车床轰隆，锯条飞舞，来达特茅斯上一堂创意课

Gabrielle Emanuel （Byline）： When I think of really fantastic teachers in my own life， one person always leaps to mind.

Dudley P. Whitney： Theres a couple of adjustments that you always want to make with a band saw.

Emanuel： Dudley P. Whitney teaches woodworking at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. This afternoon， hes helping an undergrad cut a plank of wood into a circle. Dudleys been doing this for almost 30 years， right here in this huge basement room， with his workbenches just beckoning to students who walk past.

Whitney： Its well-lit. Its well-equipped. And down the middle of the shop are all the major power tools —the planers， the jointers， the bandsaws.

Emanuel： When I was a student at Dartmouth， I spent oodles of time in the shop. Its a place with no curriculum and no grades. Students and professors just swing by with an idea of something they want to make. And then， working one-on-one with Dudley or another instructor， they learn how to make it. I carved bowls and built desks， but mostly， I asked zillions of questions. I knew Dudley was a really good teacher， but I didnt actually think about why. Since then， Ive noticed that things I learned in that basement shop have popped up in other aspects of my life. To me， thats a mark of great teaching.

Whitney： I have no idea what kind of affect the teaching that we do in here really does affect people—how they carry it around with them， where they go with it， how they remember it. No idea.

Emanuel： Just how much he influenced me and many others became obvious four years ago. It was a hard time for Dartmouth.

Whitney： They were having financial difficulties.

Emanuel： He scaled back from full-time to part-time. And as word got around， Dudley started getting letters—dozens and dozens of them.

Whitney： It was pretty special.

Emanuel： One former student after another wrote about how he had changed their lives.

Whitney： Well， those arent the ones I remember. The ones I remember are the ones how I was curmudgeonly， sang incredibly dumb songs. （Laughter）

Emanuel： Now Dudleys quasi-retired and works only a few days a week. When I went back to talk with him for this story， I kept asking him what exactly it is he does. What makes his teaching so special？ And he says he genuinely doesnt know.

Whitney： I dont really think about how Im doing it. And I dont—I dont know. I dont know.

Emanuel： Jennifer Mueller does know. Shes a professor at the University of San Diego. For 15 years， she studied creativity. As she told me about the key ingredients necessary to teach creativity， I suddenly realized that theyre exactly what I remember from Dudleys workshop. Mueller says you have to get rid of the stereotype that creativity is unleashed.

Jennifer Mueller： Theres this impression that give students freedom， and theyll be creative. And what we know is that they need some structure up front.

Emanuel： They need a well-defined problem， like building a piece of furniture， and they needed to know the constraints and the range of possibilities. That echoes something Dudley said while standing next to those big machines.

Whitney： So you start with a stick， and theyve never started with a stick before. And the next thing you know， youre making decisions. You dont even know about the possibilities yet. So thats my job， in a lot of ways.

Its just to help people discover the possibilities—the potential of a stick of wood.

Emanuel： Think about it. Thats a recipe for creativity， one you can apply to all sorts of pursuits—a lump of clay， an unknown disease， a string of computer code. Dudley illuminates the possibilities， but he never picks among them. Thats the students job. Mueller says thats exactly what the research says is important. Another key ingredient for creativity is having fun， being intrinsically motivated.

Mueller： When people feel enjoyment of a task， theyre more likely to explore.

Emanuel： Its that way at the Dartmouth woodshop. No classes， no requirements—everyone is there because they want to be there.

Whitney： You feel good about yourself， and you feel good because you did it. You learn the skills necessary to do it.

Emanuel： Dudley is a New England native—played hockey dropped out of Yale， sold dictionaries. He says he kind of fell into woodworking.

Whitney： And the first thing I remember making was a couch. It was plywood. And we were young， we were foolish， and we needed a place to sit. （Laughter） I liked it just because I put it together in ways that I had sort of thought of by myself.

Emanuel： And that felt good. But creativity involves something we dont always feel good about—uncertainty.

Mueller： Theres no answer. Theres no clear answer. We dont like that type of uncertainty at all. We really hate it.

Emanuel： She says this is hard for students—that blank piece of paper. Its hard for businesses. Will people buy the product？ Uncertainty is hard for everyone， but research shows its key to thinking creatively. Dudley says most people who come into the shop have no experience.

Whitney： Theres big， bad machines in here. They can hurt you.

Emanuel： So he says the whole process starts with people taking a big risk. Whats kept Dudley coming back every year isnt the idea that hes teaching creativity. After all， hes never really thought about it in that way. Instead， its a look of wonder he sees in his students eyes. Then he tells me a story.

Whitney： Right there， standing between the planer and the wood rack， I saw a guy. He was a graduate student in biology. And he looked like he was really sort of upset. He had sort of tears in his eyes. I said， Jim， you OK？ And he looked at me. And he said， I just cant believe that you can take this， and he pointed to a rough piece of lumber. And in his hand， he had another piece， and he said， and send it through that machine， and come out with this. And it was perfectly smooth and flat. I mean， it changed his view of the world at that point. How could it not？

Emanuel： I remember where I was standing on the other side of the shop when I had that same moment—realizing the potential of a stick of wood and my own potential to shape it. Looking back through all those letters written about Dudley， many of his students had had that moment， too. And they say they now notice details they never saw before. They look at problems differently. They realize they are capable of creating.

加布里埃爾·伊曼纽尔（撰稿人）：每当我想起生命中遇到的那些了不起的老师，有一个人总会浮现在我的脑海里。

达德利·P.·惠特尼：使用带锯的时候，你总会想对其进行一些调整。

伊曼纽尔：达德利·P.·惠特尼在（美国）新罕布什尔州的达特茅斯学院教木工课。这天下午，他正在帮一名本科生将一块厚木板条切割成圆环。达德利从事这一行已经将近三十年了，就在这个宽敞的地下室里，一张张工作台吸引着众多过路学生走进来。

惠特尼：这里光线很好、设备齐全，走到工作室中间就是各种大马力的机器，比如刨机、接缝刨和带锯等等。

伊曼纽尔：在达特茅斯念书的时候，我会长时间地泡在工作室里。这里没有课程表，也不评分。学生和教授们都是随便进来聊一下他们想搞点什么东西。然后他们就会和达德利或者另一位讲师一对一地合作，学着如何将东西制作出来。我雕过木碗，也做过桌子，不过在大多数时候，我总是有问之不尽的问题。我知道达德利确实是位好老师，但我以前还真没思考过其中的缘由。在那以后，我发现在那个地下工作间学到的东西在生活的其他方面同样能派上用场。对我来说，那就是优质教育的标志。

惠特尼：我并不知道我们在这里的教学会对人们真的产生怎样的影响——他们如何将这些知识带到生活中，他们将这些知识运用在什么地方，他们怎么记住这些知识，压根不知道。

伊曼纽尔：他对我以及其他许多人的深远影响在四年前展现无遗。当时达特茅斯的处境相当不妙。

惠特尼：校方出现了财政困难。

伊曼纽尔：他的工作从全职缩减成兼职。消息传开以后，达德利开始收到各种信件——有数十封来信。

惠特尼：这种感觉太特别了。

伊曼纽尔：以前的学生一个接一个地写道他如何改变了他们的人生。

惠特尼：噢，给我深刻印象的并不是这些（说我改变他们的）信，而是那些说我多么乖戾小气、老是在哼着傻傻的歌的信。（笑）

伊曼纽尔：现在达德利已经半退休了，一周只上几天课。我为了这篇报道回母校找他聊天，不停问他到底施了什么魔法，是什么东西让他的教学如此与众不同的呢？而他回答说，他真的不知道

惠特尼：我不大会去思考自己教得怎样。我不……我也不知道，真的不知道。

伊曼纽尔：詹妮弗·米勒知道为什么，她是圣地亚哥大学的教授，15年来一直致力于研究创造力。当她向我介绍创意教育必需的关键要素时，我突然意识到这正是达德利的工作间让我难以忘怀的东西。米勒说，你必须摆脱固化模式，才能让创意不受拘束。

詹妮弗·米勒：这种印象会赋予学生更大的自由，他们就能将创意发挥出来。我们发现学生需要在他们面前有那么一个榜样。

伊曼纽尔：他们需要一个定义明确的问题，比如制作一件家具;他们还需要知道可能性的范围有多大，会有哪些局限——这与达德利站在那些庞大的机器边上所说的话不谋而合。

惠特尼：你们从一根木料开始（接触这方面），而以前的人们可不是从木条开始作业的。接下来你就会发现，在还不知道有其他可能性之前，你就已经做出了决定。所以，从各种层面而言，那就是我的工作，也就是帮助人们去发现这些可能性——去发掘一根木头的潜力。

伊曼纽尔：想想看，这正是创造力的秘诀，你可以将其运用到各种各样的工作当中——无论是一块黏土、一种未知的疾病，还是一连串计算机代码。达德利阐明了各种各样的可能性，但他从来不会从中做出选择，这是学生们的任务。米勒认为，研究表明这正是相当重要的一点。创造力的另外一个关键要素就是要乐在其中，具备内在动力。

米勒：一旦人们能感受到任务的乐趣，他们就更有可能钻研下去。

伊曼纽尔：达特茅斯的工作间所采用的正是这种方式。没有课程教学，也没有课业要求，每个人都是因为自己想呆在这里才到这里来的。

惠特尼：你会很有成就感，这种成就感是因为你成功做出来了，你还学到了制作这件东西所需的多种技能。

伊曼纽尔：达德利是个土生土长的新英格兰人，打过曲棍球，从耶鲁大学退学，一度靠卖字典为生。他说自己一下子就被木工迷住了。

惠特尼：我記得我的第一个作品是一张长椅子，用胶合板做的。我们那时还年轻，特别傻气，就想找个地方坐一下。（笑）我喜欢这张椅子，因为我基本上是用自己想的法子将它制作出来的。

伊曼纽尔：那种感觉真不错。不过，创意也包含了我们通常不太喜欢的东西——不确定性。

米勒：在这里没有答案，没有明确的答案。我们一点都不喜欢这种不确定性，我们太讨厌它了。

伊曼纽尔：她说这对学生来说并不容易——那是一张空白的答题纸。这对商业来说也不好办——人们会买这件商品吗？不确定性对任何人来说都不是件容易的事儿，不过，研究表明这正是创意思维的关键。达德利说，大多数来工作间的人并不具备木工经验。

惠特尼：这里的机器都是些危险的庞然大物，它们可能会让你受伤。

伊曼纽尔：所以他说，在（木工）整个过程中，人们从一开始就冒着很大风险。达德利之所以每年都回到这个工作岗位上来，并不是因为他意识到自己在搞的是创意教育，毕竟他从来没往那个方面想过——而是因为他在学生眼中看到那种惊奇的眼神。他给我分享了一个故事。

惠特尼：就在那边，我看见一个小伙子站在刨机与木架之间。他是生物系的研究生，看上去有点难过，眼睛里似乎还带着泪光。我便说：“吉姆，你还好吧？”他看着我说：“我简直无法相信你能将这玩意儿……”，他指着一块很粗糙的木料，而他的手里正拿着另一块，“让它通过那台机器，出来的竟然是这样。”那块木料变得非常滑溜平整。我的意思是，在那一刻，这彻底改变了他的世界观。确实，怎么可能不会呢？

伊曼纽尔：我还记得自己站在工作间的另一头时也有同样的体会——在那一刻，我发现一根木头具有无限的潜力，同时意识到自己也具有塑造它的潜力。重新翻看所有这些描写达德利的信件，他的许多学生都有这样的触动时刻。他们纷纷表示，如今能够注意到以前从未留意的各种细节，看待问题的方式不一样了——他们意识到自己具有了创造力。

Johnnys Prayer

Johnny had been misbehaving and was sent to his room.

After a while emerged and informed his mother that he had thought over and then said a prayer.

“Fine”， said the pleased mother. “If you ask God to help you not misbehave， He will help you.”

“Oh， I didnt ask Him to help me not misbehave，” said Johnny. “I asked him to help you put up with me.”

强尼因为不乖就被赶进他的房间。

过了一会儿。他就出来跟他的妈妈说他已经彻底反省，而且事后祷告了。

满心欢喜的妈妈说：“很好，如果你求上帝帮助你不要不乖，她就会帮助你。”

强尼说：“哦，我没有求她帮助我不要不乖，我求她帮助你来忍受我。”