7/28/2019 Leading in the Conceptual Age

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Personal Statement

Kevin J. Ruth, Ph.D.

As our culture shifts from the information age to the conceptual age, we need to think differently about how

we do school. There is no longer a scarcity of knowledge, but rather an abundance thereof. Why, then, do we

continue to educate children (and ourselves) in a way that promotes the former rather than the latter? We are

arguably in the most exciting and agitated time in the history of what we call education; yet, if we choose not

to be bold, we will end up educating tomorrows leaders for yesterdays world.

What do I mean by that statement? Quite simply, we need to stop educating children to provide the right

answers, so that they might learn instead how to ask the right questions. The difference is not subtle.

The conceptual ageand we are well into itseeks and rewards skills and behaviors that do not align with the

lower-level cognitive abilities promoted by much-bandied standardized assessments. In his book,A Whole

New Mind, Daniel Pink proposes that the pursuit of creativity and innovationthe hallmarks of the conceptual

agerequires competencies in six essential aptitudes: story, design, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning.

These aptitudes do not replace content knowledge; rather, they weave value into it, since value is the currency

of the conceptual age. As such, our charge is to create valueand thereby authenticity.

One way in which value can be created is by shaping diverse relationships into a new and cogent whole,leading to a continuously-developing narrative of who we are. We tend to think of relationships, though, as

being singularly human in nature; rarely do we acknowledge non-human entrants into our ecosystem of

relationships. Digital technologies, for example, are complex and beneficial relational tools. They challenge us

to evolve our myriad relationships, whether educational, professional, or personal. With the ever-evolving

digital environment, we are bound to interact differently with our students, and they are bound to interact

differently with each other. Our charge as educators, then, is to explore how we might align the human

experience we call learningwith that evolution.

On that same note, we would do well to re-examine what it means to be literate in todays world and,

subsequently, to iterate our programs to meet that level of literacy. For most of us, the term literacy has

connoted a certain level of fluency in reading, writing, and thinking, as viewed through a twentieth-centurylens. How, then, might we respond to the new literacies? Here we encounter areas such as digital storytelling,

blogging, fan fiction, video game-playing, second life, music/video/photo remixing and sharing, as well as

statistical literacy and ecological literacy. Imagine how prodigious the world must look to an emerging adult

today, and then consider how our extant curricula prepare that emerging adult to make decisions of personal

and moral import in that world. Are our value and authenticity obvious?

The conceptual age is here; this much we know. Witness remarks on value and authenticity in this age by

Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at London Business School: the ability to collaborate across

boundaries will become increasingly important, because that is how innovation happens. Clearly, the capacity

to work virtually will be a core skill, both for individuals and institutions. [...] Creativity is going to be crucial,

because it leads to innovation and value creation. [Additionally,] in a world where more and more people areacknowledging their diversity rather than trying to fit into a [...] stereotype, there is an opportunity to be more

authentic about who you are. This has implications for how individuals learn and develop, and also for how

they learn to work with others who may be different from themselves."1

Leading independent schools are called, as am I, to be relentless in their pursuit of the frontiers of learning and

human development, those spaces where depth of thought and imagination results in transformation.

1 Karen Christensen, "Questions for Lynda Gratton"Rotman Management(Winter 2013) 74.