Message from the Head of Primary 05-11

Message from the Head of Primary A message from the Head of Primary, Alan Cocker. A message from the Head of Primary, Alan Cocker.

‘Thinking outside of the box’

 

I am sure this phrase is probably familiar to many of us. It is actually a metaphor that means to think differently, to use other perspectives or to think unconventionally. This phrase has been bandied about in the corporate world since the 1970s and some management consultants have tried to claim this as theirs in how they have changed work-place practices with problem solving and day to day operations.  It has also been attributed to the world of dance where the phrase is used to encourage thought and expression. It is supposed to help dancers explore different uses of conventional steps and space.  However, it’s roots can be traced further back. There is reference from a reverend in Dallas in 1954 reporting that an MIT professor used the nine dots puzzle problem to make students think outside of the box.

 

 

This puzzle proposes an intellectual challenge - asking the user to join all the dots using four or less lines without taking the pen/pencil off the paper. The solution requires ‘thinking outside of the self-imposed box’. Naturally people start by drawing the lines from one dot to another – something like this. Not successful.

 

 

One solution requires the lines to start outside of the dots.  Another solution involves using less than four lines and rolling the paper. So, by thinking outside of the dots – by thinking outside of the self-imposed boundary we can find solutions. This actual puzzle goes even further back in time and can be found in Sam Loyd’s ‘Cyclopedia of puzzles’ published in 1914.

 

 

If we take the concept of thinking outside on one’s self-imposed parameters, one can trace this even further back in time to Christopher Columbus. When faced with critics who reported that finding a new trade route was inevitable and was an easy endeavour, he is thought to have rebuffed his critics with the Columbus egg conundrum. He challenged these critics to make an egg stand on its tip. When after many attempts they continuously failed he simply flattened the tip and the egg stood on its tip. Reinforcing the point that thinking differently and looking for creative solutions isn’t as easy as it first looks.  But once you are aware of the solution it can seem obvious.