That's What I'm Talkin' About

If you were a reader of this blog in its original "Big Styrofoam Things" incarnation, then you might have read my posting on Daniel Pink's book, Johnny Bunko.  While that book is fine for it's purpose, you might remember that I referenced another book by Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind:  Why Right Brainers will Rule the Future.  I said I would write about it at a later time.  Toward that end, I'll simply write this.  If you are an educator, or if you care about education, you need to read this book.  It is a tremendous act of synthesis, looking at trends in business, medicine, education, video games, and pulling them together into as coherent a thesis as you're likely to find in any such work of social criticism.  In fact, I'd liken it to a modern day Future Shock.   I actually took the book from my school principal several years ago after learning that she and all the other administrators in the district had been asked to read it by the district superintendent.  I suppose this was to engender some sort of innovation in the buildings, though, truth be told, I see little in my district to indicate that we've embraced the ideas Pink champions.

I consumed A Whole New Mind over the course of a week, annotating most every chapter, continuously finding connections to my curriculum and ways that I could improve my own thinking and thereby my students' thinking.  For the past 3 years I've been championing this book to my fellow teachers, to the teachers I teach in graduate education courses, and to administrators whenever I get the chance.  Pink has been traveling and speaking about this book and the ideas he put forth ever since it hit the bookshelves.  He's been interviewed in professional magazines dealing with the business world, education, and the arts.  Of the books that have most influenced my work in the classroom, A Whole New World ranks in the top three with William Glasser's The Quality School  and Thomas Armstrong's Awakening Genius in the Classroom.

So I just found Daniel Pink speaking at TED.  While he's not speaking about A Whole New Mind, he is still trolling the same melody.  If you'd like more links regarding A Whole New Mind, you can find them below.

Here's Daniel Pink on YouTube.  There are more You Tube videos of him that you can find for yourself.

How about a blog radio interview with Pink?