Wonder, Irresistible Learning and Heroic Imagination

The name game is an intriguing one. Word pantomime or labels? A number of people I know, and in the fields I work closely in, dislike labels. Many believe labels have the potential to subtract value from who they truly are. (Have you heard of the "Label Jars Not People" organization established by Siobhan Brady to reduce mental health stigma?) Yet, human beings like to find pattern in chaos and ways to make sense of the world. So being aware of layers of perception about organizers as starting points (versus sticky unchangeable labels) is necessary in disabling potential communication barriers and the tendency to form misjudgements too quickly.

In the world of paint, Donald Kaufman, a Master Colorist (Elle Decor, September 2012) has this to say:

Color names are extremely dangerous, which is why we use numbers instead. People see color differently because of names. Beige is undervalued because the name has a bad association. Mint sounds like the color of a hospital, but call it "faded eucalyptus" and people love it. 

One of our best sellers is a white we call DKC-5. Mariette Himes Gomez compared it to Chanel No. 5.

The beauty industry is a prime example of fabulous word craft. Think of the names of creams, lipsticks and nail polish (Sephora's Formula X nail polish -- Kapow, Zing, Radioactive, Jolt, Oomph, Turbo, Seismic, Dare Me, etc; Dr. Dennis Gross 20 days to radiance skincare, HUM Runway Ready cream, Philosophy Hope in a Jar...). Alluring?

Kaufman's words connected me to the world of words on learning motivation -- especially short phrases or words that help me to focus learner attention and stimulate curiosity. For instance, I tweeted this in December 2013 and mentioned Yenawine's (2013) book in a March 2014 blogpost:

Permission to ... pic.twitter.com/9K3h5KqsS6
— Yin Wah Kreher (@yinbk) December 27, 2013

In this post, I want to share some more "wonder" and wonderful phrases I've come across recently!

"Wisdom begins in wonder" digital image created by Yin Wah Kreher, 2014. Original quote by Socrates.

Teaching/Learning implications of both phrases:

• In what ways can you give permission to students to wonder?  OR, what sorts of educational strategies challenge students to wonder?
• How does that wonder extend into the development of wisdom? 
• Are teachers prepared to assess and consider wonderment? 

My initial thinking is of course to recommend the Visible Thinking approach (refer to my March blogpost mentioned earlier for See-Think-Wonder). Ritchart's 8 classroom cultural forces would be a good framework to start with. 

As I came across these phrases, I started to sketch out several others I've come across:

Irresistible Learning ETC handdrawn image by Yin Wah Kreher, 2014

Teaching/Learning implications:

• What is irresistible learning? What would students expect from a course that offers irresistible learning? What does it look like?
• How indeed can we make learning IRRESISTIBLE?  
• Do we want to make learning irresistible? Is it attainable?
• The Institute of Play associates irresistible learning with serious games, intentional games, game-based learning and simulations. Are serious games the chief means to foster irresistible learning? Games arguably awaken playfulness and curiosity in learners. By incorporating play elements into learning, serious and intentional games support complex thinking. How do we support serious games and game-based learning in higher ed/schools? 
• Learn more about key Irresistible Learning design principles outlined by Katie Salen, Director of Institute of Play.
• Feedback is something we all crave in our learning journey -- we want teachers, supervisors and loved ones to engage with us. But a Fiesta? What will it look like?

(Hint: Google the word "irresistible" and see what shows up under "Images"! Surprise!?)

Heroic Imagination image hand-drawn by Yin Wah Kreher, 2014.

There is an abundance of advocates on creativity, innovation and imagination lately. I need not belabor the significance of these qualities. But the phrase heroic imagination is a new one to me. The Heroic Imagination Project (HIP) was founded by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University. The project website describes HIP as a "nonprofit research-based organization which provides knowledge, tools, strategies, and exercises to individuals and groups to help them to overcome the social and psychological forces which can keep them from taking effective action at crucial moments in their lives" (2013). Everyday heroism is also promoted on their social media and web sites. My guess or hypothesis is that it is powerful imagination (amongst other traits and factors) that propels "ordinary people to do extraordinary acts" of heroism for social justice and positive change. The premise of their argument is, Everyone can be a hero. You can be a hero too. Teaching/Learning Implications: How will you use your imagination heroically?

I can go on and on about a few other phrases; Desirable Difficulties by Robert Bjork and Productive Failure by Manu Kapoor, which I've mentioned in passing in an April 2014 blogpost. There is also Nudge Interventions and Theory (versus Coercion to comply) and many many others. But my blogpost is growing too long.

So I will leave you to “The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
 and all the sweet serenity of books” (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) till my next post. Explore the links I've inserted for a start.

Heroic Imagination. You may be afraid, but do it anyway.

References: 

• Irresistible Learning (Source: Institute of Play website)

• Feedback Fiesta (Please let me know if you know the source. I've not been able to track where I got this from.)

• Awakening to Play is mine, I'm quite quite sure.  

• Heroic Imagination (Source: http://heroicimagination.org/welcome/about-us/ and  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWQq0E8ENSc)

What's ice-skating gotta do with grad school?

Source: http://1.usa.gov/H1Xoru

I've often referred to the metaphor of competitive ice-skating to describe the PhD journey. Michelle Kwan was mentioned in my PhD personal statement.

"Michelle Kwan, one of my favorite figure-skating athletes, has always said that "Life is not a triple lutz." She was a world-class competitor, but even when competing, she knew it was temporary, and not her final destination. Skating to her was about the journey, not the destination, hence her ability to forgo the pursuit of the Olympic gold medal that eluded her. Doctoral studies, like world-class figure skating with its punishing training, can become a daily grind of coursework, writing, conference presentations, and everything these entail."

Watching the  Prudential US Figure Skating Men's Final on TV today affirmed the aptness of this metaphor. Skaters were falling all over the place. A junior skater who just moved up the senior rank ruined his program with persistent splats, whatever choreography there was to the program, I couldn't make out. True, I didn't watch the entire competition. I was preoccupied with testing a new "oat-soy-wheat-flour" muffin recipe. Walking by, this flashed on the TV screen in a little box while the rambling went on:

"Stay vertical. Finish everything. Own it."

That's it! As Scott Hamilton (an Olympian) and the female commentator discussed these elements and how Jeremy Abbott and Adam Rippon (skaters) were battling personal demons, my mind clicked. I saw so clearly the connection to graduate school. I laughed and turned to my husband, "I need to skate again."

I love ice-skating. It's truly inspiring. But isolated in your writing and/or studying bubble, all you may  perceive is ugliness and frustration with all that intensity in the academy. What you need to do is get out and nourish your soul. Find something beautiful you can do to help banish those ugly thoughts. Here's what watching an ice-skating show taught me:

1. Stay vertical. Falls, stumbles, and bruises will happen, often, surely. When they show up, worrying won't help pay the bills or finish that article you hope will get published somewhere. Resolution will come somehow, even though they may not come in the way you expect.  When you are left in a heap, what will you do? Sanity in his comfort zone screams, "Run away."  The Dreamer whispers, "Stand up and get moving one more time." Muster strength and courage to stand up and spin around the arena, again.

At every stage of the PhD journey, I had to learn a lot of things, about people, resources, and cultures. Who can you turn to while still staying true to your values? Where can you  find the resources to implement the study? Does this faculty member collaborate with that one? Don't forget the hangers-on. We have those too, not just celebrities. They want a piece of you: your aura, your skills or status; an "emerging scholar" can pull some weight too.

Getting a PhD is about learning to do and manage many things, while simultaneously playing many other roles in your life. At an older age, many subsystems in life can work against you -- there are demands from the professional, the personal, and the physical facets. Add to the mix, the mental and the emotional challenges that come with doing a PhD program. A potent concoction for someone to implode. Manage all these subsystems dynamically. Some days, it takes all that little bit left to email to prospective participants or to make a trip to the library to get books. Do it anyway.

2. Finish everything. Unlike Michelle Kwan, when you embark on a PhD, you want to finish it. The journey is precious but you don't want to use all that lifeblood for nothing. For many young PhD students, they spend the prime 5 to 7 years of their life working hard for that final goal. For nontraditional students, the time we spend away from our family gnaws at our spirit. All the more you want to finish the journey as expeditiously as you can. If you've reached that point where maybe doing a PhD is just not necessary for a career, finish up the coursework, take the exams, and get a Certificate of Advanced Study if you can. Don't.waste.your.time.

3. Own it. This might come across as  the hardest to apply. I've been asked by several junior students how to arrive at a dissertation topic. Is it possible to have ownership if you are working on a senior scholar's research project? Yes, from my personal experience. We remain ourselves; over the years, forging our unique identity over the events of life. I'm obviously writing as a social science student who is encouraged to have her own voice. Our identity will shine through our doings and our writing, if you allow yourself to surface -- through the PhD trials. Stamp your writing with your uniqueness. Michelle Kwan has her unique spiral; what is yours?

As you get ready for prime-time performance, your ownership of your writing will give you confidence and grow an audience. Are you ready for some performance sport to feed your spirit?

Peace

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendrix