Take Chances, Make Mistakes, Get Messy!
~Ms. Frizzle, 1994
My best friend likes to give advice. When I present a problem, she likes to jump in and tell me how to solve it or why it isn’t really a problem. While I know that she means well, I always feel a bit uncomfortable. Upon reflection, I think it’s because it seems like she wants to “solve” me. That is, that I’m a fixable problem and not a human with real, valid experiences. I realize that this is a reflection of my friend; she is uncomfortable in what Brené Brown (2020) calls the Messy Middle. Particularly, my friend doesn’t like it when I’m unhappy; her feelings about my feelings cause her to jump into solution mode.
Chronic advice-givers give unsolicited advice for a number of reasons: They may be grandiose or rigid, lack self-awareness, or seek control (Meyers, 2017). Unsolicited advice rarely works, however. “Research using reactance theory informs us that whenever a person tells us what to do and how to do it, we respond with defensive defiance because we want to maximize our personal freedom and decision-making” (Plante, 2014).
In other words, people push against advice because they seek choice in the decisions they make.
In the past, when people gave me advice I would say, “I only learn the hard way.” What I meant is that I only learn when I get messy and make mistakes. I used to think that I was unique in this way, but I think I have been wrong. Learning IS the hard way. Specifically, it is sitting in the discomfort, wrestling with thoughts and ideas that push against the rock of cognitive dissonance in our individual perceptions of reality.
Sometimes, that wrestling occurs in the form of thoughts that pop up throughout the day in down times like while driving or in the shower. Other times, it is a heated discussion with a partner or team. Still other times, it’s manifested physically with a cake that didn’t rise correctly, a leaky faucet, or a musical run that you just can’t master. Ultimately, true learning happens in moments like these.
In my Learning Manifesto, I will express my values and how they shape my beliefs about learning. I will also share my thoughts on the education system now and what it can become. Finally, I will share how to use technology as an agent of change toward an improved future.
“Life is a river,” she repeated. “Only in the most literal sense are we born on the same day we leave our mother’s womb. In the larger, truer sense, we are born of the past–connected to its fluidity, both genetically and experimentally.”
~Lamb, 2002, p. 622
My strict Lutheran, Midwestern upbringing was steeped in a rich family tradition that – as much as I push against it – is a part of who I am. I embody many Midwestern values: Friendliness, pragmatism, hard work, agreeableness, and perseverance. In stark contrast, I rallied against Midwestern qualities like modesty, simplicity, aversion to and fear of change, closed-mindedness, and a desire to sweep things under the rug. Because of this, I always struggled to fit into the mold. For example, I often pushed the status quo, talked about the uncomfortable, and expressed my emotions against the wishes of my overwhelmed parents. My experience at Michigan State University only increased this divide and when a career opportunity in Dallas-Fort Worth opened up near another subset of family, I quickly jumped at the chance.
We need a great deal of courage to challenge our own beliefs. Because even if we know we didn’t choose all these beliefs, it is also true that we agreed to all of them.
~Ruiz, 1997, p. 11
For now, I call myself a practical idealist. To me, this means that when I look at our world, I see what it is and what it could be. Those two visions are incongruent. I get passionate and excited about what our world is capable of becoming, but also overwhelmed and depressed at the time it will take to get there and the shift in thinking required. Through experiences that have shaped me as an adult, I learned that perfection does not exist, but still wonder if we could get close. Through my classes, I am learning that while we can’t necessarily change people’s thinking, we can change their behavior. That might be enough to make tiny shifts in the same direction, like the slow retreat of a glacier that reveals keen formations.
I model the importance of change, growth, and being the best version of yourself. With intentionality, we can achieve self-actualization and transcendence.
The following resources heavily shaped who I am in a philosophical context:
I don’t believe anything, but I have many suspicions.
~Robert Anton Wilson
All of the books that shaped me have a common theme – Storytelling. We are the stories we tell ourselves. Whether it’s Wilson’s (1996) reality tunnels, Ruiz’s (1997) dream, Burns’ (1999) distorted thought, or Brown’s (2010) shame and vulnerability, everything I understand about learning lies in connecting new ideas to our stories. To be able to learn, we must break these stories apart, dissect them, and reflect on how new information fits in or replaces old stories.
The Stories I Tell Myself About Learning
Science as a Process
In my early education classes, I learned a lot about learning through conversation using the Socratic method. I was very intrigued by the idea that Socrates, “rarely revealed any opinions of his own as he brilliantly helps his interlocutors dissect their thoughts and motives in Socratic dialogue” (History.com, 2019). In fact, I intentionally incorporated Socratic questioning into my lessons very early on and still use intentional questions in my teaching. As most of my time was spent teaching in a science classroom, I always challenged my students to think of science as an evolving process rather than a set of answers. We can never know everything, as the more we know, the more questions we will have.
My Why
As I learned and grew as a teacher, Simon Sinek became a major influencer in my lessons. I designed and continue to design my lessons with the “Why” out front, either explicitly or through an engaging introduction and an authentic learning experience. Also, I seek to connect with my students as humans! It is important to get to know their values, motivation, attitudes, stereotypes, and feelings (Harapnuik, 2021). That is, I seek to connect to their affective domain.
Reflect to Connect
I attribute so much of my growth as a learner and human being over the past few months to my blog. Because I love thinking, reflecting, and connecting, I find blogging to be my favorite part of the ADL program. Why? “Part of the reflective process is to have students tell stories about their experiences which brain research shows can help students embed these experiences into their long-term memory” (Barrett, n.d.). This is because, as learners connect dots, they begin to “see all the pieces and understand all the connections and when dealing with new information they have a much broader base in which to understand and encode that new information” (Harapnuik, 2021). I continue to incorporate more intentional reflection into my lessons.
Vulnerability
Like I said before, I never shy away from talking about the uncomfortable. Dr. Brené Brown calls this courage in the face of vulnerability (Brown, 2010). In her book Mindset, Dr. Dweck (2007) calls this a growth mindset. I see many connections between these two ideas, and believe that teaching learners how to show up, fail, and try again is at the root of all learners’ ability to achieve self-actualization.
Industrial Model Education in a Digital Age: Woefully Outmoded
While the initial purpose of school to support capitalism in the Industrial Age is problematic, the central concept of education is that everyone has access to it. Equity is the most important factor that could come from well-implemented education. However, now that most people have access to the internet and 24/7 learning, the current implementation of schools must change to meet learner needs. What is wrong with the current implementation of school? The factory model of education does not meet student needs, rather the needs of a broken economic system. That is, schools create cogs who fit two roles in society – worker bee and consumer.
During this time, age-based matriculation pumps students through the system with inflated grades and a fear of failure. Also, the rote memorization practices required by the mile-wide, inch-deep, disjointed curriculum standards prepare students for a future that won’t exist. Finally, attempts at equity are ineffective and thwarted by bad policy and white flight. From an educator standpoint, teachers are burning out faster than I’ve seen in my 17-year career. The teacher role has changed – necessarily – but with the added roles of coach, mentor, parent, and so on, something has to give.
Our technology, our machines, is part of our humanity. We created them to extend ourselves, and that is what is unique about human beings.
~Ray Kurzweil
I wasn’t always as experimental in my classroom. Early in my career, I used a traditional overhead projector with transparencies. When our district started using document cameras, I adopted them late in the game. Once I grew in my confidence as a teacher, I realized how much I love learner-centered practices and moved away from teacher-centered lessons. I started experimenting with project-based learning, inquiry learning, jigsaws, and Socratic seminars. As I received classroom technology, I incorporated it intentionally in small-group settings. When the district I worked in finally went one-to-one, I joined an Apple Vanguard Cohort to learn to use the device so that I could create meaningful learning experiences. Before the pandemic, I taught students to research and solve real-world problems in the context of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Once the pandemic hit, I tweaked my systems to teach remotely. When I saw the opportunity to grow in my career and change the education system from a different role, I jumped at the chance. I am now a part of the Digital Learning team and I create resources, tools, and learning experiences that all district employees may have a better learning experience through the use of technology.
There is only one way to eat an elephant: A bite at a time.
~Desmond Tutu
As I (2022) stated in my post A Brave New Mindset:
“I want to be an integral part of a structural overhaul of the education system to one of individualized student learning through a blended model. Innovative, personalized, blended learning could:
- Improve behavior by motivating students with a personalized, self-controlled learning environment.
- Increase the respect, planning time, and pay of teachers by hiring fewer teachers and changing their roles.
- Incorporate paraprofessionals to monitor students during flexible work time as needed.
- Restore the joy and art of teaching by allowing teachers to focus on designing curriculum and assessing student needs in one-to-one or small group settings.”
Technology should be integral and invisible in all of this. It will be the air we breathe – so well integrated that it is no longer a standard to teach but a mechanism for teaching. Learners will learn in significant learning environments. That is, they will have choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning experiences practices through access to and intentional use of technology.
People who like this stuff… like this stuff.
~Godin, 2014
What is holding us back from making meaningful changes in the direction of blended learning? For starters, a lack of understanding of what blended learning is. For example, people still have such a bad taste in their mouths around remote learning during the pandemic that they’re quick to denounce anything digital. Next, there are always people who hold too tightly to “the way things are” because of tradition and fear of change. They are your typical enablers. Finally, the processes and red tape involved in policy change make everything extremely difficult. Because of this and in spite of my desire for a quick solution, the best answer is an evolution, not a revolution.
There is no vision without vulnerability.
~ Dr. Brené Brown
The relationship between the past and future is kind of like the rings of a tree. When a tree grows, outwardly the bark looks pretty much the same. However, when you analyze the rings of a tree, they may be different sizes or different colors based on the amount of water or other environmental conditions. History repeats itself in much the same way. Instead of environmental conditions, humanity repeats similar events around different technology. In other words, we keep making the same mistakes in a slightly different context.
To make a real, visible change, Joi Ito suggests that we become a Nowist (2014). That is, to make a meaningful change we “build quickly and improve constantly without waiting for permission” (Ito, 2014). That requires us to rethink education to put experimentation, iteration, failure, reflecting, connecting, and growth mindset thinking at the forefront front of the student learning experience. Right now we are in the Messy Middle. We need to move forward, and we need to do so with authenticity, humanity, and intentional planning, always making small movements toward big ideas.
At least, that’s my advice.
References
Barrett, H. (n.d.). Why Reflect? – Reflection4Learning. Google Sites. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learning/why-reflect
Brockberg, J., & Gardner, J. (2022). Jesse Helmick (1798-1881) – Find A Grave Memorial. Find a Grave. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8061076/jesse-helmick
Brown, B. (2010). The Gifts of Imperfection. Hazelden Publishing.
Brown, B. (2020, September 2). Brené on Day 2 – Brené Brown. Brene Brown. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-on-day-2/
Brown, B. (2022). 25 Brené Brown Quotes on Vulnerability That Will Change Your Life. A Thousand Lights. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://athousandlights.com/brene-brown-quotes-on-vulnerability/
Burns, D. D. (1999). The Feeling Good Handbook (Plume). Penguin Publishing Group.
Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
Godin, S. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff…. Seth’s Blog. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://seths.blog/2014/09/people- who-like-this-stuff/
Harapnuik, D. (2021, January 18). Collecting dots vs connecting dots. It’s About Learning. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8672
History.com. (2019, August 23). Socrates – Life & Philosophy – HISTORY. History.com. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/socrates
Ito, J. (2014, July 7). Joi Ito: Want to innovate? Become a “now-ist”. TED. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/joi_ito_want_to_innovate_become_a_now_ist?language=en
Lamb, W. (2008). I Know This Much Is True. HarperCollins.
Meyers, S. (2017, December 31). Why People Give Unsolicited Advice (Though No One Listens). Psychology Today. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-is-2020/201712/why-people-give-unsolicited-advice-though-no-one-listens
Mills, J., & Ruiz, D. M. (1997). The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, Paperback. Hay House.
Plante, T. (2014, July 15). Giving People Advice Rarely Works, This Does. Psychology Today. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/do-the-right-thing/201407/giving-people-advice-rarely-works-does
Ruiz, D. M., & Mills, J. (1997). The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, Paperback. Hay House.
Stateler, K. (2022, February 21). From Cog to Metacognition: My Story. Cookies N Cache. https://karinstateler.com/?cat=16
Wilson, R. A. (1996). Quantum psychology. New Falcon.
Wilson, R. A. (2008, November 7). Robert Anton Wilson Explains Quantum Physics & Naive Realism. YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBC6vIGb40Q