ESPrit de Corps

I’m only 20 pages from finishing Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind,which I think should be required reading (though I loathe that phrase) for everyone who doubts the value of arts education. Those of us in ESP and arts-in-ed all value the arguments he provides– how abundance (of products) , automation (of many daily and specialized services) and Asia (as in, “out-sourcing to…”) are limiting the options for people with heavily Left Brain skill sets, such as accounting, manufacturing, and some sectors of law and medicine (to name only a few). In the new “Conceptual Age,” Pink says we’ll all need to master skills of “high concept“ (or, those that engage to our imagination) and “high touch” (things that make us feel personally involved). Obviously, arts in education has enormous capacities to build both of those areas, and Pink’s arguments echo on both the micro and macro level: if we want our children to succeed in the future, we need to be sure they have these capabilities. Likewise, if we want our nation’s economy to maintain a strong position in the global arena, we need to be sure our workers, managers and executives possess and value these skills.

To help us understand the aptitudes of the Conceptual Age, as Pink puts it, he developed six areas for discussion and analysis: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning. By “Design,” he means the appreciation of the beauty of things. “Story” is the value of narrative, especially in personalizing business or commercial exchanges. “Symphony” is the 21st Century term for gestalt, seeing the big picture and its patterns. “Empathy” is about finding ways to truly connect as one human being to another through our, yes, feelings. “Play” tells us about the value of approaching life and work expecting to engage our imagination and sense of humor (of course, this was one of my favorite sections). and “Meaning” is about our need– ever present in the human condition, needed now as much as it was in any other period– to find purpose in what we do, either as individuals or as a society. (Disclaimer: I wrote this all off the top of my head, so I may be leaving out a key phrase or idea here or there.)

Now, I’m not ashamed to admit that I like systems and sets of categories. I like to test them out, to see if they work and how flexible they are. I think this is part of my “Symphony” approach. So, to integrate Pink’s methods into my daily work, I’ve put up a new sign in my newly re-organized office that lists all six of the “Conceptual Age Aptitudes.” Over the next few months, I plan to see how well I can embody these approaches into my program planning, my office organization, my work with colleagues, my correspondence and other areas of productivity.

If you find yourself using this “system” in your classroom or your school or your office with positive effects, let me know. Then we can compare notes, and see how adaptable Pink’s approach is. My guess is, it’ll be pretty flexible.

Best wishes for 2008!

Phil