Not Only a Hammer

Cognitive flexibility is what is generally referred  to as “out of the  box thinking.” It is the ability to find multiple solutions to problems, analyze them and find what truly is the best one. Cognitive flexibility allows people to apply what they already know to new situations (Tough 114). In his book Think Again, Adam Grant refers to this as “scientific thinking” (Grant 2021, 20). Whatever the term, it is a way of approaching the world in that the first idea is not the best idea. Steven Johnson says one’s best idea doesn’t come until the 26th idea. Taking the time to conceive of that many ideas  takes some cognitive self control, where one doesn’t jump to the first solution that they may always rely on, the time worn “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” sort of thinking. Sometimes the best solution is hidden by that hammer. In one activity created by the Stanford d.school, they  recommend including a dinosaur or an alien into one of the solutions, to expand the possibilities. 

Recently, I have begun to take it to a different place and think about, in the future, What will I hate, or at least be frustrated by with the solution in the future. Especially when I am building something. Unfortunately, I have created many things that frustrate me everytime I use them or think about them--sometimes to the point where I wish an actual dinosaur were available to make the changes I need.

Grant, Adam. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know. Viking, 2021.

Tough, Paul. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

Infinite Education: Learn How to Learn

 To make the Arete Academy and education itself resilient, it must be relevant now and in the future, and our message about the infinite nature of what kids will learn needs to be shared using consistent language that also coincides with our brand of exploration and creativity. Simon Sinek, author of The Infinite Game, discusses how railroads' finite vision of themselves caused them to ignore the emergence of cars and trucks as the major means of transportation rather than seeing themselves and their purpose as moving people and goods and creating their own non-rail vehicles. . The music industry fought streamed and digitally accessible music rather than figuring out how they could spread the artistry and message to as many people as possible (Sinek 2019, 45). Any of these established industries fought challenges to their supremacy and ignoring or denying they were losing their grip on their field. 

Like the railroads 80-100 years ago, in the face of virtual learning, education is missing out on defining what it is truly about and seizing that message to create a new way of thinking about it. The question used to be “what is the purpose of school?” After a year of students learning from home, especially with students having devices and a strong wi-fi signal, learning, the new question should be “what is the purpose of coming to school?” After students were at home for the months of October and November 2020 learning in a real-time at home setting, upon their return it became apparent that, as Suzette Weisgerber, social studies teacher in the Arete Academy at Neenah High School stated, it is to “feed their soul.”  The interpersonal connection that they had taken for granted throughout their school lives had been removed, which left only the learning. Throughout  their years of school, students have come to equate learning and school. When asked “do you like to learn,” most kids say no because they see “learning” only happening in school and do not recognize that they are learning machines, constantly taking in information and creating new knowledge. At this point schools and the education system are missing out on the fact that their infinite game is in guiding  students to learn how to learn.  It is no secret that almost anything one wants to learn is accessible to anyone with the internet through a variety of sources.

Sinek, Simon. The Infinite Game. Penguin Business, 2019.