Adam Grant - Original Thinkers in the Classroom

Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, explores the habits of original thinkers, emphasizing their comfort with failure and creativity. He discusses how education should focus on teaching students to be original thinkers by challenging assumptions and fostering creativity. Grant highlights the importance of psychological safety in teams, which encourages learning from mistakes. He shares his experience of encouraging students to question evidence and develop creative projects, leading to new research insights.

What surprising habit do original thinkers often exhibit?

• They avoid taking risks.

• They never experience fear or doubt.

• They procrastinate frequently.

• They have fewer ideas than their peers.

What realization did Adam Grant have about his teaching methods?

• He was not providing enough data.

• He was focusing too much on creativity.

• He was not encouraging students to question evidence.

• He was encouraging too much originality.

What is psychological safety in a team context?

• The belief that you can take risks without punishment.

• The notion that trust is unnecessary in teams.

• The assurance that errors will never occur.

• The idea that teams should avoid all risks.

What did students discover about error rates in teams with psychological safety?

• Teams made and reported more errors.

• Teams made and reported fewer errors.

• Teams made fewer errors but reported more.

• Teams made more errors but reported fewer.

What was the purpose of the mini TED talk assignment?

• To summarize the course content.

• To challenge and complicate course assumptions.

• To present a personal story.

• To critique other students' ideas.

How did the mini TED talk assignment impact students?

• It focused solely on data analysis.

• It inspired creativity and new ideas.

• It discouraged questioning assumptions.

• It limited their creativity.

What did Adam Grant learn from the students' mini TED talks?

• Students struggled with the assignment.

• Students' questions led to new research projects.

• Students were not interested in originality.

• Students preferred traditional lectures.