Creativity+and+The+Element

Please post thoughts, summaries, questions, etc. related to //The Element// and Creativity here.
[|An interesting blog] with 10 questions TED panelists asked Sir Ken about creativity, with a link to his answers.

By Rhonda Jindra
 * The Element Chapter Five: Finding Your Tribe**

“Great Groups,” collections of people with similar interests who create something much greater than any of them could create individually—who become more than the sum of the parts. “A Great Group” can be a goad, a check, a sounding board, and a source of inspiration, support, and even love”…(pp. 123).

Sir Ken highlights three essential components of “great groups”—all three components being essential features of the creative mind.

Working alongside both a Wayne State College Education Professor and a Guidance Counselor from one of ESU #1’s school districts, we teamed for two years as facilitators for the Wayne State College Masters Degree Learning Community program. With the assistance of a former Learning Community facilitator, who served as our mentor, we built the constructivist program around the needs of the participating educators.
 * Great creative teams are diverse.**

Each weekend, capitalizing on our individual strengths, we designed experiences that pushed the learners to excel (similar to the strengths of mentoring as Julie described from Chapter 8). Only through diversity were we able to meet the needs of our learners. The WSC professor brought the constructive theory to our planning and delivery, while the Guidance Counselor and myself brought practical application from the classroom. In addition, the professor and I used our facilitation skills throughout the weekend—and the Guidance Counselor shared humor and creativity as we planned, prepared and facilitated.

In addition to our diversity, we recognized the need to capitalize on the learners’ diversity. To further support this strength, we built Advisory Groups that embraced as many differences as possible, including the size of the school the educator was associated with, the learner’s undergraduate institution, gender, etc.

This is just one example I have that supports Sir Ken’s believe that “great teams are diverse”. We also have our PLNgage team built upon the strength of diversity—we have a variety of ESUs represented, a mixture of staff developers and tech trainers, various years of experience, etc. Perfect.

Not all creative teams are dynamic—some are unable to move beyond thinking differently—it becomes a barrier. But if teams recognize differences as strengths, not weaknesses, they will be able to “challenge each other as equals, and take criticism as an incentive to raise their game” (pp. 126).
 * Great creative teams are dynamic.**

As the Carl Perkins coordinators for ESU #1, 8 and 17, Carol Jessen (ESU 8), Jeff McQuistan (ESU 17) and I have built a dynamic great creative team. Together, we have built our collaborative Perkins framework, learning to be open and honest with one another. If an idea isn’t pertinent or needs tweaking, we’ll say that. If an idea isn’t worth pursuing, we don’t.

This openness and frankness has come from many hours of working together—and valuing each other’s unique insight and perspective. Plus, having high regard for one another and treating each other with respect when we gently offer criticism has given us an “edge” that I believe moves us forward in the world of Career and Academic Education.

My hope is that our PLNgage team will become dynamic over time—recognizing the necessity of challenging each other as equals so that we can do our best work

Sir Ken compares a great team and a committee. He notes that most committees do routine work with members that could easily be interchanged. Usually, committees represent specific interests and can often do their work while “half are checking their BlackBerrys or studying the wallpaper” (page 126). He even states that committees seem to persist forever and often, their meetings do, too.
 * Great creative teams are distinct.**

In comparison, a great team has a distinctive personality and seeks to do something specific. “They are together only for as long as they want to be or have to be to get the job done” (pp. 126).

Last year, working with my GEMS (Gaining Expertise through Membership Study) group, we fit the bill for “distinct”. Each team member recognized the need and importance of our work—creating useful resources for continuous school improvement—most specifically, Vision and Purpose. We worked alongside each other for 1½ years and even though we are no longer a distinct team, we were powerfully creative during that time period. We also built our work around our strengths (see “Great Creative Teams are Diverse” above), some of us being visionary, others focusing on the details so that our product was useful to a variety of users. Our work was not routine and we did not check our BlackBerrys as we met. Rather, we had a distinct personality that helped us achieve our goal.

How might we use the components of a “great team” to build our work as PLNngage (diverse, dynamic, and distinct)?
 * Application:**

In addition, how might we use these same three components as we design work that “engages adult learners”?

Summary by Janet

Sir Ken defines three barriers to finding the element as three concentric “circles of constraint.” These barriers are personal, social and cultural. I eagerly read this chapter looking for the culprit that is imposing constraints in my search for the Element. Personal: Fear is perhaps the most common obstacle to finding your Element. Fear holds many people back from living their lives in full. A strong will to be yourself and to emerge from the burdens of external obstacles and self-doubt are required for finding your Element. Social: Fear of disapproval can consume many. The concept of //Groupthink// is known by most of us and is a powerful influence that drives our journeys in life. The pressure to conform to family, friends and other social groups can keep us from stepping out to pursue interests and dreams. Major obstacles to finding your Element often emerge in school because of both the concept of groupthink as well as the hierarchy of subjects that play the important and time consuming roles in the lives of students. Culture: Culture can be defined as the values and forms of behaviors that characterize different communities. If you lack an understanding of cultural codes you may find yourself very alone until you can adjust to the norms of the society in which you have landed. When passions are inconsistent with those of the culture constraints keep you from reaching goals. Those who have overcome fear will search out those who can help achieve goals. Often those who remove themselves from one culture become very zealous in working to meet passions via a new culture.

//The Element//, Chapter Seven: Do You Feel Lucky?
Summary by Lisa

//"It's not what happens to us that makes the difference in our lives. What makes the difference is our attitude toward what happens."//

During our allotted day of sitting in on 'our' Chat with Pat and Others I found myself reflecting on the journey that we have all been on over the past 9 years (that being my time frame for engagement with education in Nebraska) in relation to the implementation of state standards and the resulting work of developing an understanding of 'assessment and reporting' (accountability). In the Chats there was a great deal of focus on the new state reading test which gave me an opportunity to put chapter 7 into action.

This chapter moves to a key concept: that **attitude** has an overwhelming place in the "element finding" process. Drawing on research by Richard Wiseman regarding how people who consider themselves to be 'lucky' vs. those who would define themselves as 'unlucky', Sir Ken points out the four principles that characterize 'lucky' people in that they tend to:
 * //maximize chance opportunities//
 * //be very effective at listening to their intuition//
 * //expect to be lucky (thus creating self-fulfilling prophecies)//
 * //attitude that allows for the transformation of 'bad luck' to 'good'//

This research then leads to the understanding that in creating a passionate life involves a willingness to open ourselves to new opportunities and making a conscious effort to look at situations in a different way (p. 162). In other words, __//reframe//__ antagonistic situations into the positive.

Following a powerful story regarding his experience with polio and how it changed his life, Sir Ken identifies another 'attitude' characteristic and that is __//perseverance//__.

"We all shape the circumstances ad realities of our own lives, and we can also transform them...people who find their Element...know too that our attitudes to events and to ourselves are crucial in determining whether or not we find and live our lives in the Element." (p. 168)

Implications for Assessment: Following the Chat session I was reflecting on the fact that state assessments are given a very powerful profile when discussing student performance. There are many other conversations about student performance that need to be initiated and supported. Putting that together with chapter 7 could encourage us to **reframe** the possibility of assessment conversations with focus on all aspects of assessing student performance, not just the 'new' one. It encourages us to **pay attention to intuition** and **create a culture** of assessment awareness that allows us to expand learning. **Perseverance** matters if we are to come to a conclusion that allows for the teachers and students we serve to meet with great success in the learning taking place each day.

Summary by Julie

In my short-lived time as a professional development coordinator, I have become very interested in mentoring. Chapter Eight struck a cord for me because Sir Ken discusses how a good mentor may be the key to finding our element. As a former classroom teacher, I recall being mentored by several of my teachers, college professors, and colleagues with whom I taught in my prospective districts. It was through their dedication, commitment, and leadership that I learned how to be an effective educator. In a sense, each of them helped shape me into the professional I am today. Mentors make connections with us, and some of those connections stay with us for extended periods of time in our lives. Sir Ken shared that some of our mentors stay with us for decades in an evolving role, while others enter our lives at critical moments, and stay long enough to make pivotal differences in our lives before moving on.

Sir Ken addresses the four roles of effective mentoring in this chapter:

Recognition is identifying skills in others that they may not yet have noticed about themselves. Mentors recognize sparks of interest or delight in others, and help a particular individual drill down to the specific components of the discipline that match that individual's capacity and passion. Recognition is something that all of us need, however, may seldom get. You know you have a good mentor when someone recognizes your full potential, and steps in to help you stretch your potential farther than you believe capable.
 * Recognition**

Encouragement is important for all of us to thrive. Sir Ken points out that mentors lead us to believe that we can achieve something that seemed improbable or impossible before we met them. Mentors do not allow for us to self-doubt ourselves for too long. Nor do they allow us to believe that our dreams are too large for us to attain. Mentors give us hope when hope has been diminished from our own accord. We all have moments in our roles as professional development coordinators that we provide encouragement to others in our daily lives. We have the full potential to encourage greatness that we see in others...leaders, teachers, and students alike! That is what is so rewarding about this professional role that we lead--we can encourage and strengthen a strategy, a thought, a dream, and even a person!
 * Encouragement**

Mentors help lead us toward our element by offering us advice and techniques. They may go even farther and pave a way for us to find our element. Even when we have struggles on our journey, our mentors help us to recover and learn from our mistakes. In our role, we facilitate daily. Conversations. Team meetings. Distance learning opportunities. Workshops. We provide our constituents with advice, best practices, research, and instructional strategies to help them find their defined element. We struggle at times with the overwhelming pieces to the role that we have chosen, and it is through those struggles that we help others learn, discover, and grow. As facilitators, we can be incredibly powerful!
 * Facilitating**

Educators love to be stretched. Sir Ken discusses stretching as a key component in mentoring. A good mentor is one who pushes us beyond our limits. While pushing, they don't allow us to fall into the realm of self-doubt, nor do they allow us to be any less than we are capable of being. Average is never good enough for our mentors. They want us to become more than we believe we can become. As we stretch ourselves as staff developers, we align ourselves to stretch others whose lives we touch. It is not always easy, but in order to do remarkable things, average is not acceptable. I believe that is what is great about our PLN work--we continue to stretch one another in ways we never imagined before today!
 * Stretching**

//Application:// How can ESUs provide their constituents with honoring/recognition of their efforts, encouragement on their journeys, facilitating tough conversations through advice and research-based technique/strategies, and stretching them beyond their limits?

Summary by Toby This chapter interested me as I begin to think more about what may lie ahead for one after reaching the rule of 85. The fundamental question is when has the time passed for one to find their Element?
 * Chapter 9: Is it too Late?**

There is abundant evidence that opportunities to find our element than we might believe. Many people find their passions later in life. Some important points to the chapter include:
 * The Extra Middle Age: Conventional wisdom has put middle age somewhere between 35 and 50, however life expectancy has increased tremendously in our lifetimes and is growing at an accelerated rate. There is much talk about the “second middle age” – after age 50 when one has received a certain level of work accomplishment, children are out of the house and one needs fewer large capital purchases. It is outmoded to think we need to fulfill our dreams by age 30 (unless one is aimed at athletic accomplishments).


 * The myth that life is linear: We often think that life is like a busy one way street – we have no alternative but to keep moving forward. If we missed something the first time we can’t double back and take another look. The stories in the element show that life is not linear – that we can re-invent ourselves at any age.


 * Physical Age vs Real Age: Physical age marks the years since one was born, but is purely relative when it comes to health and the quality of life. Dr. Henry Lodge points out that “70% of all aging is not real aging. It’s just decay. It’s rot from the stuff that we do. All the lifestyle diseases…the diabetes, the obesity, the heart disease, much of the Alzheimer’s lots of the cancers and almost all of the osteoporosis, those are all decay. Nature doesn’t have that in store for any of us. We go out and buy it off the rack”. You can go to realage.com to take a test and see what your real age is compared to the physical age.


 * Keep things plastic: The brains of young children are very plastic and have the ability to dramatically grow new connections rapidly. The brain goes through a pruning stage in which pathways not used are discarded. Recent research indicates that the physical development of the brain is not linear as well. Brains don’t stop developing at age 16 and that we retain a majority of our brain cells throughout life. In addition research indicates that as long as brains are used in an active way, more neural pathways are built- even as people age. Maturity can also be an advantage in finding one’s element; it is especially beneficial when experience plays a significant role, such as in the arts, law, cooking, and teaching. “Too Late” arrives at various times; earlier for competitive sports, maybe never for new recipes.

I think the applications for ESU professional development is that people are never too old to find their way; this might shed new light on alternative certification. I think the personal application is that we can always find the way to our passion - life is not linear - you can go back and try something that passed you by in your youth.

Summary by Lynne

"Education should be one of the main processes that takes us to the Element. Too often, though, it serves the opposite function. . .What do we do about this?"

Recently I had lunch with my doctoral mentor, who is a brilliant chemist with a deep interest in how people learn. We were discussing the state of K-12 education, as well as teacher preparation programs when we brought up a situation with which we were both quite familiar. Several doctoral studies have been conducted on a program called Accelerated Math, and they all show significant student growth in math achievement and understanding. Yet, very few schools use the program beyond one year. He asked me why, since I was involved in a district where the program is available but rarely used. Why? It requires teachers to teach to the individual vs. the group. The program allows students to progress at their own pace, checking for understanding along the way, which means that the teacher has to be prepared for mini-lessons on multiple topics each day. From my experience, most teachers are simply unprepared or unwilling to consistently teach individualized lessons, due to the time commitment and classroom management issues involved.

Chapter eleven of The Element addresses the issues of educating the individual vs. the group through nurturing students' individual interests, connecting content instruction to practical applications and teaching all content areas as equally important and accessible.

Sir Ken includes examples of students who were not identified as talented in school (all of the members of the Beatles, for example), as well as a letter from an art student who laments the strict parameters of creativity enforced by her teachers. He distills three notions to help restore relevance to our educational systems around the world:
 * 1) We need to eliminate the existing hierarchy of subjects in schools.
 * 2) We need to question the entire idea of "subjects."
 * 3) Tthe curriculum should be personalized.

The Element's implications for teaching: Too many reform movements in education seek to make education teacher-proof. The most successful systems in the world invest in teachers. The reason is that people succeed best when people understand their talents, challenges and abilities. Great teachers have always understood that the real role is to teach students, not subjects.

The Element's implications for assessment: The future for education is not in standardizing, but in customizing; not in promoting groupthink and deindividualization but in cultivating the real depth and dynamism of human abilities of every sort.

//Application:// What is the role of the ESU in promoting this fundamental shift in education? What is currently being done, and what could we add to help teachers understand the importance of the elements outlined above?

Update: After studying this chapter of //The Element//, I was spurred on to finally read //Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns//. Wow! I don't think a book has had such an impact on my understanding of the salient issues in educational reform since reading //The World Is Flat//.