The Value of Play II: How Play Promotes Reasoning in Children and Adults Twenty years ago, a pair of researchers in England reported on a series of experiments in which they showed that very young children could, in the context of play, solve logic problems that they seemed unable to solve in a serious context. The problems they used were syllogisms, the classic type of logic problem described originally by Aristotle. A syllogism requires a person to combine the information in two premises to decide if a particular conclusion is true, false, or indeterminate (cannot be determined from the premises). Syllogisms are generally easy when the premises coincide with concrete reality, but are more difficult when the premises are counterfactual (contradictions to reality). The prevailing belief at the time that the British researchers conducted these experiments was that the ability to solve counterfactual syllogisms depends on a type of reasoning that is completely lacking in young children. All cats bark (major premise).
Innovation – The Leadership Soft Skills | KaurSkills A summary of the role of leadership and soft skills in innovation. ‘A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.’ - Lao Tzu There are a lot of blogs and worthy peer journals, sharing the importance of innovation in business success and survival. We all agree innovation is important, but how do we nurture innovation, as something which is integral to business process, and creates value within an organisation? Exceptional leaders and authors highlight the importance of ‘soft’ skills for successful management and leadership. Just recently, Tom Peters tweeted: ‘So called “soft” people skills drive implementation. In management practice you could: (a) Ignore soft skills or give credence to ‘soft’ skills, as a key factor to nurturing performance, teamwork, in creativity and ultimate innovation; (c) Prioritise performance targets, financial measures and delivery of products and services. Like this: Like Loading...
Test-Taking Cements Knowledge Better Than Studying, Researchers Say The research, published online Thursday in the journal Science, found that students who read a passage, then took a test asking them to recall what they had read, retained about 50 percent more of the information a week later than students who used two other methods. One of those methods — repeatedly studying the material — is familiar to legions of students who cram before exams. The other — having students draw detailed diagrams documenting what they are learning — is prized by many teachers because it forces students to make connections among facts. These other methods not only are popular, the researchers reported; they also seem to give students the illusion that they know material better than they do. In the experiments, the students were asked to predict how much they would remember a week after using one of the methods to learn the material. Several cognitive scientists and education experts said the results were striking. The final group took a “retrieval practice” test.
5 Outstanding TED Talks about Creativity According to Sir Ken Robinson, creativity is the " process of having original ideas that have values". Everyone of us is born creative but the milieu where we are brought up and the kind of education we receive have a lot to do with how creative we become as we grow up. In his popular TED talk " Do Schools Kill Creativity " , Robinson argued that students are educated out of creativity. Schools and curriculum do not seem to put a high premium on those elements that are mainly linked to the development of our creative powers including art, music, dance, and drama. Whenever there is a budget cut, the first thing they start with is art as if art is only a recreational subject. I am actually working on a poster about creativity which I will probably publish tomorrow. 1- 4 Lessons in Creativity 2- You Elusive Creative Genius 3- How to Build your Creative Genius 4- Where Good Ideas come from 5- Fashion and Creativity
A Route Towards Helping Your Child Attain Better Grades. Once I met with two parents , who wanted to evaluate me as a possible therapist for their troubled son. His mother began first, by going through a laundry list of the misdeeds this young man had being engaged in, from stealing from them and stores, being arrested, being suspended from school to being verbally abusive to both parents. Then the father spoke next, he was to the point. He wanted to know how my therapy would help improve his son's grades in school. I intentionally waited about five seconds before answering his question. "You are more concerned with your son's grades than his recent arrest, suspension from school, and routine disrespect towards you and your wife?" "Well.. no. "You think if your son's grades improve, his behavior will get better?" "Yes! "I am sorry sir, however without having met your son, I suspect that your son doesn't value his academics as much as you do." "Look, Mr. "Have you tried drumming this into his head?" "All the freaking time!"
Miten tulla verkostojen uimamaisteriksi? Sain yllättävän pyynnön: voisitko inspiroida Suomen lukiolaisia? Joku ihana ihminen Teknologiateollisuus ry:stä oli minut ilmiantanut (eli ei ollut vouhaamistani pelästynyt). Rivakalla aikataululla löysin itseni kameran edestä puhumassa kymmenisen minuuttia – aivan raakana, yhdellä otolla, ilman muistiinpanoja, hyvällä fiiliksellä ja viiden etukäteen mietityn asian kanssa oli pärjättävä. Arto antoi minulle vain yhden ohjeen: sana on villi ja vapaa. Aluksi tunnustin lukiolaisille, että intohimoni on maksimoida mahdollisuuksia, avata ovia ja olla avoin – erityisesti asennevalinnan ja sosiaalisen teknologian avulla. 1. Ensimmäinen mahdollisuuksia lisäävä asia listallani on kokeilukulttuuri, sekä työpaikoilla ja kouluissa että henkilökohtaisena lähestymistapana. Kehotin lukiolaisia olemaan uteliaita kokeilijoita, haastamaan konventiot, yhdistämään uutta & vanhaa, insinööritieteitä & humanistista. Mikä innostava fakta ja mittaluku! Lausuin myös ”osa teistä hyppää tähän laivaan. 2. 3. 4. 5.
47 Mind-Blowing Psychological Facts You Should Know About Yourself I’ve decided to start a series called 100 Things You Should Know about People. As in: 100 things you should know if you are going to design an effective and persuasive website, web application or software application. Or maybe just 100 things that everyone should know about humans! The order that I’ll present these 100 things is going to be pretty random. So the fact that this first one is first doesn’t mean that’s it’s the most important.. just that it came to mind first. Dr. <div class="slide-intro-bottom"><a href=" The Eight Pillars of Innovation The greatest innovations are the ones we take for granted, like light bulbs, refrigeration and penicillin. But in a world where the miraculous very quickly becomes common-place, how can a company, especially one as big as Google, maintain a spirit of innovation year after year? Nurturing a culture that allows for innovation is the key. As we’ve grown to over 26,000 employees in more than 60 offices, we’ve worked hard to maintain the unique spirit that characterized Google way back when I joined as employee #16. At that time I was Head of Marketing (a group of one), and over the past decade I’ve been lucky enough to work on a wide range of products. Some were big wins, others weren’t. What’s different is that, even as we dream up what’s next, we face the classic innovator’s dilemma: should we invest in brand new products, or should we improve existing ones? Have a mission that matters Work can be more than a job when it stands for something you care about. Think big but start small
The Ten Most Revealing Psych Experiments Psychology is the study of the human mind and mental processes in relation to human behaviors - human nature. Due to its subject matter, psychology is not considered a 'hard' science, even though psychologists do experiment and publish their findings in respected journals. Some of the experiments psychologists have conducted over the years reveal things about the way we humans think and behave that we might not want to embrace, but which can at least help keep us humble. That's something. 1. 'Lord of the Flies': Social Identity Theory The Robbers Cave Experiment is a classic social psychology experiment conducted with two groups of 11-year old boys at a state park in Oklahoma, and demonstrates just how easily an exclusive group identity is adopted and how quickly the group can degenerate into prejudice and antagonism toward outsiders. Researcher Muzafer Sherif actually conducted a series of 3 experiments. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Turns out that it's all about framing.
Richard Branson on the Art of Brainstorming Q: Are there any techniques that could help me brainstorm? -- Kai Prout A: When I took part in attempts to set speed records for hot air ballooning across the oceans in the '80s and '90s, we got into some sticky situations. For me, the term "brainstorm" always brings back memories of flying a hot air balloon 30,000 feet above the earth into the eye of a very different kind of storm. While not every brainstorming session involves making life-and-death choices, the principle is the same. 1. Related: 3 Ways to Think Outside the Box 2. Enjoy a change of scenery for at least for half an hour before you start working, and remember to take breaks. 3. Related: The Biggest Mistake Small Businesses Make in Brainstorming 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. While I have discussed here the importance of brainstorming and listening to and learning from others, I often also act on impulse. Related: Richard Branson on Inspiring Employees The author is an Entrepreneur contributor.
8 Things Everybody Ought to Know About Concentrating “Music helps me concentrate,” Mike said to me glancing briefly over his shoulder. Mike was in his room writing a paper for his U.S. History class. On his desk next to his computer sat crunched Red Bulls, empty Gatorade bottles, some extra pocket change and scattered pieces of paper. In the pocket of his sweat pants rested a blaring iPod with a chord that dangled near the floor, almost touching against his Adidas sandals. Mike made a shift about every thirty seconds between all of the above. Do you know a person like this? The Science Behind Concentration In the above account, Mike’s obviously stuck in a routine that many of us may have found ourselves in, yet in the moment we feel it’s almost an impossible routine to get out of. When we constantly multitask to get things done, we’re not multitasking, we’re rapidly shifting our attention. Phase 1: Blood Rush Alert When Mike decides to start writing his History essay, blood rushes to his anterior prefrontal cortex. Phase 2: Find and Execute