Peripheral vision under the hat

Can you see into the future? Are you a "peripheral visionary"? (I am.)

Comedian Stephen Wright used to profess to his audiences that he was such a "peripheral visionary". He would then go on to explain that he could really "see into the future" but only, as he enjoyed saying: "way off to the side."

The future may be "headed" in such a slanted direction, thanks in great part to the work of Edward de Bono and his "Six Thinking Hats" lateral thinking strategy for problem solving.

Peripheral vision and "lateral thinking" are much "on the mind" today as inroads to lead us into higher levels of thinking (Bloom's taxonomy), increase our effectiveness in thought processes, be more efficient in evaluating and solving problems, and ultimately (at least in business), be more productive and profitable. The idea is that by de-constructing human thought into a series of "hats" and trying them on one at a time, we can then be more capable of evaluating how well we can see alternative perspectives, propose lateral solutions, pursue creative insights, and incorporate wider fields of thought into our own. The six hats give us a common reference frame that will serve all members of the group to guide their thought processes together towards an ultimate goal.

I think everyone will recognize some aspects of their thought in each of the hats. I now find myself beginning to evaluate (blue hat) my own thinking in terms of each of the other colored hats of thought that I wear, thanks to the construct of the six-hat structure. Here, it seems, that lateral thinking literally means that "one size" does not "fit all". However, we all seem to have a "favorite" hat...the one that is shop-worn and used more often than all of the others. The beauty of this system, however, is to provide a means to move our thinking beyond one "comfortable" place and into the wider realm that may allow us to grow and learn more than we would otherwise. In this way, it can be a very helpful strategy to facilitate group interaction especially with young learners who have difficulty in either expressing or organizing their diverse thoughts. The hat construct (colored hats) is easily accessible for many young learners, and thus can serve as a perfect framework for group problem-solving, providing a ready-made common reference tool that all of the group members can use to guide their thinking.

Which hat are you wearing right now? White? Red? Black? Through understanding the references to the general nature of thought in each area, the "blue hat" person can quickly shift thinking in needed directions and avoid unnecessary and time-consuming banter and arguments that tend to drag down group discussions. This greatly improves the overall effectiveness of a group interaction and can empower the group members to avoid reductionist judgemental thoughts and instead EXPAND their minds! Thinking laterally through the use of many hats has the potential to OPEN up a large variety of options and that is what is needed for the future!

Through "swapping" hats, each group member has the potential to gain perspective. By shifting thinking into "someone elses hat", we also can gain empathy, understanding, and ultimately wisdom about how and why someone else may think in a certain way about a particular topic or idea. Creating these types of connections through a commonly held and understood construct further cements these relationships, especially for young learners, so that they can move their thinking farther up the ladder of Bloom's taxonomy.

The goal of many teachers should be to have students be not only good thinkers, but also good meta-cognition experts. Through the use of a blue hat to coordinate all of the others and offer a sense of BALANCE to the entire process, an ideal model of a healthy democratic social system is portrayed. In this way, six thinking hats works not only as a thought training system, but also in increasing the value of human interaction within a diverse multi-cultural society! A favorite quote hangs in a frame on my wall: "Great Spirit, Grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." Through using six-hats, the value of each group member is affirmed by NOT directly associating an individual's thoughts with a single viewpoint, but instead allowing the "hat" itself to function as only one aspect of this person's thinking. Thus, to judge an individual due to a singularly-held perspective becomes impossible! Eureka!

So, are you a peripheral visionary yet? Put on each one of these "thinking caps" and see what happens. With my yellow hat on, the future is so bright...I gotta wear shades...(Black hat: to match the hat, of course...)

Smiles...:>

Socrates Final Question

Perhaps, this will show my age, but I recall an old movie with these two guys "Bill and Ted" going on an adventure and kidnapping Socrates for their history report. When trying to communicate with him, they have to "philosophize" with him and dredge up their most philosophical of concepts stemming from an old 1977 rock song by Kansas: we are but "dust in the wind"...dude. It seemed to work for them , but I always wondered what Socrates would really have been like if brought through time to today?

I also tend to wonder how Socrates would respond to his name being attributed to the most popular of seminar discussion formats, the Socratic Seminar. What was HIS last question? Again, I think of the words from another 80's movie (Real Genius)..."I was pondering the immortal last words of Socrates...who said: 'I drank what?'".

The Socratic seminar is a very good strategy for involving all of the learners in meaningful exchanges in order to explore and define a topic or idea. It is very good at eliciting student understanding through verbal expression as well as formative evaluation of relationships and connections that students are making with their previous knowledge. It is also very useful when all students have a good common text to use that is current/relevant to their own lives or futures. (Such as a recent internet or magazine article.) By discussing in open format the meaning and interpretation of text, concepts, or ideas, students not only improve their own understanding, but also their peers as well.

However, students and teachers must be very well prepared as well as understand and abide by respectful rules of engagement during a Socratic Seminar. It is not appropriate for every kind of learning, but is especially helpful where open interpretation and exchange can lead all to a new insight about a particular "text". It may also work well with certain types of complex issues as well as some of those "moral dilemmas" that involve trying to decide upon the least destructive of several evils. (i.e. the best course of action) I think that students who have good reading and speaking skills as well as reasonable comfort level and self-efficacy can respond well to Socratic Seminar. However, those with limited use of the language, learning disabilities, verbal or reading difficulties, or those with emotional/social issues related to the topic may need to be put into a differentiated group when using this type of instructional strategy. Ultimately, the teacher has to consider very carefully how and when to use it, as well as what to do with any students who may not be entirely comfortable in this type of learning situation. The teacher also has to have a thorough knowledge of the text and a plan of questions and possible directions for the ensuing discussion. An exit card strategy for all of the students would also be essential in the planning process to insure that all students will benefit from the knowledge and input from their peers.

In science, the Socratic Seminar is especially helpful when discussing the Nature of Science and current scientific/ethical dilemmas. A good example would be human stem cell research, human cloning, interpretive microbial life (is a virus "life"?), artifical intelligence, evolutionary pathways, and various economical or resource issues such as environmental protection and species extinction. In short, there are many areas where the Socratic seminar could be used in science classes.

For younger students, I have used a short version of this along with a "talking stick" of sorts to allow each student to have a say in the "circle" and see what they think. This usually follows a short story by the teacher about what we are studying and then proceeds around the circle or group by passing the talking stick to various members. Typically, everyone will get the stick once on the first round, then it can be passed back and forth to anyone who wants to talk. I usually conduct this for five to ten minutes with 1st or 2nd graders and then move to an activity.

So, what would Socrates say about his seminar learning format being used today?

I am sure he would have more questions than answers. (and probably decline the offer of any "liquid" refreshment...)

An aside: Could a schizophrenic have his own individual socratic seminar? Who would moderate? What would he most likely conclude?

"Its all Greek to me."

Smiles,

Tim

Questions in a runic rhyme

So, what is it? We ask as we attempt to comprehend the latest artwork from our wee ones. Can't you tell? They say, "its obviously a...."

Questions...always questions...

Are we there yet? When do we eat? What's the meaning of life? What are we having for dinner? What's six times seven?

I used to say that the entire scope of interest for a sixth grade boy could be boiled down to just three questions: 1. Will it explode? (or when will it exlode?), 2. How much did it cost? (or how much will it cost if I broke it?), and 3. What would happen if I ate it? (self explanatory or what if it ate me?)

So, what role do questions play in our lives and what role should they have? Another...age old question...

As a fan of Douglas Adams...it seems natural to start by seeking to find the "ultimate question"...however, Mr. Adams himself seems never to have actually been able to define "it", so once again, this question about a question too must go unanswered. However, an examination of Douglas Adams' answer to the ultimate question: "42" may provide some insight into why questions are so integral to learning for us human types. I think that the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy might provide the ultimate "answer", but to give both the ultimate question and answer at one time would just negate the necessity of purchasing the guide, so Mr. Adams may be illustrating that it just may not possible to contain both ultimates within one universe...However, Douglas' real (quite clever) idea may in fact be to point out that asking questions and seeking or even finding answers are not really the same and should be treated separately. Even he points out in his books that many philosophers are good at asking questions, but don't really know or even expect to know the answers themselves. Indeed Socrates touted himself as one who was good at asking the right questions, but not the expert who could really answer any of them. So, do questions and answers have to go together to have a context and make the "Yin/Yang" of the inquiry process? Insert your answer here: _____? Smile

If we don't get the answers we want, do we say that we've asked the wrong question or a bad question? What, is the difference? Similarly, is a good question necessarily the "right" question or is it merely one that gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling at the time? What is my point...

Questioning, is an art.

It is a technique that requires both skill and practice as well as a certain twinkle of a spark to ignite just the right stuff in those willing to twist their minds through the maze of possibilities. By seeking to expand our knowledge, we often turn expectantly to someone or something and ask: can you make me wiser/more knowledgeable/more capable. Through our questions, we seek to be better than we are currently, to improve our condition, to continue to survive, or to become closer to something greater than ourselves. Yet, all are connected.

Questioning is an admission of our imperfections and ignorances. A continual reminder of our lowly place in the universe of knowledge, but also an expression of our desire to pull ourselves up from the genetic informationally deficient quagmire to a slightly richer one...where, perhaps we can be a bit more than we were previously. Questioning is the red carpeted highway to stardom. Our "ticket" to a better life...or is it?

Are all questions created equal? No. AND Yes. The ability to ask a relevant question assumes at least a minimal common frame of reference, yet still these "irrelevant" questions continue to pop up, float out on the air and some may even get answered...so what does this mean?

It means people are different. It means questions are different. It means the universe may only tolerate this amount of chaos known as "life" only due to the ability of our "sentient" selves to continually seek a new question to ask about the universe itself. Through the stimulation of each and every tendril of inquiry as often as possible, we may, as Stephen J. Gould once theorized, create a "full house" of options to explore. Questioning may be no different than its originator in this. Life created questions. The universe created life (well in one interpretation), so does the universe want to know more about itself? Maybe the answer really is "42"...

Do I actually expect answers to all of the questions above? No.

Do I find myself enriched due to the asking. Yes.

The point: An open-ended question allows for exploration of imaginative and at times infinite possibilities. A closed question does not, unless it leads to another question.

Wisdom comes from knowing that it is not through thinking that we may know all of the answers to our human questions, but instead by knowing that we don't even know all of the questions to ask, and are not ever likely to know all of them, ever.

What is it?

It is a good question, and thank you for asking.

I may not know, but now my world is a bit larger and better because of your question.

There's an awfully large universe out there, plenty of room for more.

Keep 'em coming.

Tim

The Will to Learn

How, do we learn best?

To instill a will to learn, nature provides us all with inherent incentives...needs for our own survival that require our particular species to process information and utilize it to continue our own existence.

Yet, this process is imperfect. We sometimes learn things that we don't really need to know to survive. We also forget important information that may be crucial to us. Some ideas and concepts seem easy to grasp, while others take enormous effort or at least monumental cognitive processing in order to master. The first step to any learning may be the realization that our own personal experience is incomplete. This realization only comes through observation of our environment and surroundings. A set of extrinsic sensual experiences triggers some type of need that leads to exploration. In other words, how can we know that we need to learn unless we have observed that it may be necessary or interesting for us to do so?

So, this external "stimulus", leads to internal processing which then leads to another need to either explore or interact with the external environment again. By doing so, we seem to either elicit a gathering of new information, an expected response, or an unexpected result. Essentially, we have seen a path that appears interesting, it has stimulated our curiousity and now we must explore it! What will we experience on this path? What might lie at the end of it? Will it be something new or interesting? Our imagination is engaged and now we heighten our senses to insure that we gather as much information as we can about this experience. It drives us on in the path. We find a need or a will of our own that presses us to overcome the obstacles or challenges necessary to accumulate these new experiences. Essentially we have an existential NEED to learn what may come next.

This need to learn is perhaps heightened by the LACK of experience. Children often seem insatiable in their questioning and need to learn more, but adults may not be such enthusiastic questioners. For, as we age and accumulate more experiences, our will to learn may even fade a bit. We grow "jaded" or "tired" of pushing ourselves only to find the same or quite similar experiences along the way. This may then explain the very common human interest in novelty. Why do we travel? Why do we shop? Why do we constantly seem to seek out that "perfect" cup of coffee? or why do we "rubberneck" the latest auto accident on the highway? Do we crave novelty so much due to our interest in learning something new or is it because it provides a basis for the generation of new questions? Once we reach the end of the path...we see a beautiful lake. Do we ask what's in the lake or do we turn around thinking its just "another lake" like all of the others we've experienced? Does open-mindedness and a willingness to ask questions color our experience so much that it may not just deny opportunities through our actions, but actually interfere with them? (Political arguments about conservatives vs. liberals excepted...) To insure our own existence, might it be necessary to continue to cultivate this "will to learn"? (the subject of another post...probably later.)

Questioning may be the key, for as we train ourselves to continuously ask questions, we provide ourselves with more opportunities to learn. This process occurs in many formats: in

groups or in solitude, listen or watching, discussing or interacting, doing or sensual perceiving. A stream of input experiences feeds the human brain in a variety of ways throughout our life. (Whether we have TOO much input is again, a subject for another post...OVERSTIMULATION...) However, we all have our individual preferences for input and questioning. Personal combinations of learning styles, interface modes, interactive processing needs, and intra-active personal reflective processing needs shape our interest, perception, and need to question. Ultimately, this means that a "good" teacher should address as many of these input strategies as possible to insure that the will to learn remains high for all.

How do we keep our will to learn? By chasing rainbows, reaching for the outer edges, pushing ourselves past the comfort zone, and ultimately, by asking questions and seeking the answers, not because they are "assigned", but because they provide some new interest or insight that will enhance and enrich each others existence.

I don't actually recall, but I think it was Ben Franklin who said to "try something new every day. "

In any event, I would not only agree, but also say to ask a probing question about it too.

Tim

"Even if the universe is infinite, we must expand our minds and attempt to fill the void."