Dan Pink
A Whole New Mind
A Brief Excerpt and Review

Dan Pink does a wonderful job speaking in laymen’s language contrasting the portions of the brain (left and right) against each other. He does not state that one hemisphere of the brain is better than the other, rather he infers the differences in relation to the way information is processed (content v. context, processing all at once v. in parts, synthesis v. analysis). In his words the logical, sequential, linear viewpoint that once took center stage in the business community now have given way to more creative versions of thought.
Dan also has a video site (https://masielearning.pbwiki.com/DanPink) offering a glimpse into his book. Below is a brief review of the video.
When you are in motion you get a new perspective on things? How does this work with your brain? What mental process causes a person to receive an idea in the shower? Understanding the brain and the way it manages information reveals revelatory knowledge into the soul of man. It is not a new phenomena rather an old theory put into plain English.
The brain is divided up into several parts (mainly lobes and hemispheres). Some parts of our brain view similar information differently. When we term the phrase “we are right or left brained” it infers the dominant method our cerebral cortex uses to process information. The benefit of being free willed individuals is that we can learn to process information differently over time if we chose; or at least learn to understand how left/right brain individuals process information.
In his analysis Dan Pink does not reveal how to tap into one part of our brain over the other, rather he stresses that some of the artistry portions (of our brain) have become a “first among equals”. He uses this to contrast how a person may view our national economy (e.g. emphasizing the macro or mirco issues effecting our nation.)
I found it interesting how the author answered several questions posed to him.
Q. In an environment that is rule based how do you control for he sequential patterns (inventory, etc.) how do you account for right brain”ness”
A. In a word he states the linear activities are essential but they are not without left-brained activities such as empathy, which correlates with customer service, a needed component in any business.
Q. How does this relate to our schools?
If we look at the link between the two (sides of our brain) we can begin to view the relationships between any common curricula. In this vein we can see a merger between design and functionality. Math can coexist with art (aka multiple expressions of Elliot Eisner).
In conclusion, Dan Pink challenges the linear thinking once used in our society by advocating for a more expressive perception. While he does not address all questions his opponents may have he does leaves points of thought for teachers. He states that if teachers were to peer at learning through the eyes of the child seeing the learning the child needs rather than looking through the eyes of the curricula or standards when the teaching their lessons, they may be pleasantly surprised.