#& who Would know? the self knowledge we started this poem with? the shared perspective & observations & discussion between Two?

[unproduciblesmackdown]

poem

[ablanariwho]

My Calling

Your calling shows up in your childhood and keeps coming back throughout your life. Here is how I tried to figure out what is my calling. Creative expression and power of observing beauty in ordinary things On a dark, no-moon summer night I reached the lakeside near my home. One of my uncles, a cousin brother to my father, carried me in his lap and took me there for a little outing. The wavy vertical reflection of the streetlights on the water were the first thing to catch my fancy . “Look, how the lights are melting in the water”, I pointed out towards the lake and told my uncle. I looked around and could not see much in the darkness. I looked up. Though there was no moon, the sky was smog-free, glittering with stars. I raised my little hand towards the sky and pointed at a star, “The sky looks so beautiful. Can you see that star? It is looking like a sparkling dot on the forehead of the sky, like the one mom puts on when she dresses up,” I told my uncle. He noted my ability to express creatively and conveyed the same to my mum after returning home with me. He told her, “Your daughter could be a poet one day.” That was my very first memory about my spontaneous response as a child towards images and nature. When I reflect on it, I realize my inner self connecting with the present surroundings. I see my ability to observe beauty in mundane things. Though blunted by the worries of the world, I do notice some sparkles in my musings even today.

Ability to feel oneness with nature, being in the present I am aware of my natural ability to feel the calming stillness and poignant poise of the universe. The way it cradles the enormous play of contradictory yet complementary forces of life and death, creation and destruction, intrigues me.  As a child, I would find myself playing alone with my earthen and brass toy utensils under the shade of a tree. Yet, I did not feel I was alone. The tree, the butterflies and the bees, the sparrows gave me company. I spoke to them. I felt their lively presence and my oneness with them. Now, I realize, I was so much in sync with nature. After living in the concrete jungle for almost the better half of my life, I still seek oneness. I have not forgotten my relationship with nature – where I come from, where I belong and where I would go back. I do feel it sometimes by looking at the tree outside my window or the indoor plant in my room. Ability to feel the pure joy in the positive energy of life In late-winter afternoons, I insisted to sit outside my home. The local tribal people would come in a flock to sweep the fallen dry leaves. The picture still sticks to my memory. The young tribal women would sweep the spread of crunchy faded leaves into a heap.  Their toned bodies would be wrapped in colorful cotton saris. They wore seasonal local flowers in their hair buns behind their ears. They would sing folk songs in a typical aboriginal tune while doing their work. The men would sing along by way of whistling. They would help the women collect the dry leaves and twigs into a heap and then light it up in a fire. I did not understand what they said to each other while doing their work. Now I know the men would crack some jokes or playfully tease the women and they would giggle and quip back. I watched them with so much wonder and amazement. The smoke billowing up from the burnt leaves wafted in the winter-on-retreat breeze. I would feel a mild burning sensation in my eyes and nostrils. I would still sit there and not respond to my mother calling me out to return home. I would sit there as if as a spectator of the eternal drama of life playing out on the earth. I perceived the whole scenario through all my senses as it was. I keenly watched everything. I felt a pure joy – not induced by any purpose or plan. I stayed there as a part of the scene, without any thoughts or emotions shadowing my sense of being. In retrospect that was the ‘self’, the consciousness as an objective observer. It is present in all. It is independent of  concepts, perspective and perceptions. As we grow, we lose the ability to feel pure joy and happiness inherent in our being. I don’t think as an adult I could retain the ability to tap in that ability. I am again in search of it. At least I am aware of where my happiness lies. You may have more than one calling and develop one or each of them into a successful career or business. My innate attraction to handicraft, writing, storytelling Gradually, I discovered my innate attraction towards handcrafted products. I grew up in a home full of such items. They appealed to my inherent sense of aesthetics. They ignited my imagination with curiosity and care. I liked my mother's walnut jewellery box with Kashmiri floral curving on it. The lacquered wood, bright red, handprinted powder case on my mother’s dresser attracted me a lot. She bought it from Mysore. My mom loved tuberoses. She would organize a few sticks of it in he grey Bidri long neck metal flower vases with slivery inlay work on it. This was from Hyderabad. It would be kept on a Kashmiri,  small teapoy in the drawing-room. There were quite a many items from Kashmir. There was a Kashmiri carved-wood book holder on the bookshelf. The cane center table from Assam sat on a  Kashmiri ‘Namda’ rug.  I was also very fond of the heavy, metal coin box with Bidri work on it from Aurangabad in my mother’s cupboard. I would keep staring at the set of sherbet glasses in the kitchen cabinet in fluorescent colors. The delicate, transparent, animal figurines in handblown colorful glass, decorated our living room shelves. Those were from Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. The crocheted tea coasters and the porcelain tea set in the sideboard were so elegant. I loved my mother’s collection of   marble and sandstone miniatures. She bought them from Puri, Jabalpur and Agra. Then, I did not know those were handmade by artisans from various parts of my country. Later, as I grew up, I developed a curiosity for the products as well as an affinity with their creators. For my line of clothes and interior decoration, I preferred handloom and handcrafted products. I developed an interest in the various crafts of India for its heritage and nature friendly values. The human story element in it, its economic value for rural India and last, but not least, its beauty appealed to me. I ended up trying to be a micro-entrepreneur in this sector. At the same time, I started writing poems. It was around the 7th or 8th year of my life. I co-authored my first poem with my first childhood friend, my namesake too. It was about the current hairstyle of young guys – sort of a comical view on men’s contemporary fashion sense! My second poem was about the moon and the charkha spinning old lady. I would lay flat on my back on the green, slightly prickly grasses of the park behind my home. I would look at the matt white, almost a full moon in the pre-dust, pale blue sky. I read about an old woman who lived in the moon and spun reels of white thread out of heaps of cotton in a fairy tale. I would imagine her working at her spinning wheel while looking at the shadows on that early evening moon. Since then, I have always been expressing my deeper thoughts and feelings through writing. In my adult life, I worked as a professional writer. Right from my early teens, I found my enthusiasm in telling stories. I had the ability to observe, visualize, recall, and represent. Few of my school teachers noticed it. They would deploy me to keep the class engaged by telling my fellow students a story. These qualities came in handy when, later in my life, I worked as a feature journalist, a blogger, and a writer. Ability to think critically and freely During my late teenage, I often found myself debating with my elders. I raised questions on the social and moral educations they imparted. I questioned many things the established system wanted me to believe. I took part and enjoyed the religious occasions for their festive and family spirit. But I could never develop faith in worshipping deities or following rituals. My spiritual thoughts formed in my mind without any formal knowledge. Initially, it did not have any conscious allegiance to any dogma, or ‘ism’. I never hero-worshipped any individual. Be it celebrities, politicians, spiritual gurus, teachers, or social reformers. Rather, I always wanted to learn from or focus on their work, thoughts, and philosophy. It helped me in working on various types of feature stories. Connecting with people through heart Though I was never an extrovert, right from childhood I felt the natural urge to connect to people on the empathetic ground. It helped me to not develop arrogance and pride; it helped me to remain grounded. It encouraged me to be curious about human psychology and behavioral science. Currently, I have embarked on a new journey as a certified Life Coach. My motivation is to help people in their endeavor to live a better life.. The work challenges my evolution as a better version of myself. It involves dealing  with one's own tendencies to be judgmental, biased and egotist.  a helping profession of a Life Coach needs self-study.

Courage, conviction, adaptability, zeal to learn new things and resilience in face of challenge When thrown into challenging situations in life, I found myself wading and surfing through the waves of upheavals. I faced and responded to the demand of the situation. I had my share of slipping off my surfing board. Sometimes I drowned in the turbulent water of adversity. I experienced my and other’s vulnerabilities. I did make mistakes and wrong decisions giving way to more problems. While in my endeavors to make, restore or rebuild things, I ended up breaking a few.  I caused hurt to my loved ones, loss and damage to them. It taught me some practical lessons that everyone should know to be more in control of one’s mind, money and matter. At the same time, it taught me to see life in its larger perspective. It taught me to forgive and give everyone, including myself, another chance. It taught me not to lose faith in the innate richness and healing process of life. I got to know the power of human mind. It constantly challenges me to rise above ego and objectively deal with people and situations. It helps me to evolve. I broke free of my comfort zones. I came out of my marital home, went to court seeking a divorce, raised children as a single parent. I was a homemaker. But I went out, sought and tried different jobs for supporting myself and my family. I did my stints at HR, direct marketing, hotel front desk, home food service, selling saris, IT job till finally I got into my kind of jobs in feature journalism and writing. At every job I learnt new skills, got acquainted with new work culture, came across various types of people. I experienced workplace harassment. Yet I had to deliver what was expected of me. Till the time I got into a writing job, I accepted and tried every other opportunity that came my way. Those were neither  my calling nor I wanted to carve a career out of them. I had to do them to meet the urgent needs of my family during the huge financial crisis. There was no option to plan a career, pick and choose. This expanded my horizon of understanding people and situations from different perspectives. I leant to do it without the temptation of judging them. It helps me in my service as a Life Coach. My energy synergy I have observed bright, sunny, cool mornings energize me the most.  Hope, faith in life-force, urge to work, gratitude peak in my mind during this time. Dusk sees an ebb of energy and agility in me. It feels little depressing during this time. Another day gone from my life, another day closer to my grave makes me feel a bit low at this point. It is very important to spend a productive day.  Being  present in the present helps to beat the blue a crimson sunset brings in. But post evening I find my mind being able to focus on work again, especially writing. Understanding one’s energy synergy helps in aligning his/her work schedule. It boosts  best productivity. My exploration list It contains the things I want to do or would do imagining no constraints or limitations stopping me. Such a list also indicates where our calling lies. Though I prefer to keep it to myself, I will share a couple of things from my exploration list here . Travelling tops it. Next is starting a co-creative learning center and a staycation.

[pursuitofdoctorate]

Cognitive Developmental Theory

Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences 

Scholar Howard Gardner of Harvard University questioned the dominance of intelligence as a single, in born capacity assessed by IQ tests. Instead, he raised the question of how the brain/mind evolved over the course of time to allow the species to survive. 

Gardner completed cross-cultural studies of those who are gifted, autistic, and savants, which resulted in his identification of 9 forms of intelligence: 

Linguistic (writing; language)

Logical-Mathematical (science; math)

Musical (composer; performer)

Spatial (sailor; architect)

Bodily-kinesthetic (athlete; dancer; surgeon)

Interpersonal (therapist; salesperson)

Intrapersonal (keen introspective skills)

Naturalist (recognize & classify patterns of the natural world)

Existential (spiritual world)

These types of intelligences are present in every culture and every individual is talented in some of these intelligences and may have little capacity in others. 

An application of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences would be for educators to allow learner the opportunities to engage in material using one of the multiple intelligences. For example, in teaching math, learners can using their body to form different numbers (kinesthetic), write a song or poem to solve a problem (musical), or use play dough to create geometric angles (spatial). 

Using Multiple Intelligences learning choices make adult learners more confident about taking greater control of their own learning. 

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Piaget laid the foundation for much of what we know about cognitive development. Piaget proposed four age related stages of cognitive development:

Infant (sensory-motor) 

2-7 years old (pre-operational stage)

7-11 years old (concrete operational stage)

12+ years old (formal operational stage)

He first thought the fourth stage was obtained between 11-13, but revised this saying the development of formal operational thought may occur up to the age of 20. 

If these four stages are thought of as playing with a pack of cards:

Infants would take hold of some cards and likely put them into their mouths

4 year olds would sort the cards into patterns such as kings, queens, jacks, etc.

10 year olds would play a simple card game 

Young adults could play a sophisticated card game like poker or bridge 

Piaget has been critiqued for the invariance of his model as well as lack of consideration for context, however, his theory did provide the foundation for work around cognitive development. 

A model which has been heavily influenced by Piaget is Perry’s stages of moral and ethical development which is most often associated with young adults. 

Perry’s Model of Intellectual Development

Source: https://www2.palomar.edu/pages/tjohnston2/files/2019/03/11-Perrys-Stages-of-Cognitive-Development.pdf

The model was developed in the 1960's by William Perry, an educational psychologist at Harvard, who observed that students varied considerably in their attitudes toward courses and instructors and their own roles in the learning process. 

The Perry model is a hierarchy of nine levels grouped into four categories: 

Dualism (Levels 1 and 2). Knowledge is black and white, every problem has one and only one correct solution, the authority (in school, the teacher) has all the solutions, and the job of the student is to memorize and repeat them. Dualists want facts and formulas and don't like theories or abstract models, open-ended questions, or active or cooperative learning ("I'm paying tuition for him to teach me, not to teach myself.") At Level 2, students begin to see that some questions may seem to have multiple answers but they still believe that one of them must be right.

Multiplicity (Levels 3 and 4). Some questions may not have answers now but the answers will eventually be known (Level 3) or responses to some (or most) questions may always remain matters of opinion (Level 4). Open-ended questions and cooperative learning are tolerated, but not if they have too much of an effect on grades. Students start using supporting evidence to resolve issues rather than relying completely on what authorities say, but they count preconceptions and prejudices as acceptable.

Relativism (Levels 5 and 6). Students in relativism see that knowledge and values depend on context and individual perspective rather than being externally and objectively based, as Level 1-4 students believe them to be. Using real evidence to reach and support conclusions becomes habitual and not just something professors want them to do. At Level 6, they begin to see the need for commitment to a course of action even in the absence of certainty, basing the commitment on critical evaluation rather than on external authority. 

Commitment within relativism (Levels 7-9). At the highest category of the Perry model, individuals start to make actual commitments in personal direction and values (Level 7), evaluate the consequences and implications of their commitments and attempt to resolve conflicts (Level 8), and finally acknowledge that the conflicts may never be fully resolved and come to terms with the continuing struggle (Level 9). These levels are rarely reached by college students. 

The key to helping students move up this developmental scale is to provide an appropriate balance of challenge and support, occasionally posing problems one or two levels above the students' current position.

Kegan’s Constructive Developmental Theory

Source: https://medium.com/@NataliMorad/how-to-be-an-adult-kegans-theory-of-adult-development-d63f4311b553

Kegan, a former Harvard psychologist, shows that adults go through 5 distinct developmental stages.

Stage 1 — Impulsive mind (early childhood)

Stage 2 — Imperial mind (adolescence, 6% of the adult population)

Stage 2 individuals view people as a means to get their own needs met, as opposed to a shared internal experience (how we feel about each other). They care about how others perceive them, but only because those perceptions may have concrete consequences for them. For example, when Stage 2 friends do not lie to each other, it is because of a fear of the consequences or retaliation, not because they value honesty and transparency in a relationship. Moreover, individuals follow along with rules, philosophies, movements or ideologies because of external rewards or punishments, not because they truly believe in them. For example, a person in Stage 2 won’t cheat because they’re scared of the consequences, not because it goes against their personal values.

Stage 3 — Socialized mind (58% of the adult population)

In Stage 3, external sources shape our sense of self and understanding of the world. In Stage 3, the most important things are the ideas, norms and beliefs of the people and systems around us (i.e. family, society, ideology, culture, etc. ). For the first time we begin to experience ourselves as a function of how others experience us. For example, we take an external view of our ourselves (“They’ll think I look stupid”) and make it part of our internal experience (“I am stupid”). 

Stage 4 — Self-Authoring mind (35% of the adult population)

In Stage 4, we can define who we are, and not be defined by other people, our relationships or the environment. We understand that we are a person, with thoughts, feelings and beliefs that are independent from the standards and expectations of our environment. We can now distinguish the opinions of others from our own opinions to formulate our own “seat of judgment”. We become consumed with who we are — this is the kind of person I am, this is what I stand for. We develop an internal sense of direction and the capacity to create and follow our own course. 

Stage 5 — Self-Transforming mind (1% of the adult population)

In Stage 5 one’s sense of self is not tied to particular identities or roles, but is constantly created through the exploration of one’s identities and roles and further honed through interactions with others. We see the complexities of life, can expand who we are and be open to other possibilities — we are reinventing our identity. We understand the intersectionality of multiple identities. 

Most adults (65%) never make it past stage 3 to become high functioning adults. 

Drago-Severson’s Four Ways of Knowing

Source: https://learnertoolbox.com/2015/04/23/professional-development-and-ways-of-knowing/

Drago-Severson (2009) cites Kegan’s work on developmental stages of adult development, suggesting that adults have stages of development directly influence how they learn and engage. Unlike Kegan, Drago-Severson views development as cyclicar and not simply linear. 

Instrumental learning - Concrete tasks that are personally relevant require adults to work at instrumental levels. Learning a new subject guide, for instance, is a necessary concrete task. Instrumental learners appreciate guidance in knowing how to apply the principles in a subject guide to their own classroom.

Socializing learners - Collaborative planning and reflection is a social task. Perhaps collaborative planning, for instance on interdisciplinary units and subject overviews help social learners to feel psychologically safe that all in the group are tuned in to the same task with similar goals.

Self-authoring learners - Self-authoring individuals appreciate clear vision underlining tasks. They appreciate opportunities to evaluate for themselves (self-reflection) what they might learn from collaborative situations. They might seek to augment and enhance their own learning through self-chosen PLNs and focus groups.

Self-transformational learners - Transformational learners have the ability to tolerate ambiguity during times systems are incomplete or in progress. They see connections between systems in place to abstractions, paradoxes, and changing continuums. 

In this model, feedback plays a critical role. Additionally, learners need a holding environment to move through the various stages. 

Women’s Ways of Knowing

Source: https://www2.palomar.edu/pages/tjohnston2/files/2019/03/11-Perrys-Stages-of-Cognitive-Development.pdf

The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind “All women grow up having to deal with historically and culturally engrained definitions of femininity and womanhood…” (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule, 1986). A woman does not think or reason like a man nor does she look at those in authority the same way due to her experiences and interactions with parents, culture, and her economic situation. The parental aspect is complex, leading into religious and moral issues along with physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Belenky et al. (1986) conducted a project in the late 1970’s based on the study and analysis of topics and aspects unique to women revealing a model of intellectual development. Overview of Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule Model:

Silence: A woman of silence is totally dependent on those in authority, not questioning or voicing an opinion (Belenky et al., 1986). Expressing her personal thoughts is very difficult as she lives in the present and normally speaks of specific concrete behaviors. A woman of silence usually has experienced physical, mental, or sexual abuse and feels that she is to be seen and not heard. If she should voice her opinion or ask a question, punishment is the most likely result. A woman of silence views decisions as either right or wrong with no room for reasoning. 

Received Knowledge: Belenky et al. (1986) places a woman at the receiving knowledge level if she is listening but does not have the confidence to voice her opinion. As the receiver she will listen and pass knowledge on to others, shaping her thoughts to match those in authority. When asked about herself, the receiver of knowledge will reply with what other individuals have stated, unable to voice her feelings. Abuse is still prevalent in the life of a woman receiving knowledge. 

Subjective Knowledge: About half of those participating in the project were at the subjective knowledge level (Belenky et al., 1986). Something usually happens in a woman’s life to encourage her to go from a receiver of knowledge to progress to the level of subjectivity. The woman begins to accept that she has a voice, “an inner source of strength” lying within herself, and an opinion that is due to past experiences. She recognizes that she does not have to agree with the authority but is still cautious about voicing opinions. Truth is experienced within oneself but not acted upon for fear of jeopardizing the associations one has with others at the same level. 

Procedural Knowledge: Belenky et al. (1986) describes procedural knowledge as divided into two areas, separate and connected knowing. A woman in either area realizes that she has voice, is still cautious of others and their actions, however now she is not threatened and is more willing to listen to what is being said. A separatist will not project her feelings into a situation and is able to speak taking on the requested view. A connected knower empathizes with others and feels it is her responsibility to help them understand their situation so they might make the best decision. 

Constructed Knowledge: A constructivist realizes that one must speak, listen, share ideas, explore, and question, analyzing who, why, and how (Belenky et al., 1986). Speaking and listening does not remain within oneself but includes speaking and listening to others at the same time. She wants a better quality of life for herself and for others.

[deanessner]

I Can't Give Everything Away

I have a cycle. When I’m bored or lonely, I break up my un-momentum with a little dance: checking my Facebook, then my email, then my Facebook again (keeping this tab open for easy access in case someone wants to contact me), then my Twitter, then my email again, then my Twitter again, and so on. Maybe I’ll disrupt the routine by wandering onto a New York Times article I discovered in my Twitter feed for a few minutes, but it’s only a brief footnote.

I read somewhere in some article — probably in one of those aforementioned “footnote” sequences — we approach this cycle the same way a lab rat presses a lever over and over again hoping for a food pellet. For us, those pellets probably seem to vary. Nourishment can come in the form of being up-to-date on the news or being in on a funny joke or knowing that an old friend received your birthday message.

But I think there’s a darker, duller edge to that gratification. I may check my Twitter in the focused spirit of seeing what inflammatory stuff Trump said today. I may check my email to see if an editor got back to me about a pitch. I may check Facebook to see if someone liked a song I shared. But, I also check for the sake of, well, preventing the pain of not checking. I’m not even referencing a fear of missing a crucial, time-sensitive thing; I’m talking about the deep, guttural, language-and-logic-defying need to check just to check. Even after pulling on the lever a few times and it yielding no pellet, a rat is bound to just keep pulling, right? (Sorry for the annoying Thomas Friedman-esque metaphor here — it just seemed appropriate.)

Why am I like this?

I used to think the main purpose for making and consuming art was to share  and experience it with others. You didn’t just have an opinion, you formed it, sculpted it. You thought about the right words and vocal cadence to describe something. You considered your audience. You ranked things, not for your own compartmentalization but so others could see the breadth of what you’ve seen. Art was something to advance your ideology and self-worth in the eyes of others. Art absorption was a proxy for power-grabbing and knowledge-accruing. What a piece or work actual meant to you was important, but, then again, that “meaning” was probably also informed by a restless fear, and also an excitement, about how others may see you. If a tree falls in the blah blah blah...... well, you get it. 

Peppered in with that perspective was a thirst for originality. I remember feeling a wash of sadness and futility after a college lit class I was taking studied the Roland Barthes’ essay “The Death of the Author” — which suggests that writing is inherently unoriginal because words are finite and each reader attaches his or her own meaning to sentences and paragraphs and stories anyway. If I couldn’t be new, then why should I bother to try and do anything?

Then, the need to try regardless of any audience came to me. In the summer of 2013, my previously bulky and broad-shouldered grandfather developed cancer and started losing weight at a rapid clip (he passed away in February of the following year). One afternoon, while I was alone with him, I suffered an intense panic attack. Then I suffered another one that night. It would keep happening. It was a bad few months for my mental health, but it taught me a valuable lesson: people make art to survive. 

I could barely play guitar (or any other instruments for that matter), but I started making music. I wrote and recorded a full 9-song album and 5-song EP over the course of three months. I now consider myself an accomplished songwriter, but not a musician, because I haven't really taken the time to learn music theory or chord patterns. I just know the way I feel when I press my fingers on certain keys or strings. Maybe I did this to run from and resist Barthes’ thesis, but, regardless, I knew I had a lot of emotions to purge that summer. I knew I needed some way of articulating and understanding what I was going through. I needed a way to feel more alive.

Since that summer, though, I’ve fallen back on old habits. I created and religiously monitored a Last.fm account: a social media platform for music lovers that let’s you see what you and your friends are listening to. I grew obsessed with the idea of others looking at what I was listening to. What did they think of me? Every time I’d listen to an album, I’d check to make sure it was also ��scrobbling” (aka recording) to my profile. I recall a conversation with a friend where he remarked that my Last.fm account showed I didn’t listen to music all that much. I was devastated. In my quest to scrobble obscure artists as a way of displaying a depth of taste, I fell in love with some of my favorites bands: Stereolab, Can, The Dismemberment Plan, Shabazz Palaces. But still, was any of this authentic?

This obsession with exaggerating the extraverted parts of myself makes me think of the recent Jim Jarmusch film “Paterson,” which is about a bus driver (played by Adam Driver, ha ha) named Paterson who lives in Paterson, New Jersey and writes poetry (his favorite poet is William Carlos Williams, who has a book of poems titled “Paterson”) in between shifts. The audience’s intimate connection with Paterson comes in the form of these poems — he doesn’t share them with anyone, not even his loving wife Laura, except us. He stores them in a secret notebook. 

Paterson has the same routine every day. He eats his lunch by the same waterfall and walks home through the same industrial complex. Coupled with the fact that he doesn’t own a smart phone (by choice), Paterson lives an extremely boxed-in life. He writes poems, a form of escape and expression for sure, but for the most part, Paterson just listens. He listens to Laura discuss her dreams of becoming a country music star. He listens to a heartbroken man named Everett talk about losing his lover. He listens to Doc, the owner of the dive bar he frequents, tell stories of Paterson folklore. He listens to the chitchatting of his bus riders. 

Jarmusch doesn’t paint Paterson as a hero or a gifted genius as much as he does an observant vessel to frame the movie around, however I saw his character in a different light. For Paterson, poetry wasn’t a means to any end. He seemed to have no ambitions of getting published or sharing his work with the world. Rather, he wrote to survive. He wrote to make sense of everyday life. It’s easy to see Paterson as docile and powerless, but in reality, he was fully in control of himself. He didn’t need to open his mouth or share his art for it to mean anything. It existed for him.

As I consider my social media tendency with that “language-and-logic-defying need to check just to check” in mind, I’m reminded of David Bowie’s last song “I Can’t Give Everything Away” from the album “Blackstar.” The song concerns itself with two topics that mean a lot to me: how difficult it is to control the way people think of you (and in the late Bowie’s case, remember you) and whether it’s possible to keep anything to yourself. 

In reference to the latter, Bowie’s speaking about the pressures of celebrity. But, for me and my life, I view this theme through the lens of temptation and pressure. “Seeing more and feeling less/ Saying no but meaning yes/ This is all I ever meant/ That's the message that I sent/ I can't give everything away,” he sings. Translation: Let me die with some secrets. 

I also see this lyric, though, as a warning: Words are malleable. Ideas are interpretable. Nothing is fixed. But you know what isn’t subject to the whim of others? Your feelings. Your thoughts. Your secret notebook. Don’t give it all away if you don’t want to be hurt, he seems to say.

And maybe that’s the key to freeing myself from the cycle of checking Facebook and then Twitter and then email, and then doing it all again: Keeping some things to myself. 

Maybe the sooner I learn that only I matter in the network of me, the sooner I can learn to just exist in the poetry of everyday life.

[zipgrowth]

Its 2019. So Why Do 21st-Century Skills Still Matter?

When tech giant Amazon announced its search for a second headquarters site, cities across the country scrambled to produce persuasive pitches. In Loudoun County, Virginia, fourth-graders from Goshen Post Elementary School took up the challenge personally. To create compelling video arguments, student teams interviewed experts in economic development, researched state history and geography, and even wrote poems to sing the praises of their region. When Northern Virginia was ultimately picked as a new HQ site, students were as proud as any civic leaders from their community.

The story offers a good example of how education is shifting as we wrap up two decades of the 21st century. Instead of relying on textbooks and teacher direction, these students had to think critically about unfolding events, collaborate with peers and adults, and make creative use of digital tools to communicate their ideas. In the process, they also learned plenty about social studies and civic engagement. For Loudoun County Superintendent Eric Williams, what makes such authentic learning experiences worthwhile is how they prepare students “to make meaningful contributions to the world.”

4 Cs and More

The call for 21st century learning dates back more than two decades, when blue-ribbon committees, policymakers, business leaders, and education experts began sounding the same alarm: Yesterday’s focus on memorization and rote learning would not prepare students for a fast-changing, increasingly automated, information-saturated world.

Although some educators have grown weary of the term “21st century learning,” the drive to transform education “matters more today—a lot more—than when we started the conversation.”

Ken Kay, CEO of EdLeader21

Figuring out how schools should respond, however, remains an open question for many communities. In my own work with educators around the globe, I’ve watched the emergence of 21st century trends such as makerspaces, flipped learning, genius hour, gamification, and more. Each has its own champions, teaching practices, and even hashtags; all have the potential to disrupt what we think of as traditional, teacher-centered education by giving students more voice in how they learn.

Although some educators have grown weary of the term “21st century learning,” the drive to transform education “matters more today—a lot more—than when we started the conversation,” says Ken Kay, who in 2002 co-founded an influential consortium called the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (later rebranded Partnership for 21st Century Learning, or P21. He currently serves as CEO of EdLeader21, a national network of Battelle for Kids.

In hindsight, Kay can identify three phases that have been critical in the 21st century learning movement. “The first was defining,” he says, with experts generating a laundry list of skills and competencies considered essential for students’ future success. Next came the communication phase, when those 20-plus competencies were condensed into a more memorable set of 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

These core competencies remain relevant as we get further into the current century, argues David Ross, global education consultant and former CEO of P21, “because they seem to be the one constant in a rapidly changing social and economic environment.”

The third and current phase of the 21st century learning movement is all about “empowerment,” says Kay. “People are interested in not just adopting the 4Cs, but understanding what they can do to customize this framework at the local level. What can they design that works well for their community?”

EdLeader21 has developed a toolkit to guide districts and independent schools in developing their own “portrait of a graduate” as a visioning exercise. In some communities, global citizenship rises to the top of the wish list of desired outcomes. Others emphasize entrepreneurship, civic engagement, or traits like persistence or self-management. Kay estimates that some 800 school systems across the U.S have developed portraits so far.

When stakeholders in Loudoun County, Virginia, went through the visioning process, they decided to emphasize the 4Cs (along with content mastery), plus the competency of “contributing.” Explains Superintendent Williams, “By this we mean contributing to the world through careers in the public sector, the private sector, and the not-for-profit sector; through civic engagement; and through community service. When a student is a contributor,” he adds, “it turbo-charges their ability to employ the other competencies and their content knowledge.”

The Human Factor

The unifying theme of these various frameworks seems to be the human factor.

As the 21st century learning movement expands internationally, we’re seeing an abundance of frameworks, assessments, and semantic labels as different organizations put their spin on what’s worth knowing.

PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) now compares the global competence and collaborative problem-solving skills of students from different countries along with more traditional scores for reading, math, and science. ISTE Standards for Students highlight digital citizenship and computational thinking as key skills that will enable students to thrive as empowered learners. The U.S. Department of Education describes a globally competent student as one who can investigate the world, weigh perspectives, communicate effectively with diverse audiences, and take action.

The unifying theme of these various frameworks seems to be the human factor. “The core skills of collaboration, communication, and critical thinking are things that humans do well and machines not so well,” argues Ross. “Machines are getting better at them,” he adds, “but perform them best in concert with humans.”

From Mission to Methods

How wide is the gap between lofty aspirations for learning and day-to-day classroom practice? It’s hard to measure, but leaders at the forefront of the 21st century learning movement tell me they still see too many students sitting passively while teachers deliver instruction; too much technology is still used to replace routine tasks rather than turbo-charge the experience of learning.

Frameworks provide mental models, but “don’t usually help educators know what to do differently,” argues technology leadership expert Scott McLeod in his latest book, Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning. He and co-author Julie Graber outline deliberate shifts that help teachers redesign traditional lessons to emphasize goals such as critical thinking, authenticity, and conceptual understanding. (See the resource list below for more suggested readings and teaching tools.)

More examples and practical strategies will help chart the way forward. Translating from vision to classroom implementation “is the journey we’re all on now,” says Ken Kay.

. . . too much technology is still used to replace routine tasks rather than turbo-charging the experience of learning.

Heather Wolpert-Gawron offers a good role-model. She wears a number of hats as middle school teacher, instructional coach, and author (@tweenteacher). In the classroom, she teaches collaboration skills by challenging students to solve mysteries, and then debrief how well they worked together. She fires up students’ communication skills (along with their engagement) by having them interview an astrophysicist about the science of superheroes. She leverages social media and blogging to reflect on what works and shares her insights with colleagues.

When coaching other teachers to make similar moves, Wolpert-Gawron encourages them to “tease apart what it means to collaborate, communicate, think critically. This is a language that teachers at all grade levels, in all subjects, are able to embrace.” The more concrete, the better. For example, if the big goal is student-led inquiry, teachers might brainstorm “how to see if a kid is curious. What questions are they asking? Do their answers spark even more questions?” To cultivate healthy curiosity, teachers can remind students “to hit pause [in their thinking] and take a mental screenshot. It’s empowering for students to realize, ‘Oh, so I do have ideas!’”

The good news is, there’s no shortage of creative ideas for fulfilling the promise of 21st century learning. In all kinds of contexts, I see teachers designing learning experiences that challenge students to not only imagine the future, but help to shape it. The challenge that remains is making sure all students have similar opportunities to dream and do.

Credit: EdSurge. Full sized infographic here.

A 21st Century Reading List

Looking for more resources to support 21st century learning? Here are suggestions from Suzie Boss:

1. Wondering how to teach and assess 21st century competencies? The Buck Institute for Education offers a wide range of resources, including the book, PBL for 21st Century Success: Teaching Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity (Boss, 2013), and downloadable rubrics for each of the 4Cs.

2. For more strategies about harnessing technology for deeper learning, listen to the EdSurge podcast featuring edtech expert and author Scott McLeod.

3. Eager to see 21st century learning in action? Getting Smart offers suggestions for using school visits as a springboard for professional learning, including a list of recommended sites. Bob Pearlman, a leader in 21st century learning, offers more recommendations.

4. Book group discussions can jumpstart conversations among colleagues. Here are three titles certain to lead to lively discussions about the future of learning:

Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools captures the insights of veteran school leaders from Albemarle County Public Schools, a Virginia district known for innovation.

What School Could Be: Insights and Inspiration from Teachers Across America shares highlights of author Ted Dintersmith’s 50-state quest across the country in search of teaching and learning retooled for the future.

Building School 2.0: How to Create the Schools We Need offers a series of provocations to invite readers to consider how education must change. Author Chris Lehmann is founding principal of highly regarded Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia; Zak Chase is a former SLA teacher.

Its 2019. So Why Do 21st-Century Skills Still Matter? published first on https://medium.com/@GetNewDLBusiness