I love when required reading for classes is relevant and applicable,
not just to class, but to life. This is one of them. In my
undergrad, the "textbook" for one class was Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People by Stephen Covey. I would put The Art of Possibility in
the same category. One of the points that stood out to me was the 9 dot
puzzle. This teaches us to think outside the box, both literally and
figuratively. Literally, it must be done to solve the puzzle.
Figuratively, to apply to life. Challenges can't always be solved within
our (self-imposed) confines. We must expand our thinking to eliminate
problems and create opportunities.
The Give an A principle also stood out to me. It's a
different way of thinking about things. It's not comparing people, but
about thinking positively about possibility. The text mentions chipping
away excess to reveal statue inside. I thought Mr. Zander's story about
his class at New England Conservatory where he gave them all A's and they had
to explain what they did to earn it was a really neat concept. It's
interesting to take competition and comparison out of the equation
completely. It's about self improvement. The topic of grades is an
interesting one, and I'm sure many of us would have varying opinions, but
having a background in music, I can relate to what Mr. Zander is saying.
Isn't that what playing music is all about? Improving. We make it
about competition, but it's not what really matters. I think this can
apply to all subjects. To a certain extent, I think letter grades
shouldn't really matter. As long as students are learning and improving,
that's what we, as educators, should care about. This ties closely with
the next point that stood out to me which was how we view mistakes.
Zander mentions saying "how fascinating!" when a mistake is
made, which I thought was funny, yet very true. Every mistake is an
opportunity to learn and improve.
Lastly, the idea of being a contribution was one I found
interesting. I think it's an important outlook to have on life.
It's not so much about success or failure, but contributing-you are important
and make a difference!
Dana,
I am also glad this reading was relevant to life. One way or
another we all have problems small or large and we have to find a solution to the problem by thinking of the possibilities that will assist in solving the problem. We are
unique and we have to think about ourselves. We are the ones to make decisions by
thinking outside the box. Our lives are puzzles and we have to use our thinking
to develop our possible solutions. Your statement “Every mistake is an
opportunity to learn and improve”, is a way to learn from life to make a better
life. The whole idea of the readings is that it is all about I, YOU and ME.
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