The Game of Life is Rigged: Gladwell’s Outliers

Unputdownable is not usually the way statistics are described. Unless, of course, Malcolm Gladwell enters the equation. Outliers, like Gladwell’s earlier books The Tipping Point and Blink, makes numbers line up and entertain. Subtitled The Story of Success, what makes Outliers provocative is the way it splits the atom of success into opportunity and legacy. The implication? That the game of life just might be rigged – but not in the way we often think.

The Elements of Success

Analysing countless success stories, often of the riveting rags-to-riches kind, Gladwell repeatedly points out the common twin threads of opportunity and legacy. Opportunity, he argues, can arise from a series of circumstances, such as Bill Gates’ serendipitous access to a computer, programming time and techy business connections long before these became common. Legacy, conversely, can result from worldview ingrained into a society by its long-standing mode of life. As an example he suggests that the precision and diligence necessitated by rice farming has led East Asian nations to prominence in science and technology.

The Talent Myth?

In addition, hard work certainly is a factor, which Gladwell stresses with reference to the 10 000 hour rule identified by Ericsson (1996). Talent? Well, not so much. In fact, two chapters are devoted to The Trouble with Geniuses, reassuring us lesser mortals that an average intelligence may actually be an asset if coupled with good, old-fashioned common sense. There is an echo here of Colvin’s Talent is Overrated (2008), which extols the value of deliberate practise over innate ability.

The Implication

The striking implication of Outliers is not that if there are consistent preconditions to success, the game is rigged. The striking implication is that the game CAN be rigged to create the preconditions for success - for individuals, communities and ultimately, humanity. 

The Critics

In my mother tongue we say that the highest trees catch the most wind – achievers are subject to fierce criticism. As John Horgan pointed out in Slate magazine, Malcolm Gladwell is, himself, an outlier, and hence a “high tree”. In this respect, some commentators noted a strong autobiographical note to the book (even beyond the final, deeply personal chapter). Outliers has justifiably been attacked for less than meticulous logic and accuracy. Yet it is perhaps no coincidence that this is largely by writers who do not match its eleven weeks’ reign atop the New York Times bestseller list. The book-buying public clearly agreed with the chorus of enthusiastic critics who found Outliers so “thought-provoking”, “provocative” and “worth pondering”. As a member of the public who rarely buys a non-virtual book, my purchase speaks volumes.

References

Colvin, G. (2008). Talent is overrated: What really separates world-class performers from everybody else. London: Nicholas Brealy.

Ericsson, K.A. (1996). The road to excellence: the acquisition of expertise in the arts and sciences, sports and games. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 

Learning is a Road Trip

Bone-weary but contented I just got back from the 1058 km road trip to Muscat, to attend the first Omani Society for Educational Technology Conference (blogged on December 6 and 7). The conference, the capital city and time with colleagues were inspiring and reinvigorating. This post, though, was prompted by the trip itself. A lone voyager crossing the desert (see the map below) has 24 hours to think why learning is like a road trip. I distilled it down to three similarities.

1. A Map Can Help

View Salalah to Muscat Road Trip in a larger map

There are people who don’t use maps. I envy their sense of direction, but would argue that maps are not just to avoid getting lost. Maps help us understand the journey and make the most of it.

The maps of learning are the plans of where we are, where we want to go and how to get there (and what might be worth visiting along the way). In formal learning there is usually a syllabus or curriculum. In informal learning, which is often self-driven, the learning plan and goal are not always so clear. Just like a map helps us keep perspective on the journey, a solid but flexible learning plan – a final destination and the landmarks leading there – can build confidence and keep us on course. This way there is also opportunity for enjoyable detours without losing our way.

2. Know the Final Destination

My trip was between two extremes of the country, and many signposts either way showed only the name of the final destination. Without knowing where I was ultimately headed, I would have been lost in the desert now, rather than cosily blogging at home.

In learning, it is equally important to keep track of the final destination, the ultimate goal. This should not be confused with final exams, projects or even qualifications – those are just landmarks along the way. The ultimate goal of learning is to live the life we choose, the way we choose it, within a society that allows every person the same right.

3. Know the Milestones along the Way (And Enjoy Them)

On a long trip, the little places in the middle of nowhere along the way are huge milestones. There is a temptation to keep moving, to “get there” faster. This is perfectly valid, but a short stop is a chance to refresh the mind and appreciate how far you have come. The little milestones may literally be neither here nor there, but they do signify being that much closer to your goal.

The sense of “divine discontent” that drives learning – especially independent learning – tends to make small achievements seem insignificant. They are not. Small achievements are the milestones on the road trip of learning. Stop and celebrate them, if only for a minute.

And, Oh... The Journey Never Ends

There is a catch here, of course: there will always be a next destination. This extends to learning as well. New goals will always arise. We emphasise lifelong learning for this exact reason: true learning is not a finite process. If you want to keep moving forward, your final destination must move forward as well. In truth, the journey never ends.

During one of the most profoundly significant training sessions I have attended, our group walked into the training room on the last day to be met by these words:

THE END IS THE BEGINNING.

And so it is. May your learning journeys be safe and successful.

Images: Marie-Therese C. Le Roux via PicasaWeb

Technically, The Revolution Continues

As promised in yesterday's post, the Omani Society for Educational Technology Conference continues, and questions are answered. 

Undoubtedly the presentation that struck me most yesterday was that of Dr Paul Kim, Chief Technology Officer at Stanford University's School of Education. Today saw a closer look into existing m-learning projects similar to those proposed in Oman, under the title Evolution in the 21st Century Education Ecosystem. Dr Kim framed the presentation with the analogy of evolution. Any living organism, he argued, evolves. It therefore follows that anything that does not evolve, is not alive. The argument is for evolution through experience - and the experiences shown in the slides were inspiring. Stanford's POMI 2020 project has brought m-learning to underserved communities around the world, and some staggering results have been reported. As to yesterday's proposal for a pilot project in Oman, more information can be found at http://cleanslate.stanford.edu, or simply watch the video below, from the project website. It will be very interesting to see how Oman uses this opportunity at such a fortuitous time.

Update: I forgot to mention that the coolest innovation from the program, to my mind, was the use of bicycle-powered generators to charge mobile devices in areas without electricity. A winner for education, health, the environment, transportation and that all-important element of motivation: FUN. 

Video: Stanford University Clean Slate Project

The second keynote presentation was by Dr. Mourad Diouri of Glasgow University UK/Morocco. An award-winning pioneer in e-learning for Arabic as a Foreign Language education, Dr. Diouri shared his recent experiences of teaching Arabic using social media. Although the presentation was in Arabic and left me linguistically in the dust, I understood enough to see the that social media tools that have become my close friends were well-received by his international students. His project can be found at the e-Arabic Teachers Portal. 

Among the concurrent sessions, two deserve special mention. The first was by Rengarajan Veerasamy and Waseem Anwar of the Arab Open University's Muscat branch. As the first university to truly integrate blended learning from the core in the Arab World, this is a pioneering institution. It is also worth mentioning that they are backed by the Open University UK, a world leader in distance, online and blended learning. Yet they report serious challenges with regard to developing learner independence and retaining students in an environment where a culture of formal education is still being established. The presenters, who were kind enough to humour me with a chat, agreed that being a pioneer requires building a new way, and this will be demanding. 

The other presentation that really related to my own concerns was by Dr. Fawzieh Al-Makkawi, Training Manager at NTC Eduware in Lebanon. This warm and engaging speaker shared her experience with the challenges of motivating teachers to use ICT - something I am all too familiar with. She substantiated her point with compelling interdisciplinary research, including a table on managing complex change  (left) based on Thousand and Villa (1995), which really spoke to me.  I could gladly have listened to her for far longer.

Image: Thousand and Villa's (1995) Elements of managing Complex Change. http://centre4.core-ed.net

Overall, it was a great turnout considering this is a public holiday. In a context where the field of educational technology is still so new, and so many participants in the conference truly are being exposed to concepts for the first time, it isn't surprising that many presentations are going over rudimentary information. In fact, it is to be expected at this stage. The question is how effectively those attending this event will carry the message to bring ed tech in Oman to a higher level. I do look forward to dramatic developments in ICT in Oman by the time of OSET's next conference in 2012. 

Technically, A Revolution

Today I am blogging live from the first mobile and blended learning conference of the Omani Society for Educational Technology. By sheer luck, the event falls at the height of the celebrations of 40 years of Oman's Renaissance. Considering the staggering development of the Sultanate in the recent past, the timing could not be more appropriate.

The event is hosted by the Arab Open University and the Middle East College of InformationTechnology. The latter hosts today's events in its pleasant campus, situated in Knowledge Oasis Oman. The location is an apt metaphor for technology in the emerging nations: hidden between the rugged, rainless Arabian hills, it truly is an oasis of knowledge and development populated by optimistic technology organizations and organizations. Their optimism is well founded: it is no secret that the emerging economies represent some of the most thrilling chances and challenges in the future of technology.

This morning was jam-packed with three keynote presentations by international experts with esteemed international pedigrees, covering diverse aspects of the field.

The first was an overview of the development of approaches to technology enhanced pedagogy, presented by Prof. Terry Anderson of Athabasca University. This included a whirlwind tour of the adjustments in pedagogies, from behaviorism to constructivism, with the current trend towards connectivism. Prof. Anderson's presentation also offered several links to rich resources for online learning.

Next was a presentation on enhancing course materials with SMS text messages by Prof. Rozhan Idrus of USM Malaysia. This research, which is highly feasible with Oman's current mobile phone penetration, has received numerous research grants and awards. The speaker emphasised the importance of recognising the medium as one of many principled tools that can support learning, rather than a formulaic prescription.

The third presentation of the morning represented what seems to me the best gift Oman could wish for as it looks toward its future. Dr. Paul Kim, Chief Technology Officer of Stanford University's School of Education (and vocal Android supporter!), presented a visionary proposal for a pilot project with mobile learning in Oman. Considering the powerful research position of Stanford University, coupled with its strategic location in Silicon Valley, and this project's broad support from a spectrum of technology corporations, this presents an opportunity for Omani education unmatched by any since the Renaissance itself. Oman's unique position as a rapidly emerging but oil-wealthy nation with a wise and benevolent leader makes it uniquely ripe for m-learning, which can leapfrog the more gradual rollout of e-learning. My question to the presenter was how to prepare educators for this revolution. I was promised an answer during his keynote tomorrow morning, and am greatly looking forward to it. I sincerely hope keen ed tech researchers in Oman will attend and take up the offer.

As we approach the end of the lunch break, the first concurrent sessions are about to begin. Then there is a break before this evening's participant dinner at Qurm Natural Park, which so happens to precede Oman's International Fireworks Competition (though this is supposed to be a secret, so mum's the word. Dinner I can take or leave, but I won't miss the fireworks! They might be almost as exciting as a stellar research proposal ;).

Online Professional Development Happens

Online professional development (OPD) is a powerful solution for working professionals, organizations and the publics they serve. This method of professional development is efficient, cost-effective, environmentally sound, personalised, and also offers a wide spectrum of possibilities. What is more, professionals who take this route develop the transferrable skill of independently developing and networking online, and become more tech-savvy in the process. In short, the benefits of OPD are compelling.

Like most web users, I have come across numerous platforms for OPD during my online adventures. These experiences, together with my recent MA research and a lifetime of learning, have led me to believe that a structured introduction to OPD will address a pressing need among professionals and organizations.

While working on a proposal for an upcoming conference, this theme emerged even more clearly. I became so enchanted with the idea that within an hour I whipped up the outline for an entire course on the subject, and even registered a web domain for it. In the coming days, a local educational institute made a very promising offer for hosting the pilot programme. Needless to say, I am very excited.

The details still need to be filled in, but it is thrilling to see that by identifying market needs, a sound idea can be developed. What is equally clear is that success will demand a lot of attention and energy. Yet the efforts are the measure of the results, and I am glad to do my share.

Watch this space!

Image: Dragon CV by Marie-Therese C. Le Roux. A MindMap covering the first few years of my career.