Learn Marshmallows From Kindergartners Engaging Screenagers

Dr Warren presents tracking to improve Engaging Screenagers IMLF2017

Learn Marshmallows From Kindergartners Engaging Screenagers

When kids are young we give them puzzles and toys that require them to try and get feedback multiple times to solve challenges?
Aren’t the geniuses of our time (all times) those who can try and get feedback multiple times to solve the challenges of our biggest problems?
Kindergarteners prototype naturally and they are more creative, but when we teach them there is a “right answer and a wrong answer,” aren’t teaching trial and feedback solution skills out of them?
I heard somewhere that 80% of kindergarteners are deemed creative and that percentage goes down to 8% of high school graduates are creative, so I’m wondering, if there is a connection.


In Peter Skillman’s TED 2006 Talk, he introduced us to a design exercise called The Marshmallow Challenge.
Among the thoughts he shared were:
  • In life we learn by doing. (Expose new unanticipated problems.)
  • Work in side by side with others. (Allows you to see others good and bad ideas.)
  • On being first to market. (Usually bad to be first, because learning from others’ mistakes is the best way to launch an idea.)
  • Multiple iterations. (Multiple attempts almost always beats the tunnel vision commitment to your first idea.)
  • All project have resource constraints…(Adults mostly just accept constraints and don’t often challenge them.)
  • This applies to all things — not just design. (I can’t say much more on this one.)
Skillman found that kindergartens were much better than business school students in completing this challenge.
Dr Warren presents tracking to improve Engaging Screenagers IMLF2017
Dr Warren presents tracking to improve Engaging Screenagers IMLF2017








Why were the youngers so much better?
  • Don’t waste time with seeking power. (How much of your school was spent ranking students from better to worse?)
  • Don’t waste time talking about the problem. (In school, how much of the time do we think about and learn about something before we attempt to synthesize it in an authentic context?)
  • They don’t care who is CEO of spaghetti Inc. (In our world how much more press than everyone else combined do Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, etc., get?)
  • They prototype>test, prototype>test, prototype>test=>release (P>T again and again until the budget or schedule force you to ship.)
  • Experience the tests and improvements directly. (How many times have you had a failure the first time you tried and said, “I can’t do it.”? Or when you succeeded you said, “That’s it I’m done.”, after the first try and never went just one step further to improve? (junk engagement))
A very strong premise is: Multiple iterations (tests and improvements) = experience.

Outliers: The Story of Success
Our participants include everyone from Engaging Screenagers, to front line employees, to middle management, to the C-level leaders.
In our training, we have participants use eWorkbooks on their mobile devices and launch into the unknown and go find ideas to capture and share and then repeat this process over and over just like kindergartners who try over and over to find solutions. (optimal engagement)

Wouldn’t teaching these skills be more valuable than just teaching, “This is the right answer.”?
Wouldn’t having these skills provide a resourcefulness that is valuable in most every activity we can engage in our screenagers lives?

StrengthsFinder 2.0
If we can’t begin teaching these skills in learning (because we have too much content and not enough time to cover it in the classroom) what kind of a future are we leaving in the hands of our next generations?

Learn to try over and over, for persistence success.

You can see examples of screen innovations for Optimal Experiences at JOIN THE CURATION: Google+.
Remember to engage tomorrow.
Following with you.
Keep it simple.
All the Best, Warren
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Dr Warren LINGER © 2017

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