Yesterday, I wrote that efficiency should never trump understanding.  Today, I’d like to ponder efficiency as one of many paths.

Daniele Quercia: Happy maps
As a scientist and engineer, I’ve focused on efficiency for many years. But efficiency can be a cult,and today I’d like to tell you about a journey that moved me out of the cult and back to a far richer reality.

On this cartography, you’re not only able to see and connect from point A to point B the shortest segments, but you’re also able to see the happy segment, the beautiful path, the quiet path. In tests, participants found the happy, the beautiful, the quiet path far more enjoyable than the shortest one, and that just by adding a few minutes to travel time.

How might we encourage our learners to explore paths in addition to the most efficient?