De‐schoolingMinds

DeschoolingMindsByUdayDandavate

January19th,2011

Ihaveakeeninterestinlearningfrompsychologicalprofilesofcreativeindividuals.

MycuriosityhasledmetoreadCharlieChaplin’s,“MyAutobiography,”and“Creating

Minds:AnAnatomyofCreativitySeenThroughtheLivesofFreud,Einstein,Picasso,

Stravinsky,Eliot,Graham,andGandhi,”byHowardGardner.Behindmycuriosityis

aninnatedesiretoknowhowbestIcanlearnfrom,interpret,andbeinspiredbythe

experiencesthatdrivecreativeindividualstoproducetheircreativeworks.

Overtheyears,whilepursuingthephilosophyofparticipatorydesignandco‐

creation,Ihave,however,beguntoquestionthemonopolyofcreativeindividuals

overcreativeprocesses,andhavedevelopedrespectforthecreativityofeveryday

people.Duringthispursuit,Ibecameintriguedbyabook,“SecretsofaBuccaneer­

Scholar:HowSelf­EducationandthePursuitofPassionCanLeadtoaLifetimeof

Success,”byJamesMarcusBach.Thisbookturnedoveranewleafinmyinterestin

studyingthecreativepotentialofthemind.Thebookcontainsapersonalaccountof

ahigh‐schooldropout–ofhowhediscoveredtherhythmofhismindandapplied

thatawarenesstomaximizehiscareeropportunitiesandtodrawasenseof

fulfillmentfromlife.

Afterbrowsingthroughafewpagesofthebook,IwasremindedoftheargumentI

haveoftenheardfrompeoplewhodroppedoutofschool,“BillGates,therichestman

intheworld,wasacollegedropout,yethewasabletobuildMicrosoftandhebecame

therichestmanintheworld.”Ioftenwantedtoremindthemthateverycollege

dropoutwasnotlikelytofollowthesuccessstoryofBillGates.Iheldabeliefthat

thecreativegeniusofBillGateswasnotnecessarilyaccessibletoeveryoneeagerto

dropoutofformaleducation.Iwaswrong.IrealizedthatIwasindoctrinated,

throughmyeducationatadesignschool,intobelievingthatcreativethinkingwas

themonopolyofapersontrainedincreativity.

Afterbecomingadesignresearcherandconductinghundredsofconversationsand

co‐creationworkshopswithcommonfolksfromaroundtheworld(whichincludes

peopleinourclientcompanies),myinteresthasgrowntotappingintothecreative

potentialofeverydaypeople,notjustinstudyingthementalmakeupofgeniuses.

ThisissobecauseIhavelearnedthatitisonlythroughhelpingpeopleonthestreet

invokethecreativepotentialoftheirmindscanwesolvecomplexproblemsfacedby

individuals,families,communities,organizations,andtheearth’seco‐system

Inthiscontext,readingJamesBachprovidedatimelyremindertomethatinorder

topursuemyinterestinharnessingthepotentialofminds,Ineednotjustconfine

myreadingtotheanalysisofthemindsofcreativeindividuals.JamesBachhas

demonstratedthatthereareopportunitiesforeachoneofustoexpandtheinnate

capacityofourmindtolearnandbecreative,withoutsurrenderingtothedictatesof

anacademicestablishment.

Theauthorhasusedthemetaphorofbuccaneers,seventeenthcenturySpanish

pirates,becausehefindsseveralparallelsbetweenhisownlearningprocessandthe

independentspiritofthebuccaneers.Heisdrawntothembecause,“Theywerebold

andaggressive,theylivedfreeandtheylivedbytheirwits.ThatishowIwanttobe,an

independentthinker,”hesays.Thisishowthebuccaneeringmetaphorworks,inthe

wordsofJamesBach,

“Theoriginalbuccaneerssailedinshipsonthesea.Thevehicleusedby

buccaneer­scholarswastheirmindsandtheysailedintheworldof

ideas.Buccaneersembarkedoncruisesinsearchoftreasures.The

cruiseofabuccaneer­scholartakestheformofaself­determined

curriculum.Abuccaneer­scholarembarksonacruiseinsearchof

knowledge.Buccaneersusedthethreatofviolencetoachievetheir

ends.Buccaneer­scholarsarenotphysicallyviolent,theyare

audaciousandintellectuallypassionate.Theyuseirreverentinquiry

ratherthanmalevolentartillerytoseizethetreasurethattheyseek.

Buccaneersquestedformaterialwealth,suchasgoldbullions,jewels,

andsilvercoinscalled“piecesofeight.”Thewealththatbuccaneer­

scholarsseekislesstangiblebutnolessvaluable:knowledge,skills,

greatsecrets,connectionswithotherminds,andanevermore

powerfulself.”(Bach)

Tomymindtheparalleldrawnbetweenbuccaneersandbuccaneer‐scholarsis

inspiringbecause,accordingtotheauthor,buccaneer‐scholarsarebothdisruptive

andalsoknowhowtoprosperintimesofdisruption.

JamesBachhasoutlinedthetraitsofabuccaneer‐scholar.Buccaneer‐scholarslive

free.Theyseekfirsthandknowledgeoverknowledgeimpartedbyanauthority.They

followself‐directed,heuristiclearningprocesses;curiositydrivesthem;puzzles

intriguethem;complexitydrivesthem.Theyconstructthemselves,asopposedto

subjectingthemselves,toacultureofindoctrination.Aboveall,theyearntheir

reputation;theycaremorefortheirreputationthanfortheirqualifications.

Todayweliveatcrossroadsofbigchanges,whicharebeingforcedbyinvisibleor

unanticipatedbreakdownsofestablishedsystems(e.g.,thesubprimemortgage

crisis)anddisruptivetechnologicalinnovations(suchastheemergenceofmobile

andbiotechnologies).Expertstrainedinoldwaysofmanagementwillneedto

cultivatethemindsetofabuccaneer‐scholarinordertothinkbeyondtraditional

ideologiesandoutmodedeconomicmodelsormethodologies,andinnovatebeyond

thetoolsandprocessesthathaveserveduswellformanyyears.

Ifindelevenelementsofhisownmethodoflearningveryusefulforapersonwho

wantstoapproachlearningbuccaneer‐style:1.Scoutobsessivelyforinformation

fromavarietyofsources;2.Engageyourmindwithauthenticproblems.An

authenticproblemisonethatpersonallymeanssomethingtoyouandmotivates

you,notsomethingthatisimposedonyou;3.Cultivatecognitivesavvyby

discoveringtherhythmofyourmind.Letyourmindwonderaround,letitwork

whileyousleep,andbreakthroughideaswillcometoyou;4.Asyouplunder

knowledge,knowledgewillattractknowledge.Buildamentalschema(map)ofthe

knowledgeterritoryyouwanttoexplore–it’slikebuildinganinnermapof

knowledge–andyouwilldiscovernewpathwaystoexploretheknowledge

territory;5.Experimentrelentlesslybygettingclosetoaproblem,questioningit,

playingwithit,pokingatit,andlearningfromwhathappensnext;6.Seekandrelish

disposabletime–thetimeyoucanaffordtowaste–andtheideaswillcometoyou;

7.Advanceyourunderstandingoftheworldandshareitwithothersmore

effectivelythroughthemediumofstories;8.Searchforinnovativesolutionsby

comparing,contrasting,andsynthesizingcontrastingideas.Thisprocessiscalled

dialecticallearning;9.Reinventyourselfbysubjectingyourselftootherpeople’s

ideas;10.Combinewords,pictures,andsymbolstounderstandandcommunicate

meanings;andfinally11.Embracesystemsthinkingbydevelopingtheabilityto

developtoleranceforcomplexityandtheabilitytodiscoversimplepatterns

underneath.

AsIcompletedreadingthepersonalstrugglesofJamesBachin,“Secretsofa

Buccaneer­Scholar,”IwasremindedofIvanIllich’sbook,“DeschoolingSociety,”in

whichhesuggestedcreationof“educationalwebswhichheightentheopportunityfor

eachonetotransformeachmomentofhislivingintooneoflearning,sharing,and

caring.”(lllich,71).

Today,withaccesstomethodsforself‐initiatedandself‐directedlearningbecoming

availablethroughtheworldwideWeb,itisnotdifficultforpeopletopursuelifelong

learningopportunitiesasenvisionedbyIllich.EvenwithouttheworldwideWeb,

JamesBachfollowedhisheart,discoveredtheabundanceoflearningopportunities

availableinhisenvironment,challengedtheoutmodededucationalestablishment,

droppedoutofschoolintheeighthgrade,andendedupbuildingacareerfor

himselfonhisownterms.HisimpeccablecredentialsincludeemploymentatApple

ComputerasoneofthegroupmanagersintheProductQualityDepartment,

authoringnumerousbooksonsoftwaredevelopmentandproductqualityand

testing,deliveringkeynotepresentationsatsoftwaretestingconferencesaroundthe

world,andwritingpapersthatareoftenreferredbyuniversities,suchasthe

MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT)andStanfordUniversity.

Itisobvioustomethatouroptionsforlearningincreasebyfollowingthemethods

suggestedbythebuccaneer‐scholarJamesBach.Irealizethatamindfreefromthe

tyrannyofanauthoritativeeducationsystemiswhatIseek,becauseasJeanPaul

Sartreoncewrote,“Wearecondemnedtobefree,”(SartrequotedbyBachinhis

book).