Sunday, June 10, 2012

MAC WK2 Blog Art of Possibility Cherylee Gruber


MAC Week 2 Reading - “Toes to Nose”


MAC Week 2 Reading - “Toes to Nose”
Art of Possibility – Chapters 1-4 – 

Currently I am engaged in the reading of the Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander.  I found his ideas/practices hold value for those both in business or education.  I marked myself one of those that was not a fan of classical music and thus had no idea who the author was.  After viewing the Ted Talk on Zander,  I now am beginning to become a fan of both Zander and classical music.  But on to the book…

He begins with Practices.  The book is generally set up as a list of catch phrases to help you remember the rooted practice suggested by Zander.  He outlines daily practices and how they feel good to us even though much change has passed.  In business models, this is how old practices become standard regardless of new technology or information.  Oh so often, I have found this to be true in the classroom, as well.  I wish I knew how many times I have been told to teach for a while, and I too will see the “pendulum swing”.  I have been told to stick to tried and true “practices” and the pendulum will return.  I wonder if any have ever noticed that the only place a pendulum ever sits still, is at the bottom???

Zander claims his book is transformational – a new approach to current conditions.  If I add three ingredients:  Dedication, Leap of Faith, and Practice it will end up transforming my entire world.

In the chapter, “It’s All Invented”, I really appreciated several small anecdotes, The Frog’s Eye Research of 1953, The Salesman Story, and the metaphor that we see the map of the world, not the world itself.  All three point to the idea of perception and what we are able to see.  What Zander is trying to give us are the tools to change our abilities.  To see differently….

One of my most connected moments was his mention of giving an A as a shift in thinking.  At first, I too thought that if you give As, students would lose their motivation.  However, at Full Sail, we have had several opportunities of “Risk Free” assignments.  I know that I care about my grades.  I would risk far less in creativity and experimentation if I thought less than perfect work would result in a B or C.  If I am guaranteed an A, I usually put myself at greater risk and am able to try new things. 

I usually also put forth more effort, due to a feeling of obligation.  I wonder if the same is true if someone stopped charging a fixed price for something and worked off donation only… A recipe for failure?  Or the opening of unlimited possibilities.

If it didn’t work out you could always wave your hands in the air and exclaim, “How Fascinating!”


Sources:

Art of Possibility - Benjamin Zander
Ted Talk - Benjamin Zander

Mrs. Gruber,

It is great that you were able to get so much out of the presentation of Benjamin Zander. I actually watched it twice. It made me laugh out loud. It also made me realize the potential and philosophy that is necessary to move life forward. I agree, there is quite a bit of catch phrases in the content, but that gets people intrigued to keep reading.

Your perspective of yourself is quite interesting. We have been in groups for many months at this point. I think that we have had enough of an electronic relationship to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The view of you coincides with what I would also reflect. You are very determined to get an A on all your projects and your ability to break free and experiment throughout this program has been challenged because of that fact.

Your feeling of obligation and need to put forth more effort than the average person will pay off at a point in your life. You have definitely shown a serious commitment to the program and your classmates. Thank you.








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