At the intersections of dreams and realities

Posted on December 8, 2015 by boadams1

“Do not think for one minute that because you are who you are, you cannot be who you imagine yourself to be,” she says. “Hold fast to those dreams and let them carry you into a world you can’t even imagine.”

Jedidah Isler delivers a powerful talk in “The untapped genius that could change science for the better.” Her story pushes well past the subject of science and should inspire us all even more to be forwarder of others’ dreams…and to work thoughtfully and deliberately in the liminal spaces – those spaces of intersection.

Especially for those in education who are striving to advance what many call “21st C learning” and the STEM/STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics / + Arts) field, Isler’s talk is a must watch.

What kids and teachers can do…ARE doing!

Posted on October 28, 2015 by boadams1

Some people collect stamps. Some collect rocks. People collect many things.

Me? I collect examples of the work that students CAN do.

Many people underestimate what children can do as “school work.” What if “school work” were more “real-world-work” sourced? It’s happening at so many innovative schools. It’s happening at Mount Vernon, where I am blessed to work.

Largely because of the work that we do at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School and the Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation, I collect inspirations and examples of children doing “school work” that many might deem “adult work” for later in their lives.

This TED video from Cesar Harada is one of the best samples of “school work” that absolutely can be done by children. It’s worth your 10 minutes. And it’s worth you helping to make such work even more of a reality at the schools near you.

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Related: Mount Vernon continues to drive for enhanced mashup of “real-world work” and “school work” with Council on Innovation 2015

Innovation as the fruit of embracing life as a multipotentialite

Posted on October 3, 2015 by boadams1

What if some people are hampered by having to narrow their focus? How might certain folks maximize their capacities by living at the intersections of their associative thinkings?

Emilie Wapnick gives a compelling talk about the nature of innovation and life as a “multipotentialite.” The three super powers of the multipotentialite may very well be the braid of new ideas strongly weaving a compelling life.

About the power of curiosity, mapping and a learning community

Posted on July 23, 2015 by boadams1

From the intro on TED.com to “John Green: The nerd’s guide to learning everything online”

Some of us learn best in the classroom, and some of us … well, we don’t. But we still love to learn, to find out new things about the world and challenge our minds. We just need to find the right place to do it, and the right community to learn with. In this charming talk, author John Green shares the world of learning he found in online video.

Exploring the circular – generating routes for future exploration

Posted on July 7, 2015 by boadams1

Curiosity, exploratory drive, and determined persistence define Dame Ellen MacArthur’s remarkable story of sailing the world. And while her feat was tremendous, for me it pales in comparison to the mission that her journey revealed to her. MacArthur experientially discovered that the world is, in fact, circular and not flat. From that experience and developed capacity, MacArthur poses a small set of exemplar “What if” questions from which we might all derive navigational inspiration for the courses we set and support in our own lives and work.

But what inspired me most about the circular economy was its ability to inspire young people.When young people see the economy through a circular lens, they see brand new opportunities on exactly the same horizon. They can use their creativity and knowledge to rebuild the entire system, and it’s there for the taking right now, and the faster we do this, the better.

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[Note to self: explore connection of these inspired emotions and cognitions with recent Instagram post (Amelia Island, July 5, 2015) and current reads of A Curious Mind and How We Got to Here.]