This past week, I picked the book Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner. After reading the first two chapters, I have realized this book is centered around different ways American society and education systems can change their habits and systems to increase innovation and lead to a stronger economy. Wagner continues to argue that innovation is the number one catalyst for a better economy, and points to many examples of how new ideas lead to prosperity. Wagner also focuses on the next generation, the "Young People Who Will Change the World" as it says on the cover. He uses the word "twentysomethings" to describe this next generation, a group he says was born thinking differently- a group who wants to make an impact now and not in 20 years. One piece of the book that i thought was interesting was that he tried to be "innovative" by placing Microsoft tags throughout the book that would create hyperlinks on smart phones. He had teamed up with a younger entrepreneur who helped him with this technology, but when i tried to access the links with my phone, they all were no longer active. Pretty ironic since the book was published in 2012.
One piece of the book I though was interesting so far was the three pieces necessary to create creativity. This idea was no his, he was just adding his own insight to an article written by Dr. Teresa Amabile, the director of research at Harvard Business School. Amabile argues the three pieces to creativity are Expertise, Creative Thinking Skills, and Motivation. She believes expertise and creative thinking skills are more knowledge based- something taught so an individual can ask the right questions. She believes motivation, however, is the most important of the three because it is what creates the passion and drive to become an innovator. She argues there are two types of motivation, external and internal, with internal being much more efficient. Lastly, she argues that in order for an individual to have an internal motivation to create innovation, they need to experience play, purpose, and passion. Wagner doubles down on these statement, showing that when our next generation are taught to play, ask questions, and stick with what they believe in when they are young, our next generation will be more innovative than ever before. And I agree 100% with those findings. I see first hand that the students with the most creativity are the ones who are not interested in getting the right answer, but the process to get any answer. I wish i was more creative sometimes, and I believe it is partly from my childhood of focusing on getting good grades instead of the knowledge itself. Some interesting stuff. Good book so far.
Ben: Your final comment is the most poignant: by learning to be so successful in school, you've also put aside the one skill that you'll most need to be successful in the future. It can be regained (!), but it pains me that getting it right has been prioritized over playing around and seeing what's possible. What I like about your group's $200 plan is that you're making something that doesn't already exist (at least at BHS). that's a good step in the creative direction.
ReplyDeleteKeep your eye out for how this book described the creative process and creative skills. I'd love to hear more about this. I think that he's right that creativity can and should be taught...but we have to figure out how to do this.