Monday September 11, 2023; 8:01 AM EDT
- Invention is not what people think it is. One writer speaks of it as a process, as stages of synthesis. Our schools for the young and for young adults tend to present invention as the story of a great person being handed a hot tip by the inspirational muses. Presented that way, students aren't likely to notice the adventure of following out hunches, the seeking and questioning, the fascination of character-building trial and error. Presented that way, courses of study for the young and for young adults aren't very likely to be organized around the time it takes to practice, to try for synthesis. In American schools, the curriculum tends to sweep the tools and methods of invention off the table. That's a shame.#