the amygdala) and plays a significant role in building trust.
Goleman shares a story about an organisation that has developed the concept of the Angel's Advocate, a powerful and real way of creating a new culture and social norms. In this organisation, there is a tradition that whenever anyone advocates a new idea, the next person who speaks must support it. This allows breathing room for new ideas, and ensures that not every new idea is killed at the outset. This practice is now standard operating procedure in that organisation.
So for all of you who long for change - there's many routes - use your true voice, face up to and do not fear criticism, take risks often, and be an angel's advocate...in Gandhi's words, well, just go ahead and be the change!
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Skepticism vs. The Need to Believe
We were recently watching the Paul Merton in India series on the tele and my ten year old son was amazed by what he didn't know about India. And more than a little disturbed as he watched with a new set of eyes, the land where a majority survive not on bread and water, but on belief alone. It made us a little sad really. I am a skeptic at heart, and feel that truth above all else must prevail. And though only ten, and unable to articulate why he felt so uncomfortable with the complex ritualism that seems to define a large part of India (and even the tech-savvy part of India), he does know that something's not quite right.
Is it sheer coincidence then (please let it be!), that The Guardian weekly science podcasts invited guest Prof Chris French - coordinator of the anomalistic psychology research unit at Goldsmiths, University of London - to share his ideas and the work being done on the subject of Anomalistic Psychology. You can listen to the Guardian podcast here. You can also get access to the audio and video presentations of the anomalistic psychology research unit at Goldsmiths here.
Anomalistic psychology seeks to provide non-paranormal explanations for a whole range of para-normal experiences. And to teach critical thinking. And to help people understand the nature of evidence and assess the worth of evidence, and why they should believe more in certain forms of evidence than in others. In other words, it seeks to teach people to adopt a scientific, skeptical approach to life and phenomena.
In a country where poverty, hunger and homelessness abound, there is no doubt that paranormal beliefs can play a positive role - that of a shock absorber that makes it possible to face each day of hardship. It's often a case of Believe or Go Mad with Frustration or Die from Despair. But where belief and blind faith take away from people their faith in themselves and their own power of decision making, it can do no good. Where belief is used to make puppets of people and disempower them and keep them from achieving their true potential, it can do no good.
Derren Brown, master conjurer and mindtrickster is also a promoter of skepticism and critical thinking. Read more about his views here.
I fear that change may be a long time coming in India. But please let it begin here and now. Surely there is more to science education and IT advances than merely a foothold to the world of material advancement? Surely above all else, it is about building questioning minds and evidence based thinking?
Is it sheer coincidence then (please let it be!), that The Guardian weekly science podcasts invited guest Prof Chris French - coordinator of the anomalistic psychology research unit at Goldsmiths, University of London - to share his ideas and the work being done on the subject of Anomalistic Psychology. You can listen to the Guardian podcast here. You can also get access to the audio and video presentations of the anomalistic psychology research unit at Goldsmiths here.
Anomalistic psychology seeks to provide non-paranormal explanations for a whole range of para-normal experiences. And to teach critical thinking. And to help people understand the nature of evidence and assess the worth of evidence, and why they should believe more in certain forms of evidence than in others. In other words, it seeks to teach people to adopt a scientific, skeptical approach to life and phenomena.
In a country where poverty, hunger and homelessness abound, there is no doubt that paranormal beliefs can play a positive role - that of a shock absorber that makes it possible to face each day of hardship. It's often a case of Believe or Go Mad with Frustration or Die from Despair. But where belief and blind faith take away from people their faith in themselves and their own power of decision making, it can do no good. Where belief is used to make puppets of people and disempower them and keep them from achieving their true potential, it can do no good.
Derren Brown, master conjurer and mindtrickster is also a promoter of skepticism and critical thinking. Read more about his views here.
I fear that change may be a long time coming in India. But please let it begin here and now. Surely there is more to science education and IT advances than merely a foothold to the world of material advancement? Surely above all else, it is about building questioning minds and evidence based thinking?
Monday, 24 August 2009
I Want it Now(!)
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
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, 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?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)