According to Science Daily:“When it comes to intelligence, the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts. A new study co-authored by MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Union College researchers documents the existence of collective intelligence among groups of people who cooperate well, showing that such intelligence extends beyond the cognitive abilities [...]
Jeremy Rifkin is a best-selling author and one of the most popular social thinkers of our time. In his book: The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis he presents a picture of our current civilization and questions the future if, in fact, citizens of the world do not become [...]
If we care about the education of today’s youth it behooves us to take adult learning seriously. We adults can learn our way into the future or we can hold onto the status quo in our classrooms/schools or we can defer to the massive network of sales people promoting a multitude of educational products. I [...]
Most of us would likely agree that it is pretty easy to think with people who hold about the same set of thoughts we hold. Yet, truly thinking with others means thinking with those who might look at things very differently from you. When you effectively engage with others who think differently than you, you [...]
I have had the good fortune to both write the foreword and contribute a chapter for this Teachers College Press book. The Foreword focuses on the value of “thinking together”. The chapter I wrote is titled: “Creating and Influencing Momentum: The Challenges and Power of Adults Thinking Interdependently”. Additionally, I work with Patricia Reeves with [...]
I have been thinking a lot about what is takes to help adults develop the skills, dispositions and knowledge to intentionally think interdependently. Below, you will find some of my thoughts. Qualities of Effective Collaborators Actions to Positively Impact Your Skills Appreciate the nature of adult learning Learn from or revisit the work [...]
As I read the introduction to Stephen Johnson’s new book, Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age, 2012 I find myself thinking about the interconnectedness of today’s outcomes to the work of many in the years past. In the process of setting up his book, Johnson retells about the story of the [...]
Appreciate the nature of adult learning Embrace the uniqueness of each adult and interact in ways that sincerely appreciate and connect with the individual Celebrate the fact that your work requires effectively listening to and understanding the individuals you serve so that you can help them identify and connect with their specific growth Respect [...]
Turning over public assets, disregarding teachers voices and placing products (tests) above all else is, from my perspective, misguided policy. We all need to stop and think about what we want for our children and [...]
I believe that the issues we face today regarding the economy, educating our youth, reducing poverty, developing the good health of our citizens and many others issues are complex. I also worry that many of us are looking for simple answers to complex realities. I think our ability to stay engaged with tough questions and [...]
Do we want to be part of a society where education truly benefits all? Where education can lead toward upward mobility? Do we want more students learning at higher levels? How can we as a society dramatically increase the numbers of young people who achieve at high levels in language arts, math, science and social [...]
I have been thinking alot about what is takes to help adults develop the skills, dispositions and knowledge to intentionally think interdependently. Below, you will find some of my thoughts. Qualities of Effective Collaborators Actions to Positively Impact your skills Appreciate the nature of adult learning Learn from or revisit the work of [...]
When people gather whether it is to help: a school district that wants to figure out how best to use their technology resources, a state or region wanting to improve the environmental quality of its ground water, or nonprofit wanting to effectively reduce bullying among young people across the nation – the people coming together [...]
As I reflecting upon being in India I am reading and thinking about Gandhi and his contributions to India and to the world. Gandhi talks about the importance of connectedness between and among people. He says, “Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal [...]
Block asks the question, “How are we going to be when we gather together?” This is a crucial question. My answer is that adults need to intentionally develop abilities for thinking interdependently. We must actively deploy these skills to effectively work, listen and think with each other. It is our shared responsibility to engage with [...]
As I reflecting upon being in India I am reading and thinking about Gandhi and his contributions to India and to the world. Gandhi talks about the importance of connectedness between and among people. He says, “Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being. [...]
Ted-Education’s Channel has begun. Please watch this short video and share it with your teachers. This is a resource waiting to be put into action for all learners to benefit. Once you have watched the overview watch any of the 16 example lessons they have posted under the current five categories of: Awesome Nature How [...]
The leadership authors and researchers, Kouzes and Posner wanted to learn about the behavioral dimensions admired leaders earned. Kouzes and Posner asked people to give them specific examples of what the leaders they admired the most did to gain their respect, trust, and a willingness to be influenced. How did they behave that help them [...]
How might all individual students be served if schools, families and communities were to strengthen a shared commitment directed toward the goal of: Schools should be places where all students can and do learn? a student who was highly stimulated with language, social, emotional, nutritional and physical opportunity from ages of 0 to five, a [...]
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in the Morehouse College newspaper The Marion Tiger in the January – February issue of 1947 about his concern for what it means to be truly educated. Among his comments were these: “To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded [...]
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