By Sofia Perez
One of the most crucial aspects of problem-solving is a concept in Zen Buddhism called the “beginner’s mindset”, which refers to the attitude of viewing life with an open mind, entering every situation without expectations or preconceived notions.
As is outlined in this Forbes article from June 2023, this concept is not only helpful in our personal lives, but our professional lives too, enhancing problem-solving and creativity.
Many times, in fact, groundbreaking innovation is found by applying a beginner’s mindset to problem-solving.
One way to develop this beginner’s mindset is through continued education.
And no, I don’t mean another degree. I mean the abundance of free online resources available to anyone with a laptop and internet connection.
The problem is most people don’t know how to truly benefit from these resources, and how to apply what they learn in a way that actually supports them in the problems they want to solve or goals they hope to achieve.
How To *Actually* Enhance Problem-Solving With Online Resources
For you though, it will be different.
By applying these 3 simple approaches to any online educational resource, you will be able to enhance your creativity and problem-solving by tapping into the wisdom of fields you would have never expected to find “useful”.
#1: Learn through a project-based approach
There is much research to support the notion that active learning is highly effective. In fact, evidence suggests it is even more effective than passive learning.
Nevertheless, when consuming educational resources online and for free, many make the mistake of just consuming the material with their eyes and ears without reinforcing it through an active learning approach.
One method of applying active learning to these free online resources is through tackling a project that translates what you learn into a creation of your own- whether it be a blog, app, business, or a social media account.
In fact, it doesn’t even need to require a permanent commitment. Just a short-term project will do the trick.
By testing and implementing ideas as a part of the learning process, you are then forced to apply what you learn through problem-solving creatively.
Actionable Steps:
- Choose a Real-World Problem: Identify a significant real-world issue that resonates with your interests, such as developing sustainable urban spaces or creating affordable healthcare solutions.
- Formulate a Project Plan: Break down the project into manageable phases—research, design, implementation, and evaluation. Set clear objectives and deliverables for each phase.
- Develop Prototypes or Models: Build physical or digital prototypes based on your research. This could be a model, a simulation, or a detailed plan that demonstrates the proposed solution.
- Test and Iterate: Implement small-scale versions of your solution to test its feasibility. Gather feedback and refine your project based on real-world results.
- Accountability: Stay accountable by discussing your project with others and asking for feedback on your ideas. Collaborate with others.
#2: Make connections across disciplines.
As Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just connecting things.”
So imagine what happens when you take two different fields, disciplines, or industries, and find the connection no one else sees.
Yes, exactly, it’s magic.
The trick, though, is to learn to identify these overlaps, to train your eye on drawing new connections.
Fortunately, there are several ways to practice.
Actionable Steps:
- Identify Overlapping Themes: Start by identifying themes or problems that naturally overlap between disciplines, such as ethics in technology, health in urban design, or economic impacts of environmental policies.
- Create a Connection Matrix: Develop a matrix or table that maps out how concepts from different disciplines relate to each other. For example, how does technology influence environmental sustainability and vice versa?
- Cross-Disciplinary Analysis: Regularly analyze concepts from one discipline through the lens of another. Write brief essays or reflections on how a principle in one field affects another.
- Develop Comparative Case Studies: Create case studies comparing how different disciplines approach similar problems. This highlights unique perspectives and common strategies.
- Design Cross-Disciplinary Exercises: Engage in exercises that require applying knowledge from multiple fields, such as solving a case using both engineering and economic principles.
- Integrate Learning in Daily Life: Relate daily news and events to multiple disciplines. Analyze current events by considering their implications from various academic perspectives.
#3: Apply systems thinking.
Systems thinking is-you guessed it- about systems, but specifically, it’s about relationships. What affects what? Who affects who?
Take, for example, farming. In isolation, it might seem simple, but systems thinking would require you to connect it to the environment around it- the water quality, the soil, the weather-and the supermarkets which sell the food they produce. It would link to nutrition, economics, politics, psychology even…
You would have to lay the entire system out, as much as you possibly can. Then identify the leverage points with the possibility of pivoting the entire system.
This approach supports problem-solving by expanding your perspective- stepping outside of your initial viewpoint to catch a glimpse of the opportunities you hadn’t before considered.
Actionable Steps:
- Define the System: Clearly define the boundaries and components of the system you are studying. Identify all relevant parts, such as stakeholders, processes, and environmental factors.
- Create System Maps: Develop diagrams that map out the system’s components and their interactions. Tools like causal loop diagrams or system flowcharts can visualize complex relationships.
- Identify Leverage Points: Determine which elements of the system have the most significant impact. Focus efforts on these leverage points to achieve the most effective changes.
- Analyze Feedback Loops: Study how different components of the system feed back into each other. Identify positive and negative feedback loops and their effects on the system’s behavior.
- Develop a Holistic View: Always consider the broader context in which the system operates. Understand external influences and how they might interact with the system’s internal components.
Where To Begin
The final step to pursuing a highly-effective (but free) interdisciplinary education is to find the right resources to learn from.
Below is a comprehensive list of where you can start:
After all, a “beginner’s mindset” is all about taking the first step…
Sources
“8 Benefits of Project-Based Learning, 5 Keys to Success.” Delve Institute of Learning, Research, Teaching, and Impact, 21 Aug. 2023, delveinstitute.com/teaching/project-based-learning/#benefits. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Annan-Diab, Fatima, and Carolina Molinari. “Interdisciplinarity: Practical Approach to Advancing Education for Sustainability and for the Sustainable Development Goals.” International Journal of Management Education, vol. 15, no. 2, 1 July 2017, pp. 73–83, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1472811717300939, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2017.03.006. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Braden, Michelle. “Council Post: Why and How to Practice the Beginner’s Mindset.” Forbes, 3 June 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2023/06/22/why-and-how-to-practice-the-beginners-mindset/. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Carnegie Mellon University. “New Research Shows Learning Is More Effective When Active – News – Carnegie Mellon University.” Cmu.edu, 2021, www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2021/october/active-learning.html. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Evis, Laura H. “A Critical Appraisal of Interdisciplinary Research and Education in British Higher Education Institutions: A Path Forward? – Laura H Evis, 2022.” Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 2022, journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14740222211026251. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Jan G.M. Kooloos, et al. “The Effect of Passive and Active Education Methods Applied in Repetition Activities on the Retention of Anatomical Knowledge.” Anatomical Sciences Education, vol. 13, no. 4, 6 Nov. 2019, pp. 458–466, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7383800/, https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1924. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Mohammed Abdullatif Almulla. “The Effectiveness of the Project-Based Learning (PBL) Approach as a Way to Engage Students in Learning – Mohammed Abdullatif Almulla, 2020.” SAGE Open, 2020, journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244020938702. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Plucker, Jonathan, and Dasha Zabelina. “Creativity and Interdisciplinarity: One Creativity or Many Creativities?” ZDM, vol. 41, no. 1-2, 4 Nov. 2008, pp. 5–11, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11858-008-0155-3?sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=685769&awc=26429_1718164826_18e45c0d34b78c90370432b36a3dcb7f&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=awin&utm_campaign=CONR_BOOKS_ECOM_DE_PBOK_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=685769, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-008-0155-3. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Tooley, Christian. “What “Systems Thinking” Actually Means – and Why It Matters Today.” World Economic Forum, 18 Jan. 2021, www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/what-systems-thinking-actually-means-and-why-it-matters-today/. Accessed 12 June 2024.
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