Category: News
Stanford Report: Where does that creative spark come from? Stanford’s Tina Seelig has some ideas
This article in the Stanford Report promotes Tina Seelig’s new book “inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity” and makes connections to her class (possibly MS&E 277: Creativity and Innovation).
Personally, I prefer the title of the prior book “What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20: A Crash Course on Making Your Place in the World” which effused purpose, inclusiveness, accessibility and timing – all important persuasive and attractive elements.
Still, I am optimistic that I will find the new book a worthwhile read. I am looking forward to finding how her new insights can help improve the CSDGC Youth Development Program. My contribution to creativity and innovation through the YCISL program would be to cast intervention to creativity-poor education earlier in the process.
ExploreCourses Course Listing: MS&E 277: Creativity and Innovation
Factors that promote and inhibit creativity of individuals, teams, and organizations. Creativity tools, assessment metrics, and exercises; workshops, field trips, and case studies. Each student completes an individual creativity portfolio and participates in a long-term team project. Enrollment limited to 32. Admission by application. See http://creativity.stanford.edu.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
Instructors: Seelig, T. (PI)
Article link: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/april/ingenius-seelig-creativity-043012.html
News: U.S. Drafts Abdul-Jabbar as a Cultural Ambassador
Interesting news story recently. Here is an excerpt from the NY Times article on it…
“Abdul-Jabbar was named a United States cultural ambassador Wednesday, with a mission of promoting education, racial tolerance and cultural understanding among young people around the world.”
This appears to me to be another interesting avenue in which youth around the world can get engaged in an age-appropriate context. Similar in motive to the YCISL, but a different approach. I hope it doesn’t get over-commercialized or politicized.
Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/sports/basketball/nba-basketball-roundup.html
Time: Should Schools Bribe Kids?
The cover story of the April 19, 2010 issue of Time Magazine reports on cash incentivisation in elementary and middle schools to raise academic performance. The article written by Amanda Ripley is titled “Is Cash The Answer?” It traces an experiment conducted by Professor Roland Fryer, Jr. at Harvard’s Department of Economics whereby students were paid money for a wide variety of behaviors such as attendance, reading and test performance. I support the notion that this is an interesting experiment and the results fascinate my interest in psychology. However, any hint that this is for the purpose of sustainable educational reform is objectionable from my viewpoint. Mainly, it amplifies an adult obsession for monetary reward which erodes at the effort to preserve and foster youthful creativity and leadership. Further, it does not help students achieve “placement” as I have diagrammed in an earlier post about leadership by age stages. I would suggest that monetary rewards distorts any vision of leadership and retards progress towards harnessing creativity potential. Using a chemical toxicology analogy, the cash is a xenobiotic toxicant (ie, unnatural) that enters the body and acts as a stimulus, but hinders normal body life function such as growth, disease resistance, and even intelligent thought. As with real toxicants, the effects are even more devastating in young children. Think harder. There’s got to be a better way.
