By Dr. Charlie Palmgren

“The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead.” – Albert Einstein

Carl Puccio has reminded us in his paper on active learning what we are about. He writes;

“Creative interchange is a process where individuals engage authentically, value diverse perspectives, and continuously evolve their understanding through collaborative interactions (Wieman, 1953). Creative interchange is rooted in a two-fold commitment: firstly, individuals commit to sharing the best they currently know; and secondly, individuals recognize that some of what they know to be true is in error. The values of integrity and humility in this philosophical approach align seamlessly with the principles of active learning, emphasizing the importance of authentic interaction, reflection integrating and thinking, and continuous improvement for all involved in the learning experience.”

Five Conditions of Creative Interchange

1. Awareness: Learning facilitators and learners must be aware of their own perspectives and those of others, fostering a rich and inclusive learning environment where learning is at the center of the (shared) experience. This can be challenging for experienced and knowledgeable instructors who tend to answer all of the questions raised in the class, instead of first engaging learners to share their understanding. 

2. Authentic [Consciousness]: Learning facilitators and learners need to model integrity and humility, demonstrating openness to new ideas and a willingness to learn from peers and facilitators. This requires instructors to ask more questions of their learners (and vice versa) and to practice deep listening and restraint before providing an answer.

3. Appreciative Understanding: Recognizing and valuing diverse viewpoints while critically and creatively evaluating one’s own ideas enhances innovative thinking and problem-solving and helps build shared understanding.

4. Creative Integrating: Integrating varied perspectives leads to enhanced creativity and a deeper understanding of complex concepts. Here, individuals integrate the uniqueness of others into their own thinking and are thereby transformed [themselves].

5. Continual [Transforming]: Commitment and tenacity to ongoing learning–acting on the best one [currently] knows and integrating the unique perspectives of others into one’s own thinking–ensure that emergent thinking [and behaving] occur and that the active learning remains relevant and effective.

Active learning aligns…with the creative interchange process by promoting continuous skill development, adaptability, and creativity among learners, [by] providing energy and flexibility needed for individuals in the learning experience.  

As I said Henry Wieman was also a prophet. Two years after his transiting 1975 did I begin to more appreciatively his deeper understanding of our current time in regard for climate science and ecosystem decay. Later today I’ll be forwarding an additional message on the climate science issue.