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1Dr.TonyWagner:YourHighness,Excellencies,friendsandcolleagues,Asolomamayhem!Bonjour!Buenosdías!Goodmorning!AsJimsuggested,whenweaffirmcreativitytobeattheheartofeducationweimmediatelyencounterresistances,weimmediatelyencounterpopularmisconceptions.Twoinparticular.Numberone:thebeliefthatsomehowcreativityisjustgiventoafewpeople.Thereareonlyafewpeoplewhoarebornwithcreativegiftsandtalents.Therestofusjustbumbleon.Thesecond,butbeforewegotothesecondmisperception,letmedealwiththatone,becausethat'saquickandeasyone,isn'tit.Anyonewhoworkswithchildrenorwho'sstudiedchilddevelopmentknowsthatwe'reallborncurious,creative,imaginative.ThatisthehumanDNA.Welearnbyexploringtheworld,Welearnandunderstandbyinventing,asGenePiargesaid.Theaveragefouryearoldasks100questionsaday.Mostkindergartenersthinkofthemselvesasartists.Butbythetimechildrenhavebecome,say,12yearsold,they'vecometounderstandthatit'smuchmoreimportanttogivetherightanswers,thantoaskgoodquestions.They'vecometounderstandtheyarenotinschooltocreate,butrathertoabsorbknowledge.Thesecondmisperceptionisthatcreativityissomehowafrill,anextracurricularactivity,somethingthat'skindofnicetohavebutnotessential.Now,toconfrontthatview,wemustdeeplyunderstandfundamentalchangesthathavetakenplaceinourworldinthelastfewyearswithsurprisingspeed.Formostofhumanhistory,thepeoplewhohadthegreatestrespectinourcommunities,inourcompanies,inourcountries,werethosewhohadacquiredthegreatestknowledge.Throughouthumanhistory,wehavereveredpeoplewhohaveacquiredmoreknowledgethantherestofus.Andourdegreesfromourschoolsanduniversitiescertifytheacquisitionofmoreknowledgethanotherpeoplemayhave.Thatcompetitiveadvantageisdisappearingveryrapidly.Why?Todayknowledgehasbecomeacommodity,it's2free,it'slikeair,it'slikewater.It'soneveryInternet-connecteddevice.Whatthatmeansistheworldsimplynolongercareshowmuchyouknow.Nocompetitiveadvantage.Becausethepersonnexttoyoucangoandfigureitoutandlearnitjustintime.Ratherwhattheworldcaresabout,whatmattersmost,isnotwhatyouknow,butwhatyoucandowithwhatyouknow.Andthat'sabrandnewandverydifferenteducationproblem.Becausenowit'snotenoughtohavecontentknowledge,surethat'simportant,necessary,butnotsufficient.SowhatthatmeansisthatincreasinglyaroundtheworldI'mencounteringpeoplewhodon'ttrustthesecredentialsthatschoolsandcollegesgiveoutcertifyingthatyouhaveservedacertainamountofseattimeandacquiredacertainamountofknowledge.Acoupleofexamples:YouknowatGoogle,afamouscompany,itusedtobethattheyonlyhiredpeoplefromname-brandcollegeswiththehighesttestscoresandgrades.Andyoucouldn'tevengetaninterviewatGoogleunlessyou'dgonetocertainuniversities.WelltheyhiredaguybythenameofLaszloBockwhoranthedata,anddiscoveredthatthesediplomaswerequiteworthless.Hiswords.Googlehastotallyrevampedtheirhiringprocess.Theynolongeraskforyourcollegetranscript,infact15%oftheirnewhiresdon'thaveacollegedegreeatall.Whataretheylookingfor?Peoplewhoknowhowtotacklecomplexanalyticalproblems.Andthat'swhattheyaskforinstructuredinterviews.Theywanttoknowyourexperience.Theywanttoknowwhatyoucando,notwhatyouknow.IthoughtGoogleismaybeaoneoff,crazy,SiliconValleycompany,butIwasinHoChiMinhCitylastwinter,ataneventsponsoredbyDeloitte,theaccountingandconsultingcompany.IwastalkingtotheCEOoverlunch.Shedidn'tknowanythingaboutGoogle,butshesaid,youknow,wenolongerhireourbeststudentsfromourbestuniversitiesanymore.Theydon'tworkoutsowell,shetoldme.Insteadwelookforgoodstudentsandweputthemthroughakindofsummercampinordertounderstandhowtheyworktogethertosolveproblems.TalkingtoaCEOofastart-uprecently.Shesaid,youknow,Ihavetheworsttimehiring3people,andshe'sinBoston.SheinterviewskidsfromMITandHarvardandplaceslikethat.Andshesaid,Ijustwantsomebodywhocangoinandfigureitout.Heckofajobdescription.Justgofigureitout.Shecan'tfindstudentswhocandothat.Whattheworldwants,inaword,arepeoplewhocaninnovate.Andmoreknowledgedoesnotnecessarilymeangreatercapabilitiesforinnovation.SowhatI'vebeentryingtodoforthelastfewyearsisreallyunderstandwhatmustwedodifferentlytodevelopcapabilitiesforinnovation.Nowtherearetwokindsofinnovators,I'velearned.Oneissomeonewhobringsnewpossibilitiestolife.Whetherit'sinartortechnology,andthatmaybefairlyrareinhumanexperience.Thatmaybemoreamatterofcertaininnategifts.Buttheotherkindofinnovation,theonethatisneededatleastmuch,issomeonewhocansolveproblemscreatively,whobringsnewwaysofthinking,newwaysofconnectingtothesolutionofproblems.Sotheaskingandansweringofcomplexquestions,tothecreationofnewknowledge.SoI'vebeentryingtounderstandwhatmustwedodifferentlyasparents,asteachers,asmentors,asemployers,todevelopthecapabilitiesofmany,manymoreofouryoungpeopletobethecreativeproblemsolversthattheywanttobe,andthatweneedthemtobecome.Istartedinterviewingawiderangeofyoungpeopleintheir20sfromallovertheworld.Somefromprivilege,somefrompoverty.Somefromdevelopedcountries,somefromdevelopingcountries.Allovertheworld.Iinterviewedtheirparentstotryandunderstandiftherewerepatternsofparentingthathavehelpedthemtobecomethecreativeproblemsolversthatinfacttheywere.Iaskedthemabouttheireducation.Veryinteresting.Oneo