"Thinking Dispositions", a starting point

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Permalink Reply by Skip Zilla on May 19, 2007 at 7:54am

Here's a short list of abilities I've found in thinkers I value most--abilities that are exhibited in their thinking:
1) an ability to suspend, not rush to, judgment or conclusion and, collaterally, the ability to re-open inquiry when new observations belie previous conclusions (This might be summed up as the scientific attitude.)
2) an ability to maintain an independence of mind in evaluating what's presented or what's encountered, in spite of the currency of opinion, even that of "experts"; a confidence in one's own ability to "connect the dots" and see the implications
3) an ability to generously value others' abilities--to be enthused by insights and inquiries, no matter who's making them--especially those of children; included in this ability is another: to be able to laugh at one's superiorities and insecurities alike. (I suppose the Buddha summed the lesson up best: "If you meet the Buddha, kill him!")

I've learned, too, that you're likely to find important mindfulness not in a written treatise, but in a painting, musical composition, short story, poem, ...

Thanks, Connie, for re-opening this discussion. Skip

Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on May 23, 2007 at 6:45am

How about knowing about not-knowing?
"I am not young enough to know everything," is a quote on my Zen calendar.
One thing I think needs to be gently awakened in young people is the ability to know when they don't know. We need to cultivate (among many other things) the absolute acceptability of saying "I don't know." We need to point out the strength of character it takes to constantly assess "knowing" and to be unafraid to say, "I'm not sure."

Permalink Reply by Skip Zilla on May 23, 2007 at 8:05am

One on the best things a kid can learn is that there is no such thing as a "know-it-all." From there it's a short step to a recognition that lots of different people know "somethings" that are interesting or important, and that she/he is one of them.

Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on May 23, 2007 at 6:49am

Skip--
Great list. I especially love "an ability to generously value others' abilities..." This is often so painfully missing in adult relationships in the schools.
There is so much power in lifting each other up. One teacher here says "It's our job to make all of us succeed." Thank heavens for positive attitudes.

Permalink Reply by Skip Zilla on May 23, 2007 at 7:20am

Ken's post this morning about a local school district in Indianapolis gives a good example of the emergence of teamwork. A five-year endowment is expiring and teachers who became coaches (and change agents) in schools will have to return to their regular duties. Bad news? Not quite. Many teachers in the district are banding together to help one another continue to progress and to bring teachers new to the district on-board. Their collaboration is informal, but it is valued by all concerned, and has the potential of being the "engine" that ensures that the initial project succeeds into the future.

Permalink Reply by Reuven Werber on May 23, 2007 at 11:53am

How about "a healthy degree of skepticism". The desire to know if what I see or hear is accurate and true. Last week, I read a student project done about a marketplace. Some of the things about the history of the place reported seemed questionable. A quick check showed that they were inaccurate. When I asked the kids about it, they said "but that's what some of the vendors in the marketplace told us". After a short discussion I think that the kids realized that for some information this was a great source, but for other things hearsay should be checked against more reliable sources.
I also desire to get students to want to do good work for its own sake and not just for the teacher or the grade: "To love truth because it is true" (Maimonides). I think that this isn't so easy to do in a traditional school setting.