OK, for starters I should set the record straight: I did not secure a huge gift to cover Pink's honorarium. Nor did I discover the "magic ask" that would entice him to help me train my staff pro bono. It's actually much better than that.
Over the summer, I have been catching up on books that will enrich me professionally in areas like marketing, pedagogy and finally, books with big ideas. Pink's A Whole New Mind was on my list, and proved for more useful than some of the "practical titles" (like Facebook Marketing in Thirty Days).
For those just connecting with Pink, he argues that such left brained, technical skills as calculation and memorization will become less important as information is more accessible. In the marketplace, creativity increasingly distinguishes products which are valuable...as opposed to merely useful. (Hint--the big payoffs are in the value department!) In the coming decades, it will be easy to find engineers, lawyers or accountants, but difficult to find people who can collaborate effectively, energize communities via compelling stories or design objects that are artistic as well as functional. People who can work in teams, inspire others or create beauty will be the success stories and captains of industry in the coming era, which Pink declares to be the era of right-brained thinking.
Pink's discussion of design left a powerful impression. Briefly, he suggests that in a marketplace where functional objects can be produced easily and cheaply, new products will have to inspire us with their form, their balance...their soul. Utility and cost won't motivate us as much as the characteristic that Pink describes as "design." Most importantly, Pink reminded readers that good design in experiences was just as critical as objects. Experiences should be coherent, have a logical flow and should leave participants feeling energized.
As a Head of School, I spend most of my time invested in the creation of experiences. But how did those experiences rate for the quality of their design? My draft schedule for faculty orientation and in-service week soon became exhibit "A." How well was it designed? Looking past the schedules and time charts, I gave my left brain a brief furlough, and I took Pink's dicta to heart. How well did the experience flow? Was it elegant? Would it leave my teachers inspired...empowered...or merely tired? A few changes were in order. First, I added a barbecue at my home. The coming year would be full of work. Even before the work began, it was a good idea to say "Thank you," and "I appreciate your efforts." From there I got bolder.
A core target of my school's new strategic plan was the objective of increasing both academic quality and perceptions thereof. My own, personal objective for our faculty was to move them slowly away from a pedagogic style that had become overly frontal and mimetic. The majority of my staff are veteran teachers with superb instincts and a real desire to continue their professional growth. They can definitely succeed in making this shift. During the coming year, we will work from rubrics that will allow faculty themselves to rate the quality of their teaching based upon a number of standards... And here is where Pink came knocking.
I had planned to begin our faculty week with the first of several sessions devoted to "New thinking in teaching and learning." (Read: The head of school preaches about which latest, greatest trend we will chase this year). I had articles selected, reading assignments and homework ready to assign. But then Pink tapped me on the shoulder and asked "If your ideal is constructivism, then why preach? Let faculty discover things on their own. How can you structure a learning experience that will bring them along?"
So here is what we are doing instead, now that I've re-written our plans. Our opening session will ask that faculty divide into groups, with the task of describing educational practices and student outcomes that show evidence of excellence. It will not be until the second day of staff training week that I hand out articles from the Harvard Education Letter about group work, Brooks on the constructivist classroom and, ultimately, a chapter of Pink's book. With Dewey in mind, as well, I will let the hands-on experience of group work come before any theoretical discussion of how to manage a project-based classroom or individualize assignments based upon student interests. By the time we get to theory, my faculty will have discussed the pros and cons of how to make instruction better on their own. And before the first classroom assessment rubric is set to draft, faculty members will have gained ownership of our larger press towards higher levels of quality. After all, they are the ones who are going to write the rubrics--not me.
So here is how Pink came to speak during faculty week. From the very outset, he reminded me that the soft skills of collaboration are on par with technical expertise. That elegant outcomes deserve artistic solutions. And that knowledge, without being activated within human networks, is all but useless.
OK, I confess, I still wouldn't pass up on the opportunity to have Pink speak with us in person. At the same time, I believe that a room filled with the sound of teachers arguing, discussing and collaborating will ultimately serve us better than a space in which the same faculty merely listen.
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