DYS Homeroom

This week students were presented with lateral thinking puzzles that challenged their analogous thinking patterns. (Many children who are gifted have an early onset of abstract thinking capabilities compared to peers, lending them unique analogical problem solving approaches performed at different levels of abstraction as they age.)  After the interesting introductory activity, students were exposed to research regarding why analogous thinking is connected to creative problem solving. With the remaining time, we dived into examples from the lives of professionals and historical figures who used analogous thinking as a critical thinking tool to solve problems ranging from radiation exposure to gravity.  What is analogical thinking?   First and foremost, it is a powerful problem-solving exercise for scientists, creatives, and people solving everyday problems. When we use solutions, information, and ideas from one domain to solve a problem in a different domain, we are engaging in this pr

 “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” - Csikszentmihalyi, 1990   What is psychological flow? It’s an enjoyable state of mind we all have access to when we are absorbed in a challenging but achievable task. How do you know you are in flow? You are completely focused. You don’t worry about the past or future. The activity strikes a balance between boredom and anxiety (see attachments). People with enjoyable, meaningful lives know what activities bring them flow and engage in them regularly.    According to Csikszentmihalyi, these are the eight characteristics of flow: Complete concentration on the task Clarity of goals/reward in mind/immediate feedback Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down) The experience is intrinsically rewarding (done for its own sake) Effortlessness and e

Creativity is considered the most desired leadership skill of the future. Even though it is a paramount “21st century” skill, creativity is difficult to preserve as one moves out of childhood and into adulthood. It’s also difficult to measure (as compared to IQ).  Those who study creativity often explore it in two different categories.  Little “c” creativity defined: personal tasks that are creatively fulfilling (art, music, experiments) Large “C” Creativity defined: Something original and useful for the human race (includes the arts and beyond). Typically involves collaboration, emotional engagement, problem-solving, divergent thinking, and purposefully applied constraints. Benefits to increasing both little “c” and big “C” creativity include: Better relationships Handling stress and overcoming obstacles Being less prone to depression Motivation, engagement, openness Proven ways to increase creativity: Practice divergent thinking activities with no “right” answer Combine new informa

Guiding Questions:   What are the pros and cons involved in having a lot of options?  How is multipotentiality like having an extensive menu versus just having a list of tasks to get through? What are the pros and cons involved in being good at a lot of things?  What does this have to do with decision making? Opening Thoughts: “Multipotentiality is an educational and psychological term referring to the ability and preference of a person, particularly one of strong intellectual or artistic curiosity, to excel in two or more different fields.”  The meaning of the word “decide” comes from the Latin word, decidere, which is a combination of two words: de = 'OFF' + caedere = 'CUT' = Is decision making really about cutting off alternative realities? Mini-Lesson: This week’s lesson focused on "multipotentiality" (being passionate and talented in a variety of diverse areas). While a blessing (who doesn’t want to be good at several different things?), it can become ove