Cage-free Thinking

Cage-free Thinking
by @eyedreemit

"Tomorrow is a busy day
We got things to do, We got eggs to lay
We got ground to dig and worms to scratch
It takes a lot of settin', gettin' chicks to hatch"
~Louis Jordan, Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens

I find myself falling into this mindset from time to time. There are things I convince myself I must give my attention to and I just can’t be bothered with anything else.

Yet over and over, when I push myself outside the familiarity of my roost, I am grateful for the encounters I have and the inspiration found through unexpected connections when I venture beyond the tried and true.

David Perkins, founding member of Project Zero at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, identified seven principles for transforming education. One of the key principles is to play out of town, meaning that when we take what we know from within our comfort zone and apply it to new situations and increase opportunities for new connections, our capacity for understanding is stretched. Learners are encouraged to develop understanding and transfer skills to be applied in different fields when given authentic “out of town” opportunities.

As a personal example, I recently joined the Steemit.com community of bloggers, creators and cyptocurrency enthusiasts. In a way, this was a bit like traveling out of town on a learning journey, but honestly, my interactions have been self-selected and tethered to the confines of my couch.

When a recent #socalsteemit meetup was announced, I enthusiastically agreed to participate, although it was counter to my introverted weekend preference. I knew it would be worthwhile, but I had no idea just how much I would appreciate the experience and the wonderful connections made with fellow steemians.

@creationofcare @thisgirl @mattlovell @madpotters @dawg-boy @derekrichardson @rt395 @csusbgeochem1 @citizenzero @bxlphabet @jeanlucsr @gvkanten @dennisauburn
Standing around a table of snacks in a bright and windy historical plaza, we learned of mutual interests, shared individual goals and professed support for each others’ projects on steemit and beyond.

As we said our goodbyes, @marctwang and I were bestowed with the perfect gift: a dozen fresh, colorful eggs from @mariannewest’s chickens to nourish our bodies along with our newly inspired minds.

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