My response tote Art of Genius,Eight ways to think like Einstein by Michael Michalko

Michael Michalko presented eight thinking strategies that enable geniuses to generate original thought. It was interesting to know that many geniuses were simply playing with ideas most often not knowing where those thoughts would finally lead them. Michalko called them productive thinkers because they were able to explore many alternatives,not just the most likely solutions. These solutions just led to new problems or questions. For example the Nobel Prize physicist, Richard Feynman played with ideas that pleased only himself. His play just happened to lead him to his work in electrodynamics. How do we as educators get past looking at problems in only one way? Michalko called it reproductive thinking when we use only ones past experiences to solve problems. He states that If you think the way youve always thought, youll get what youve always gotten. I feel that it is important for teachers to realize that children do not always think the same way. And if we present only one way to find solutions to problems, we may not be encouraging creative thinkers in our classrooms. Luckily the new hands on math and science curriculums and cooperative learning activities do give us opportunities to engage children in some creative thinking. But I feel it takes practice and training on the students part to learn that its ok to think differently than those around them and teachers must also learn that its ok to allow students to solve problems in their own way. One of the best things that Ive found is the Plus Center at St. Scholastica. It offers excellent programs in math and science for teachers, parents and children. Their programs gave me practice in fun creative problem solving activities. Programs like St. Scholasticas enforce what this article was talking about. I think teachers should allow children to think freely and I see the value of using these methods in my own classroom.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 1998

Answers

Response to Art of Genius-Unte Reader#2

Hi Linda! Thanks again for lunch on Wednesday. We should work at your house more often,food seems to make us more productive. This was the article I chose from this issue of Utne too. I guess I wanted to find out if I have the makings of a great thinker. (Ha! Ha!) I agree with you that we have a long way to go in allowing for this type of thinking in our classrooms. There are good programs out there, as you mentioned , but we do not practice these methods enough. This seems especially important in light of the fact that our districts have had to sacrifice gifted programs to maintain budget. This article was a good reminder to encourage creative thinking with all our students.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 1999

Response to Art of Genius-Unte Reader#2

Hi Linda! I chose to read the same article also. Yes, I think as you do about the question regarding the stifiling of potential geniuses by teachers' lack of ability to "see" these students and then encourage them.

You brought out a good point also, about students not being able to know just how to think and problem-solve creatively. I will probably never teach any geniuses (I teach MSMI students), but we have 3 daughters at home and it is interesting to learn of their classes through their perspectives! (They are in the 8th, 6th and 3rd grades.) It truly amazes me how there can be SO many different types of teachers out there! Kind of scary too. Yes, we are part of them.

I do feel that there should be some education done for all teachers about the necessity for allowing students to learn in different mediums (such as groups, hands on, etc.)

I took a class through St. Thomas on different learning styles. That information in itself is enough to make a teacher want to present and allow learning to happen in a multitude of ways. Do you think it seems to be the older teachers, who have been around a LONG time, who have the harder time changing their way of thinking along these lines?

-- Anonymous, January 04, 1999

Response to Art of Genius-Unte Reader#2

Linda,

I also picked this article to review and enjoyed your concerns. I have had several students in my classes which I believed to be "very capable" if not in the genius category but they seemed to be turned off or bored by the instruction. I would try several different approaches with them with mixed results. Sometimes I thought that they were more lazy than brilliant but they would perform well on the tests but would not bother to do the daily assignments. The article made me realize that students think differently and have a variety of values of what it important to them in the classroom. It still disappoints me to see someone who is very gifted not apply themselves completely and to have a less capable student work so hard to get satisfactory grades.

-- Anonymous, January 10, 1999

Response to Art of Genius-Unte Reader#2

Linda, I read the same article. I agree that many times there is more than one way to get the correct answer but there has to be a base of information to work from. I think as educators we should not only present different ways, we should help the students to understand and use each of the ways. In this way they will be able to choose (or create) the path for future solutions.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 1999

Response to Art of Genius-Unte Reader#2

Interesting article you read. It ties into the article I read on "Changes in Your Classroom: From the past to the present to the future." My article also talked about how we as educators need to get past looking at problems in one way. I agree that we need to show students that there are different ways to address problems. Often the problems students see in text book are similar and when they are confronted with a problem no in the text they struggle. This idea fits with what the article you read call reproductive thinking. Hopefully we can get past this hurdle and begin to help students think freely like you suggest.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 1999

Response to Art of Genius-Unte Reader#2

Hi Linda! My name is Mary Chairs and I am the new discussion facilitator from UMD. Hopefully you'll be hearing from my fairly often! I enjoyed your insights on the Genius article. You clearly placed it into the context of your own work by asking "how do we get educators to get past looking at problems in only one way?" Then you follow that by noting that we educators must remember that students don't always think the same way as us or as each other. Your experiences with the Plus Center at St. Scholastica seem to be just the type of activities that help us to learn how to think "outside the box." Did you discuss the article with friends or colleagues for additional thoughts? I notice that your cohort partners have given you some interesting and encouraging replies also. Keep up the good work!

-- Anonymous, February 09, 1999