The Power of Introverts: A Manifesto for Quiet Brilliance. Do you enjoy having time to yourself, but always feel a little guilty about it?
Then Susan Cain’s “Quiet : The Power of Introverts” is for you. It’s part book, part manifesto. We live in a nation that values its extroverts – the outgoing, the lovers of crowds – but not the quiet types who change the world. She recently answered questions from Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook. Cook: This may be a stupid question, but how do you define an introvert?
Cain: Not a stupid question at all! It’s also important to understand that introversion is different from shyness. Cook: You argue that our culture has an extroversion bias. Cain: In our society, the ideal self is bold, gregarious, and comfortable in the spotlight. In my book, I travel the country – from a Tony Robbins seminar to Harvard Business School to Rick Warren’s powerful Saddleback Church – shining a light on the bias against introversion. Cook: How does this cultural inclination affect introverts? Cain: Yes. Cook: Are you an introvert? Neurofeedback.wikispaces.com/file/view/NFB-manual+Ed+Mohlman.pdf. Education For Free. Genetics and Intelligence. Cheating the Gifted? - Teacher in a Strange Land. It's an argument that seems to bubble up cyclically.
It doesn't matter what the hot policy idea du jour is, someone is bound to assert: What we're doing right now does not serve the needs of the gifted! The question was raised in the Rising Tide of Mediocrity era: What were we doing to nurture those promising leaders who would keep America #1? Debates about tracking have never gone away, pitting "low-achieving" students against "America's brightest.
" Even the recent flurry of interest in Finland's great results is accompanied by little yeah-but digs: "High-flying students might get neglected in a system set up to improve the bottom and the middle. " After a decade of federally mandated accountability, predicated on closing the achievement gap, Michael Petrilli is now fretting that Poverty Warrior educators haven't been honest about their motives: "Their slogan has been 'leave no child behind' when it's really closer to 'take from the rich, give to the poor.'" Psychology & Neurocience.
The Society of the Spectacle. The paradox of the Panopticon. In his book, Discipline and Punish (1975), French philosopher Michel Foucault characterized modern organization as a Panopticon, a special type of prison.
The brainchild of British utilitarian, Jeremy Bentham, the design of the Panopticon gives its Warden complete control over his Prisoners through a clever combination of spatial organization and mirrors. From his exalted place at the center, the Warden can see the activities of all the Prisoners in all places at all times. Of course, it is not possible for the poor Prisoners to see when they are being observed by the Warden. (Bentham's blueprint for the Panopticon appears below.) Foucault's analogy is perfect. The Panopticon is a trap, of course, for the Warden as well as the Prisoners. The Prisoners' Dilemma is a potent criticism of Bentham's utilitarian philosophy, which holds that individuals pursuing their own interests naturally creates the greatest utility for society as a whole. Tom JacksonPortland, Oregon. Best Video I've Seen Today Will Make You Smile.