 Show Ever find yourself doubting whether you are creative? Many people assume that creativity is a rare commodity that someone is either born with or not and that it is reserved for the elite among us: artists, writers, and composers, or the likes of Miles Davis, Steve Jobs, or Frida Kahlo. Everyone has the capacity to generate novel, original, clever or ingenious products, solutions, and techniques—if that capacity is developed. Research shows us that we are all born with the capacity to push the boundaries of our thinking. One of the greatest joys of early childhood is to witness students as they discover the world. Everything is new and wondrous at this age. Kids have imaginary friends, create cities with their blocks, pretend they are superheroes. However, as students get older they become more concerned with being correct or being judged for their ideas. They often start to question their capacity to create, imagine and innovate. When we are building the capacities for creating, imagining, and innovating we are skillfully learning how to push the boundaries of our thinking. Imagining is generating new ideas without concern for the possible. Creating is giving form to ideas with the goal of taking something that is possible and making it come to life. Innovating is taking an existing system or idea and making improvements — perhaps focusing on simplicity, improved effectiveness, or beautifying its form. These capacities can be developed in students in small moves as well as in more formal products or creations. Some of these strategies might help them build their skills:
Many people assume that creativity is a rare commodity that someone is either born with or not and that it is reserved for the elite among us: artists, writers, and composers, or the likes of Miles Davis, Steve Jobs, or Frida Kahlo. Everyone has the capacity to generate novel, original, clever or ingenious products, solutions, and techniques—if that capacity is developed. Research shows us that we are all born with the capacity to push the boundaries of our thinking. One of the greatest joys of parenting is to witness young children as they venture out to discover the world. Everything is new and wondrous at this age. Kids have imaginary friends, create cities with their blocks, pretend they are superheroes. However, as your children get older they become more concerned with being correct or being judged for their ideas. They often start to question their capacity to create, imagine and innovate. When we are building the capacities for creating, imagining, and innovating we are skillfully learning how to push the boundaries of our thinking. Imagining is generating new ideas without concern for the possible. Creating is giving form to ideas with the goal of taking something that is possible and making it come to life. Innovating is taking an existing system or idea and making improvements — perhaps focusing on simplicity, improved effectiveness, or beautifying its form. These capacities can be developed in your child in small moves as well as in more formal products or creations. Some of these strategies might help them build their skills:
Many people assume that creativity is a rare commodity that someone is either born with or not and that it is reserved for the elite among us: artists, writers, and composers, or the likes of Miles Davis, Steve Jobs, or Frida Kahlo. Everyone has the capacity to generate novel, original, clever or ingenious products, solutions, and techniques—if that capacity is developed. Research shows us that we are all born with the capacity to push the boundaries of our thinking. When leaders build the capacities in their culture for creating, imagining, and innovating, they are skillfully learning how to push the boundaries of everyone’s thinking. Imagining is generating new ideas without concern for the possible. Creating is giving form to ideas with the goal of taking something that is possible and making it come to life. Innovating is taking an existing system or idea and making improvements — perhaps focusing on simplicity, improved effectiveness, or beautifying its form. Leaders also model that behavior as they take risks and push the boundaries of their perceived limits. Efficacious leaders inspire themselves and others to:
Many people assume that creativity is a rare commodity that someone is born with or not and that it is reserved for the elite among us: artists, writers, and composers, or the likes of Miles Davis, Steve Jobs, or Frida Kahlo. Everyone has the capacity to generate novel, original, clever, or ingenious products, solutions, and techniques—if that capacity is developed. Research shows us that we are all born with the capacity to push the boundaries of our thinking. Your brain is always looking for something that it didn’t know before, that’s not being taught to it, and to find a way to figure something out: that is creativity. When you are building the capacities for creating, imagining, and innovating you are skillfully learning how to push the boundaries of your thinking. Imagining is generating new ideas without concern for the possible. Creating is giving form to ideas with the goal of taking something that is possible and making it come to life. Innovating is taking an existing system or idea and making improvements — perhaps focusing on simplicity, improved effectiveness, or beautifying its form. These capacities can be developed in small moves as well as in more formal products or creations. Some of these strategies might help you build your skills:
The culture of the home, the school, the workplace changes dramatically when all members lend their mental activity to each other by taking the time to really listen to what the other is saying and provide emotional support through empathy. As parents, we often feel the need to be protective of our children and, as a result, we want to jump right in and offer advice or fix the problem before we really understand their perspectives. As effective listeners, we need to hold back our own values, judgments, opinions, and prejudices and listen to and stay present with our child’s thoughts. Your intention is to empathize with their struggle rather than actively pulling them out of it. To be a skillful, understanding, and empathic listener consider the following strategies:
“You were surprised…” “…because you were not expecting to be called on.” “You thought she’d call on someone else…” “and you’d prefer it if you knew that you were going to be called on.” Do you struggle to devote mental energy to another person’s thoughts and ideas, putting your own values and judgments aside? Do you rehearse what you are going to say next when someone is talking? When you are listening fully, you are paying close attention to what is being said beneath the words — what others are saying as well as the essence of what is being said. You listen not only for what someone knows, but also for what they are trying to represent through their facial expressions, body language, voice intonation and eye movements. This is a very complex skill requiring the ability to monitor one’s own thoughts while, at the same time, attending to the words of others. As you are listening to another person, these strategies may slow your mind down so that you can hear beneath the words to their meaning:
Leaders spend a significant amount of time and energy listening to others. However, the capacity to listen to another person is a complex, multi-layered skill. Efficacious leaders develop the ability to listen to another person, to empathize with, and to understand their point of view. They are adept at monitoring their own thoughts and simultaneously paying close attention to what is being said. They also observe what might be beneath the words so that they can form a picture of the other person’s emotions and intentions. They employ this as a valued leadership behavior in building relationships and growing innovative practices. Efficacious leaders focus on listening with understanding and empathy by engaging in such strategies as:
Ever find yourself saying, “I hear you” when, in fact, you are not really listening? Ever wonder whether someone is really paying attention to what you are trying to say? Good listening can be difficult because it requires keeping focused on what the other person is saying and not interrupting with your own thoughts. Ears operate at the speed of sound, which is far slower than the speed of light the eyes take in. When you are listening, you are also learning how to become more comfortable with silence so you can slow your mind’s hearing to your ears’ natural speed. You listen not only for what someone knows, but also for what they are trying to represent through their facial expressions, body language, voice intonation, and eye movements. A primary strategy you can use for becoming a better listener is the 3 Ps: pause, paraphrase, and probe. PAUSE
PARAPHRASE
PROBE:
Good listening often leads to even better ideas than the ones inside our heads. How do we use questioning to demonstrate our interest in what our students are thinking? Asking questions and posing problems are signals of your genuine curiosity and commitment to wanting to understand what students may be experiencing. An attitude of curiosity acknowledges that there are usually many different contributing factors to a situation, and that we don’t yet know all of them. Questioning and posing problems pushes everyone to think more deeply about the issue at hand. It requires having a questioning attitude, knowing what data are needed, and developing questioning strategies to produce those data. Continuing to push your thinking using questions (e.g., Why does this problem exist and need solving? What is the real problem here? Am I getting to the root cause? What questions do we need to ask?) often leads to deeper and better questions that become more worthy of attention. If we approach others with curiosity instead of certainty, it is important for us to use an invitational tone when questioning — one that invites thinking. It is easy for a student to feel defensive and shut down rather than feeling comfortable sharing their thoughts. Here are some strategies that invite your student’s thinking: Use tentative language that implies that you do not know the answer to what is being asked:
Use plurals to indicate that there might be more than one answer to the question or approaches to a solution:
Use invitational sentence stems before asking a question to offer a suggestion about the kind of thinking you think would be most helpful:
Asking questions and posing problems can be a signal of your genuine curiosity and commitment to wanting to understand what your family member may be experiencing. An attitude of curiosity acknowledges that there are usually many different contributing factors to the situation, and that we don’t yet know all of them. If we approach an encounter with our family member with curiosity instead of certainty, it is important to use an invitational tone when questioning — one that invites thinking. It is easy for a child to feel defensive and shut down rather than feeling comfortable sharing their thoughts. Here are some strategies that may be helpful to invite your child’s thinking. Use tentative language that implies that you do not know the answer to what is being asked:
Use plurals to indicate that there might be more than one answer to the question or approaches to a solution:
Use invitational sentence stems before asking a question to offer a suggestion about the kind of thinking you think would be most helpful:
Questions act as a catalyst for our brains to change and move forward with new insights, thoughts, and wonderings. Efficacious leaders ask open-ended, insightful questions that can activate an individual or a group’s curiosity to discover new solutions. Curiosity is a powerful motivator. When individuals feel curious, they engage in persistent information-seeking behavior asking questions to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they don’t know. Questions can vary in complexity, structure, and purpose. Efficacious leaders consider posing the following types of questions to engage deeper thinking:
Asking questions and posing problems can be a signal of your genuine curiosity and commitment to a topic. In addition, a question might lead to discovering a problem that has not yet been solved. Sometimes you may not know how to ask a question because you are not yet certain what sort of information you need. You may be asking simple questions without realizing that they are leading to more complex issues. You may be looking for a “right” answer when, in fact, you are exploring a topic. When you ask questions, you are filling in the gaps between what you know and what you don’t know. For example, consider the following categories and related questions to see how it might shape your inquiry:
Where does curiosity come from? Remember when you were little and fascinated by small things such as weeds growing out of cracks in the sidewalk, worms burrowing their way through the dirt, or smells of the ocean? Learning about the ways that your brain gathers and stores information can help as you are learning. All external information gets into your brain through one of these sensory pathways to sharpen mental functioning:
Those whose sensory pathways are more open, alert, and acute often absorb more information from the environment. When you recall information from that experience, the brain reactivates or reconstructs the circuit in which it was stored. The more sensory modalities that were activated, the more triggers the brain has for reactivating the circuit. This suggests that concrete experiences you encounter that activate several of the senses can enhance your recall of the information at a later time. Encourage students to experience the world through as many different avenues as possible. Try using one or more of the following strategies with your students:
Learning about the ways that your brain gathers and stores information can help as you are learning. All external information gets into your brain through sensory pathways to sharpen mental functioning. So often what sticks in our memories is the smell of something cooking in the kitchen or the way the sand felt between our toes for the first time or the color and smell of the first bloom of spring. Most learning comes from the environment by observing or taking it in through the senses. Mathematicians form mental images in their minds to visualize a problem or scenario. Social scientists solve problems through scenarios and role-playing; scientists build models. Engineers use computer aided design (CAD) software; auto mechanics learn through hands-on repairs. Weavers try out combinations of colors and textures to create a design. Musicians produce combinations of instrumental and vocal music. Chefs use ingredients and techniques to experiment with flavors and textures. We deepen our knowledge as we experience more in the world. We gather data from internal sources as well. If you are in touch with your own emotions, you are also in touch with the physical sensations in your body. For example, you know that you are fearful because your heart rate begins to speed up, your stomach clenches, and your hair stands on end. You sense what other people are experiencing or feeling by sensations that arise in our own bodies. All of us are like walking antennae, receiving and registering the felt experience of those around us. Some of us are better at this than others. To accurately register this kind of information requires being in touch with our own emotional responses. Suggestions to help your child gather data with all senses:
Remember the Latin proverb: “Nothing reaches the intellect before making its appearance in the senses” and learn to gather data through all of your senses to enrich your intellect! The brain is the ultimate reductionist. All information gets into the brain through the sensory pathways: gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, and visual. Most linguistic, cultural, and physical learning is derived from the environment by observing or taking in through the senses. It reduces the world to its elementary parts — photons of light, molecules of smell, sound waves, vibrations of touch—which send electrochemical signals to individual brain cells that store information about lines, movements, colors, smells and other sensory inputs. Multi-sensory storage provides better access to retrieve that information. This provides multiple brain pathways that can activate information to meet challenges. Leaders whose sensory pathways are more open, alert, and acute often absorb more information from the environment. They also can gather data from internal sources and like walking antennae, they receive and register the felt experience of those around them. Efficacious leaders strategically draw on gathering data through all their senses by:
Learning about the ways that your brain gathers and stores information can help as you are learning. All external information gets into your brain through one of these sensory pathways to sharpen mental functioning:
Most learning comes from the environment by observing or taking in through the senses. Mathematicians form mental images in their minds to visualize a problem or scenario. Social scientists solve problems through scenarios and role-playing; scientists build models. Engineers use computer-aided design (CAD) software; auto mechanics learn through hands-on repairs. Weavers try out combinations of colors and textures to create a design. Musicians produce combinations of instrumental and vocal music. Chefs use ingredients and techniques to experiment with flavors and textures. We deepen our knowledge as we experience more in the world. We gather data from internal sources as well. If you are in touch with your own emotions, you are also in touch with the physical sensations in your body. For example, you know that you are fearful because your heart rate begins to speed up, your stomach clenches, and your hair stands on end. You sense what other people are experiencing or feeling by sensations that arise in our own bodies. All of us are like walking antennae, receiving and registering the felt experience of those around us. Some of us are better at this than others. To accurately register this kind of information requires being in touch with our own emotional responses.
Have you ever worked to make sense of something new by making an analogy or a connection to something in your past? When confronted with a new and perplexing challenge, making analogies (e.g., “when I see this, it is just like this” or “the way this operates is just like the way XX operates”) or connecting (e.g., “This reminds me of …” or “this is just like the time when I …”) helps people abstract meaning, carry that understanding forward, and apply it in new situations. Students are often fascinated by learning how the brain works. When they know how the brain works to find associations, they may be more likely to seek connections to the topic at hand. These connections help them to understand and remember what they are learning so that they can call upon it in the future. Some strategies students might use to draw forth applying past knowledge could be:
New learning can be challenging and too often we forget what we already know. This happens for our children as much as it does for us. Sometimes we see our children approach a situation as if it is the first time rather than realizing that they may already have some prior experiences that might help them to meet this new challenge. When we ask them to pay attention to what they already know about the topic content and/or strategies they used to solve a problem, they are tapping into their memory bank of learnings. When a child transfers learning to a new situation, they are building their intellectual muscles. Learning is not just an accumulation of isolated facts or skills — it is finding the connections or patterns that paint a bigger picture that is more easily stored in your memory for future use. When your child talks with you about new learning topics, consider asking one or more of the following questions:
When reflecting on the end of a particular task, reflect on questions with your child that will help them to transfer learning to new situations, such as:
New learning can be challenging and we often forget what we already know. This can happen for members of an organization as well as for leaders, especially when faced with volatile and complex issues. When confronted with such perplexing issues, efficacious leaders often draw forth experience from their past. They pay attention to what they already know about the topic and strategies they used to solve past problems as they effectively tap into their memory bank of learnings. Efficacious leaders strategically use this habit by developing metacognitive strategies such as:
New learning can be challenging and too often we forget what we already know. Sometimes we approach a situation as if it is the first time seeing such a problem or task. Using what you already know about the content taps into your memory bank of learnings. In the same way, paying attention to what you know about your process of learning can also be helpful. For example, you may remember how you solved a problem or learned a new skill. Your transfer of that learning to a new situation builds your intellectual muscles. Learning is not just an accumulation of isolated facts or skills — it is finding the connections or patterns that paint a bigger picture that is more easily stored in your memory for future use. We learn from reflecting on and making sense of our past experiences. As you begin any new learning, ask yourself such questions as:
As you are finishing a particular task, reflect on questions that will help you transfer your learning to new situations, such as:
Do you ever give up in despair when the answer to a problem is not immediately found? Do you or your peers ever say, “I can’t do this,” or “it’s too hard?” Do you sometimes write down any answer just to get a task over with as quickly as possible or find yourself easily distracted from a task rather than sticking with it? These are typical problems that we all experience from time to time. What we often don’t realize is that we can be in control of those behaviors—if we want to! Persisting is persevering in a task through to completion and looking for ways to reach your goal when stuck. Students who persist apply strategies to help them stick with it, such as: Breaking the problem apart into steps and accomplishing each step that leads to the final outcome Do you ever give up when the solution to a problem is not immediately apparent? Do you ever say to yourself, “I can’t do this,” “It’s too hard?” Do you sometimes get done with a task in a hurry rather than taking the time to focus on it more thoughtfully? When we have difficulty persisting, it is often because we are dealing with a host of uncomfortable and emotional experiences. We all face this from time to time. It is much the same for our children. What we often don’t realize is that we can be in control of those behaviors—if we want to! And we can encourage this disposition in our families as well. When you recognize that you or a family member is stuck, think about some possible strategies, such as: When you or a family member are working through a problem…
When you or a family member need inspiration…
When you or a family member need a break…
Do you ever give up when the solution to a problem is not immediately apparent? Do you ever say to yourself, “I can’t do this,” “It’s too hard?” Do you sometimes get done with a task in a hurry rather than taking the time to focus on it more thoughtfully? When we have difficulty persisting, it is often because we are dealing with a host of uncomfortable and emotional experiences. We all face this from time to time. It is much the same for our children. What we often don’t realize is that we can be in control of those behaviors—if we want to! And we can encourage this disposition in our families as well. When you recognize that you or a family member is stuck, think about some possible strategies, such as: When you or a family member are working through a problem…
When you or a family member need inspiration…
When you or a family member need a break…
Do you ever give up when the answer to a problem is not immediately found? Do you ever say to yourself, “I can’t do this,” “It’s too hard?” Do you sometimes write down any answer just to get the task over with as quickly as possible? We all have faced this from time to time. What we often don’t realize is that we can be in control of those behaviors—if we want to! When you recognize that you are stuck, think about some possible strategies, such as: When you are working through a problem…
When you need inspiration…
When you need a break…
You no doubt have many strategies that you’ve used when you were committed to achieving an important goal. It may be helpful to keep your own list of ideas and share with others. Keep telling yourself to hang in there and stick to it. Do you ever find yourself fixed in your way of looking at a problem? Perhaps you, or someone you are working with, stops thinking and just says, “my mind is made up, don’t confuse me with more facts.” Have you ever known someone who has difficulty in considering alternative points of view? Thinking flexibly is part attitude (openness to a new idea) and part action (knowing how and when to expand horizons and consider using new ideas and information). Flexible thinkers’ minds are open to additional information or reasoning, even if it challenges existing beliefs. They know what they know and see the need to open themselves to other options and alternatives to consider. They are able to work with people from different cultures and who represent diverse perspectives because they recognize the distinctness of other people’s ways of experiencing and making meaning. They can draw upon a repertoire of problem-solving strategies and practice style flexibility, knowing when it is appropriate to think broadly and globally and when a situation requires detailed precision. Work with your students to think more flexibly by asking themselves:
We are living through a rapidly changing environment and it is likely to continue to be the case for our children. As parents, we recognize the need for our children to learn how to think flexibly, adapt to new situations, and build their capacity to change their minds when they receive new or additional data. Thinking flexibly is part attitude — our openness to new ideas — and part action — knowing how and when to expand our horizons and use new ideas and information. We want them to know when to think broadly and when to focus on details. When our children are confronted with problems or challenges, we encourage their creative and novel thinking. As they make difficult choices, we want them to consider possible intended and unintended consequences. How are you helping your child to develop their capacity to think flexibly? For example:
When your child feels confused or uncertain, help them tolerate the ambiguity of the situation. Encourage them to trust their instincts and continue working creatively and productively. Give them the support to take a chance and try something new or different. We are living through a rapidly changing environment and it is likely to continue to be the case for our organizations. Thinking flexibly is part attitude — our openness to new ideas — and part action — knowing how and when to expand our horizons and use new ideas and information. As leaders, we recognize the importance of adapting to new situations and building the capacity to change our minds when we receive new or additional data. Leaders determine when to think more broadly and when to focus on details. When confronted with problems or challenges, they encourage creative and novel thinking. Efficacious leaders think flexibly by asking metacognitive questions as:
Do you ever find yourself fixed in your way of looking at a problem or understanding others’ perspectives? You may need to think more flexibly. Flexible thinkers stay focused on the challenge at hand, draw upon a range of strategies, and know when to think more broadly or when to zero into a more detailed view. Flexible thinkers have the capacity to change their minds as they receive additional data. They create and seek novel approaches and consider possible intended and unintended consequences. How are you developing your capacity to think flexibly? Can you:
Try asking: If I were _______ (this person), how would I feel? What can I learn from someone with whom I disagree?
Try asking: As I consider this plan, what are my long-range goals and what immediate steps must I take to achieve them?
Try asking: What are the rules that I need to be mindful of as I design a solution? How would someone else look at this plan? Tolerate confusion and ambiguity because you believe that they can figure it out? They are willing to let go of a problem trusting their subconscious to continue working creatively and productively. Try asking: What are some alternative solutions to this problem? Do you ever find yourself talking to yourself? How do you take note of what is going on inside your head? Thinking about your thinking is something that we all do, even if we are not aware of it happening. When we become more metacognitive, we grow our inner awareness by becoming more self-observing. It is our ability to plan a strategy for producing what information is needed, to be conscious of our own steps and strategies during the act of problem-solving, and to reflect on and evaluate the productiveness of our own thinking. Planning a strategy before embarking on a course of action assists us as we keep track of the steps in the sequence of planned behavior at the conscious awareness level for the duration of the activity. It facilitates making temporal and comparative judgments, assessing the readiness for more or different activities, and monitoring our interpretations, perceptions, decisions, and behaviors.
Thinking about your thinking is something that we all do, even if we are not aware of it happening. It’s when we talk to ourselves as we are thinking through a challenge. As parents, we sometimes observe that our children are unaware of their own thinking while they are thinking. They seldom plan for, reflect on, or evaluate the quality of their own thinking. When asked, “How did you solve that problem?” they may reply, “I don’t know, I just did it.” They are unable to describe the steps and sequences they are using before, during, and after the act of problem solving. They cannot transform into words the visual images held in their mind. You can coach your children to become more aware of their own thinking and describe what goes on in their heads when they think.
Metacognition is the uniquely human capacity to monitor and control our cognitive processes and mental habits. It is our ability to know what we know and what we don’t know, to plan a strategy for producing what information is needed, to be conscious of our own steps and strategies during the act of problem-solving, and to reflect on and evaluate the productiveness of our own thinking. Efficacious leaders are increasingly attentive to their own behaviors and actions and the effects of those actions on others and the organization’s culture. Thoughtful leaders plan for and evaluate the quality of their own thinking skills and strategies. Efficacious leaders use metacognitive practices, such as:
Thinking about your thinking is something that we all do — a way for us to become more aware of our thinking and, as a result, take charge of it. When we talk to ourselves as we think through a challenge, we are using metacognition. For example:
In each of these instances, the individual is aware of their thinking in relation to their performance — either before the performance when planning, during the performance when they are monitoring, or after the performance when they are modifying for the next time. In other words, they are thinking about their thinking. You can use your brainpower to create a cycle to improve your thinking. As you become more aware of it, you are more able to take charge of your thinking. This metacognitive capacity distinguishes us from all other living things — to plan and execute a strategy, to monitor your own steps, and reflect and evaluate how it went. Try it next time you are faced with a challenge and you are not sure what to do. Think strategically by asking:
Anyone can become a stronger thinker by using metacognition to handle more complex, creative, and interesting challenges in school and in your life. What did the green grape say to the purple grape? … Breathe! In what ways does having a good laugh affect you? Finding humor has been found to liberate creativity and provoke such higher-level thinking skills such as anticipation, finding novel relationships, visual imagery, and making analogies. People who engage in humor can see situations from a new vantage point or come up with the unexpected. Having a whimsical frame of mind, they thrive on finding incongruity and discontinuities; perceiving absurdities, ironies, and satire; and are able to laugh at situations and at themselves. While they poke fun of themselves and others, they do so with a sensitivity to others’ feelings. They develop a heightened sensitivity to when humor will serve a purpose and when it is a distraction. Take a look at some of these strategies to help your students in developing their capacity to find humor:
Appreciate the element of surprise. Whether you are finding humor or creating humor, every good joke disrupts expectations by changing the momentum of the story. What did the green grape say to the purple grape? … Breathe! Finding humor has been found to liberate creativity and provoke such higher level thinking skills such as anticipation, finding novel relationships, visual imagery, and making analogies. It often helps to engage in humor with our children, helping them to see situations from a new vantage point or come up with the unexpected. And showing your child that it is ok to laugh at themselves when a situation might seem embarrassing. When children are poking fun of themselves or others, we need to remind them to do so with a sensitivity to others’ feelings. Being playful with our children lets them know that life need not be so serious at times. Take a look at some of these strategies to develop your child’s capacity to find and generate humor:
A sense of humor is a desirable trait in leaders particularly in stressful situations to relieve tensions and open up the possibilities for fresh thinking. Humor has been shown to increase our ability to make decisions and solve complex problems—all of which can make for more productive and innovative organizations. Finding humor can liberate creativity and provoke such higher-level thinking skills as anticipation, finding novel relationships, visual imagery, and making analogies. Having a whimsical frame of mind, leaders thrive on finding incongruity and perceiving absurdities, ironies and satire; they find discontinuities and are able to laugh at situations and themselves. When people are laughing with one another, they experience the pleasure of acceptance, an in-group feeling, and bond with one another. Efficacious leaders can develop their own sense of humor through strategies such as:
Keeping your brain active by finding the humor in situations, especially when things are not going well, provides some relief from stress or frustration. Your appreciation and use of humor can help you bounce back from adversity and feel more resilient. Sometimes you laugh at yourself to relieve your own embarrassment. Understanding humor requires thinking flexibly—finding novel relationships, observing oddities in images, and making analogies. When you engage in humor you can see situations from a new vantage point or come up with the unexpected. For example, notice the twist in this one: What is the astronauts’ favorite place on the computer? The space bar! Having a whimsical frame of mind, you can find and appreciate absurdities, ironies, and satire which helps find needed lightness in situations. However, you can be quick-witted yet sensitive to knowing the difference between clowning around and using humor to raise people’s spirits. Our attempt to find humor in a situation needs to be attentive to the context.
Have you ever worried that what you were attempting to communicate would not be understood or appreciated? Or that your effort to add detail might distract the reader, viewer or listener from the main idea? Language and thinking are closely entwined: enriching the complexity and specificity of language simultaneously produces effective thinking. When people strive to communicate, they work to be accurate in both written and oral form by taking care to use precise language, defining terms, using correct names and universally understood labels, and analogies. The following strategies may be helpful for your students to keep in mind when paying attention to thinking and communicating with clarity and precision:
The need for communicating with clarity and precision is more important than ever in our current social climate. We want to give our children access to words they need to express their ideas and feelings. As a society, too often our children are exposed to vague and general terms that interfere with clear and precise communication. They also may hear labels that are hateful or stereotypical. We often use shortcuts such as abbreviations or emojis that don’t push us to describe our thinking. Language and thinking are closely entwined. Like either side of a coin, they are inseparable. Your words represent your mind. When you use fuzzy language, it is a reflection of fuzzy thinking. As you strive to communicate more precisely and accurately, you become a better messenger of your ideas. Instead of using overgeneralizations such as “everybody does it,” you support statements with explanations, comparisons, quantification, data, and evidence. So how can you work with your child to become more skillful in thinking and communicating with clarity and precision? A few strategies include:
Language and thinking are closely entwined. Like either side of a coin, they are inseparable. Fuzzy, vague language is a reflection of fuzzy, vague thinking. Efficacious leaders strive to communicate accurately in both written and oral form, taking care to use precise language, define terms, use correct names and universal labels and analogies. They strive to avoid over-generalizations, deletions and distortions. Instead, they support their statements with explanations, comparisons, quantification, facts and evidence. When leaders plan ahead, they are mentally rehearsing their messages. They think about what the main points are that they wish to convey and how they want to structure their presentation. This is equally true for both oral as well as written communications. Efficacious leaders can employ some of the following strategies to develop clarity and precision:
Do you ever hear your friends, siblings or adults in your life using vague and imprecise language? They describe objects or events with words like “weird,” “nice,” or “OK” rather than telling you more clearly what they were thinking. You might want to know what was “weird” about the movie or why the party was “nice.” They may call specific objects using such non-descriptive words as “stuff,” “junk” and “things.” The problem is that you do not know exactly what the person is referring to—what is the “stuff?” Language and thinking are closely entwined. Like either side of a coin, they are inseparable. Your words represent your mind. When you use fuzzy language, it is a reflection of fuzzy thinking. As you strive to communicate more precisely and accurately, you become a better messenger of your ideas. Instead of using overgeneralizations such as “everybody does it,” you support statements with explanations, comparisons, quantification, data, and evidence. So how can you become more skillful in thinking and communicating with clarity and precision? A few strategies include:
Generalizations, such as “Everybody?” or “All the time?” Check to see if it really is everybody– even your neighbor? or all the time—each and every time? Have you ever had an idea but didn’t follow through because you were more worried about being wrong or feeling foolish? Do you sometimes hold back in situations because you are afraid of losing? Have you ever taken a risk and it was a total disaster? Risk-taking situations require a leap into the unknown. They are typically complex and nuanced, requiring tolerance for ambiguity. People who are willing to take responsible risks accept confusion, uncertainty and higher risks of failure as part of the normal process and they learn to view setbacks as interesting, challenging, and growth producing. However, they are not just behaving impulsively. Their risks draw on past knowledge, are thoughtful about consequences, and have a well-trained sense of what is appropriate. It is only through repeated experiences that risk taking becomes educated. They know that all risks are not worth taking. Encourage your students to take a responsible risk by applying one or more of these strategies:
In almost every culture it seems the stories we love best are those of ultimate triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds: the tale of the ordinary person who dares to try; of the unlikely hero who finds himself in a tough situation and takes on the challenge anyway — not because they are certain to win but because it is the right thing to do. Taking responsible risks calls on us to “venture out,” to attempt more than we thought we could do, and to get out of our comfort zone. However, all risks are not worth taking. When we say “responsible” we mean that it is more of an “educated” risk–through your own experience and intuition, you are making a guess that you can take a chance on this. When our children hold back from taking risks, they may miss many opportunities. For example, they may hold back in games because they are afraid of losing. Their mental voice might say, ‘if I don’t try it, I won’t be wrong’ or ‘if I try it and you are wrong, I will look stupid.’ Their inner voice is trapped in fear and mistrust. Instead, we help our children develop their capacity to live with some uncertainty— to be challenged by the process of finding an answer rather than by avoiding what they don’t know. If they learn how to take a chance, they are likely to find their creative, innovative spirit, and that will help them solve the problems of our complex, rapidly-changing world. Some strategies that might be helpful:
Risk taking is an increasingly critical element of leadership and essential for an organization’s capacity to innovate. Efficacious leaders inspire others to confront fears and challenges based on what they say and what they model in their own behavior. As responsible risk-takers, they do not behave impulsively. Their risks are educated.They draw on past knowledge, are mindful of options, thoughtful about consequences and have a well-trained sense of what is appropriate. When encouraging colleagues to take responsible risks, efficacious leaders consider:
In almost every culture it seems the stories we love best are those of ultimate triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds: the tale of the ordinary person who dares to try; of the unlikely hero who finds himself in a tough situation and takes on the challenge anyway — not because they are certain to win but because it is the right thing to do. Taking responsible risks calls on us to “venture out,” to attempt more than we thought we could do, and to get out of our comfort zone. However, all risks are not worth taking. When we say “responsible” we mean that it is more of an “educated” risk–through your own experience and intuition, you are making a guess that you can take a chance on this. When someone holds back from taking risks, they may miss many opportunities. For example, you may hold back in games because you are afraid of losing. Your mental voice might say, ‘if I don’t try it, I won’t be wrong’ or ‘if I try it and I am wrong, I will look stupid.’ Your inner voice is trapped in fear and mistrust. Instead, you can develop the capacity to live with some uncertainty— to be challenged by the process of finding an answer rather than by avoiding what you don’t know. If you learn how to take a chance, you are likely to find your creative, innovative spirit, and that will help you to solve the problems of our complex, rapidly-changing world. Some strategies that might be helpful:
Are we striving for excellence? Where have we set the bar for ourselves? Are we each putting our best foot forward to push ourselves to make progress toward our goals? The work we produce is a reflection of our character. Striving suggests that we are committed to producing the best that we can at this time in our learning. It means that we are open to feedback because we recognize that striving does not mean error-free or “A” work. People who are constantly striving for accuracy focus on growing their craft through each product: working to attain the highest possible standards and pursue ongoing learning in order to bring a laser-like focus of energies to task accomplishment. They take the time to check over and refine their products, reviewing the rules or constraints they have to follow, and applying criteria to guide their path to quality work. When striving for accuracy, here are some strategies that may be helpful:
Too often we think of accuracy and precision as the end game — we get the “right” answer or complete the task and move on. However, striving is a word that implies continuous effort and caring about your work. No matter how good you are in your performance, craftsmanship requires continuous reworking to grow your expertise. Here are some strategies to consider to motivate you or family members to set goals to continue toward even greater work:
Efficacious leaders value accuracy, precision, and craftsmanship. They take time to check over their products and the work of others by reviewing the rules, models, and visions they are to follow. They also review the criteria to assess where the work currently stands in relation to success criteria. Striving for accuracy does not mean that we must always be perfect. Rather, it means that we value the aspiration to always commit to our highest level of performance in a given situation. When striving for accuracy, efficacious leaders can apply some of these strategies:
What do a ballerina, a baker, a game designer, and a plumber have in common? They all focus on craftsmanship and take the time to refine their products. Too often we think of accuracy and precision as the end game — we get the “right” answer or complete the task and move on. However, striving is a word that implies continuous effort. No matter how good you are at something, craftsmanship requires continuous reworking to grow your expertise. Here are some strategies to consider to motivate you to set goals to continue toward even greater work:
What is the answer to the question,“are we done yet?” Life is a continuous journey of learning. No matter how much we know, there is always something new to learn. It is helpful to show your students that there is humility in saying “I don’t know,” and that we can open ourselves up to the challenge of moving into a new territory. However, this does not necessarily stop with just acquiring more knowledge about a topic. It might also result in helping them expand their networks of expertise. We also might reflect with them on their process of learning — to what extent are they investigating and constructing with an open mind? Remaining open to continuous learning develops an intrinsic joy in learning something new or following an arc of inquiry. It can motivate your students and often provides them with intellectual and emotional satisfaction. Here are some strategies that could guide a quest for learning:
Life is a continuous journey of learning. No matter how much we know, there is always something new to learn. It is helpful to show your child that there is humility in saying “I don’t know,” and that we can open ourselves up to the challenge of moving into a new territory. However, this does not necessarily stop with just acquiring more knowledge about a topic. It might also result in helping them expand their networks of expertise. We also might reflect with them on their process of learning — to what extent are they investigating and constructing with an open mind? Remaining open to continuous learning develops an intrinsic joy in learning something new or following an arc of inquiry. It can motivate your child and often provides them with intellectual and emotional satisfaction. Here are some strategies that could guide your child’s quest for learning:
From an early age, many of us have been taught to value certainty rather than doubt, to give answers rather than to inquire, and to know which choice is correct rather than to explore alternatives. Efficacious leaders overcome that need for certainty and inspire others to be in a continuous learning mode. Their confidence, in combination with their inquisitiveness, allows them to constantly search for new and better ways. They are always striving for improvement, always growing, always learning, always modifying and improving themselves. They seize problems, situations, tensions, conflicts and circumstances as valuable opportunities to learn. Efficacious leaders can develop this disposition through strategies such as:
Life is a continuous journey of learning. No matter how much we know, there is always something new to learn. There is humility in saying “I don’t know,” and open ourselves up to the challenge to move into new territory. However, this does not necessarily stop with just acquiring more knowledge about a topic. It might also result in expanding our networks of expertise. We also might reflect on the process of how I am learning: investigating and constructing with an open mind. Here are some strategies that could guide your lifelong quest for learning:
Have you ever witnessed a young child react to a magician’s sleight of hand, or exclaim in delight over the appearance of a rainbow in the sky? Are you still thrilled at the sights and sounds of a fireworks display? When the world around us sparks our interest and ignites our sense of wonder, we are inspired to learn, to explore, to imagine possibilities. Because every thought and action is accompanied by emotions, they have their origins in the brain. The center for emotions in the brain is the amygdala. Those feel-good neurotransmitters (serotonin, endorphin, dopamine) are released whenever we experience such good feelings as rapture, intrigue, amazement or fascination. But many of us never learn to tap into the source of our passions because we fail to discover what inspires us. Strategies to help provide experiences that trigger that sense of amazement and wonder: Use a visible thinking routine such as See, Think, Wonder to help students understand the power of shared thinking, collaboration, and reflection and how it can spark interest and
excitement in others. The habit of Responding with Wonderment and Awe keeps us intrigued and interested in our surroundings and makes us curious to see and learn more. Moments of magic and wonder can occur when we observe with our children the changing formations of a cloud; feeling charmed by the opening of a bud; being awestruck by the logical simplicity of a mathematical order; finding beauty in a sunset; feeling intrigued by a spider web; or being exhilarated at the iridescence of a hummingbird’s wings. The capacity for wonderment and awe represents the best of humanity, the heights of what we can accomplish through ingenuity, persistence, and cooperation. Strategies to help illuminate experiences with your child that can develop a sense of amazement and wonder:
“Without awe life becomes routine…try to be surprised by something every day.” — Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi Awe is the feeling we have when we recognize that something is amazing. Wonderment fills us with a sense of fascination about mysteries yet unsolved or questions yet unanswered. It leaves us with renewed appreciation of the ordinary objects and events before us. Efficacious leaders find moments of magic and create a sense of open-endedness and revelation in others. They recognize and celebrate the beauty and wonder of the world we live in and let their minds be intrigued by the mystery of the things they cannot yet understand. Responding with wonderment and awe is the habit that makes us ask big questions and inspires fresh thinking. Leadership strategies that trigger that sense of amazement and wonder by:
We all share the capacity for wonderment, awe, inquisitiveness, intrigue, curiosity and mystery. For example, you may have reflected on the changing formations of a cloud; felt charmed by the opening of a bud; were awestruck by the logical simplicity of a mathematical order; found beauty in a sunset; felt intrigued by a spider web; and exhilarated at the iridescence of a hummingbird’s wings. The capacity for wonderment and awe represents the best of humanity, the heights of what we can accomplish through ingenuity, persistence, and cooperation. When the world around us sparks our interest and ignites our sense of wonder, we are inspired to learn, to explore, to imagine possibilities. Strategies to help provide experiences that trigger that sense of amazement and wonder:
“Without awe life becomes routine…try to be surprised by something every day.” — Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi Do you ever find yourself just blurting out what comes to mind? After you say it, do you regret it? Do you find yourself thinking, “I really shouldn’t have said that. It isn’t what I really meant.” Perhaps you find yourself jumping in to do some work before you read the directions. Then you realize that, had you read the directions, you would have known that you did not have to do one thing but you did have to do another. Managing impulsivity means thinking before acting: you work to remain calm, thoughtful, and deliberate when working through a problem or developing an idea. Helpful strategies that can help your students become more intentional:
Have you ever jumped right into working on a problem without reading all of the directions? Did you find that you missed something important and you have to start all over again? Do you ever blurt out ideas without thinking about how what you say might impact people you are interacting with? Have you ever found yourself interrupting someone else’s thinking without considering what the other person meant? These behaviors all point to the need to manage your impulsivity — slowing yourself down to think more about what you are about to do before you do it. The ability to wait, delay gratification, is an important aspect of success in life. How might we help our children to remain calm, thoughtful, and deliberate when working through a problem or developing an idea. Here are some strategies for you or a family member to pay attention to managing impulsivity:
Leaders juggle many demands and feel the urgency to get the work done. This may lead to the impulsive behavior of taking the first suggestion given or operating on the most obvious and simple idea that comes to mind. Instead of responding from that emotional state, efficacious leaders have a sense of deliberativeness. They put the pressure of “getting it done” on hold while they consider alternative points of view and potential impact before taking action. They consider more complex alternatives and consequences of several possible directions. As efficacious leaders work to manage their impulsivity, some strategies that may be helpful are:
Have you ever jumped right into working on a problem without reading all of the directions? Did you find that you missed something important and you have to start all over again? Do you ever blurt out ideas without thinking about how what you say might impact people you are interacting with? Have you ever found yourself interrupting someone else’s thinking without considering what the other person meant? These behaviors all point to the need to manage your impulsivity — slowing yourself down to think more about what you are about to do before you do it. Managing impulsivity means thinking before acting. You work to remain calm, thoughtful, and deliberate when working through a problem or developing an idea. So, what does it look like when you are managing impulsivity? Here are some tips:
How does our interaction with others influence what we are thinking? Human beings are social beings — we congregate in groups, find it therapeutic to be listened to, draw energy from one another, and seek reciprocity. Thinking interdependently means knowing that we will benefit from participating in and contributing to ideas, inventions, and problem-solving. As students collaborate and remain open to others’ perspectives, their thinking can be enhanced by the interchanges with others. Listening, consensus-seeking, giving up an idea to work with someone else, empathy, compassion, group leadership, knowing how to support group efforts, altruism … all are behaviors indicative of those who profit from thinking interdependently. Interdependent people envision the expanding capacities of the group and its members, and they value and draw on the resources of others to enhance their own personal competencies. Here are several questions to openly reflect on and clarify with students as they are learning how to present and justify the ideas, and test the feasibility of possible solutions and strategies as you work toward a common goal.
Thinking Interdependently is collaborating with a sense of purpose and mission. It is the ability to speak up, contribute to the discussion, and to advocate for a particular position or plan. It is also knowing when it is time to take your own plan off the table if it doesn’t seem to fit where the group is going. As we collaborate and cooperate — not just finding a solution but discovering many different ways to approach problems — the power of our thinking is increased exponentially by the dynamic interchanges between ourselves and others in the group. They contribute to a common goal, seek collegiality, and draw on the resources of others. We become more than the sum of our individual contributions and talents. As a family, we adjust to moving from I to we. Working together with your family is more than cooperation. It requires your ability to express your ideas and allow yourself to be open to the ideas of others. Here are some tips to develop thinking interdependently with your family members.
Today, our most pressing problems are complex and multifaceted. They require a breadth of knowledge, insight, and creativity that can only be accessed when people come together and solve problems interdependently. When leaders think interdependently, they collaborate with a sense of purpose and mission. They encourage others to speak up, contribute to the discussion, and advocate for a particular position or plan. They also know when it is time to take their own plan off the table or to make accommodations for others’ or the group’s ideas, goals, or plans. The power of collaborative thinking is increased exponentially by the dynamic interchanges in the group. They contribute to a common goal, seek collegiality, and draw on the resources of others. Efficacious leaders ask themselves metacognitive questions such as:
Did you know that you have a social brain? In prehistoric times, successful hunters and gatherers discovered they had a better chance of survival if they worked together with others. Eventually, the human brain evolved into a social brain where people were thinking interdependently. Interdependent thinkers have a sense of community: “we-ness” as much as “me-ness.” They contribute to a common goal, seek collegiality, and draw on the resources of others. So how do our social brains work in the times we live in now? The world is faced with such diverse needs and problems to solve. We need to seek out and study as many points of view as we can in order to make critical decisions that impact our local, national, and global communities. Working in groups is more than cooperation. It requires your ability to justify your ideas and to allow yourself to be open to the ideas of others. Here are some tips to develop thinking interdependently in any group.
What two mental habits are crucial to critical thinking?Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior.
Which Buddhist concept is related to critical thinking?The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry and judging truth are found in the Kalama Sutra of the Anguttara Nikaya. In Kalama Sutra Buddha emphasized the importance of critical thinking that involves seeing things in an open-minded way.
Are mental categories used to group objects?A concept is a mental category that groups similar objects, events, qualities, or actions.
What produces the single best solution to a problem?Convergent thinking is often used in conjunction with divergent thinking. Convergent thinking is the type of thinking that focuses on coming up with the single, well-established answer to a problem. Convergent thinking is used as a tool in creative problem-solving.
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The cultivation of two mental habits is essential to critical thinking. these habits are
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