Fredonia alumnus Daniel Wilson, a colleague of Convocation keynote speaker Dr. Howard Gardner, the well-known Harvard University professor who spoke earlier this semester, will continue this year’s Convocation series with a special presentation on Monday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. in Room S104 of the Williams Center.
Dr. Wilson, a member of the Class of 1993 with a degree in Mathematics/Secondary Education, works at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is currently a principal investigator with “Project Zero,” an educational research group seeking to understand and enhance learning, thinking and creativity at the individual and institutional levels. He explores inherent dilemmas of knowing, trusting, leading and belonging in adult collaborative learning. His work examines how groups navigate these tensions through using flexible language, routines, roles and artifacts. He is currently focused on three areas: professional learning in communities; learning behaviors in the workplace; and uncertainty and team learning.
Dr. Wilson’s presentation is titled, “Creativity in Teams: Collaboration on the Edge.” It will demonstrate how teams navigate certain socio-psychological tensions through flexible use of language, roles, routines and artifacts in order to create novel solutions. Based on research from creative design teams, innovative teaching teams, and extreme athletic teams, Wilson has discovered that an essential element of creative thinking and action in teams is the ability to notice, explore and experiment in order to solve a problem at hand.
Students, faculty, staff and members of the community are invited to attend. The event is free and has been sponsored by the Convocation Committee, the Office of Alumni Affairs, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. To learn more, please contact Dr. Nancy Boynton of the Mathematics Department at 716-673-4709 or nancy.boynton@fredonia.edu.
