NRO Comenius Teaching Fellowship: Developing the serendipity mindset to better navigate an algorithmically mediated world

New ideas often spring from seemingly coincidental insights; an apple falling from a tree inspired Newton’s theory about gravity. However, you can only see something coincidentally useful or serendipitous if you are prepared to take notice. This is important in a world that is increasingly dominated by digital technologies that use algorithms to make decisions based on statistical predictions and that therefore seem to leave less room for coincidence. This project teaches students to spot and evaluate how digital technologies like search engines and generative artificial intelligence can trigger serendipity. It trains their serendipitous mindset as a 21st century skill.