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DON’T FEAR THE UNKNOWNJulia Alden
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT EDUCATION AS A WHOLE…
it becomes clear that there is a myriad of elements that are important to its success and usefulness, such as:
➤ Resources
➤ Appropriate budgets
➤ Community support
➤ Educated teachers
➤ Supportive learning environments
➤ Captivated students
HOWEVERThinking these elements are are all equally
important is a common mistake.
Nothing is more important, impactful, and interesting to the world of education than students.
LET’S TRY TO IMAGINE THE INNER WORKINGS OF A STUDENT’S BRAIN
It’s a constant stream of:
➤ Information that they know for sure
➤ Information that they question
➤ Information that they don’t know at all
PERHAPS EVEN MORE INTERESTING
than the knowledge they may or may not have is what they might choose to do with it.
What isn’t often celebrated in the classroom, and the education industry as a whole, is the power of “I don’t know.”
“I DON’T KNOW”➤ When educators observe an “I don’t know” moment with a
student, they need to see it as an exciting mountain to summit, not a deep ditch that needs to be crawled out of.
➤ Not knowing is exactly why they’re in school in the first place. To learn, not to know
➤ What “I don’t know” typically signals is the student is missing information. Educators need to shift their focus from what their student may be missing to how they can gain that knowledge
➤ While answers given to teachers are, essentially, teacher-currency, it is the power of inquiry which holds everlasting powerful, “because it’s a student-centered and self-sustaining process.”
“The most exciting moment in a classroom is not when a student shoots their hand up, the answer desperately clawing to come out of their brains and mouths. It’s when a student encounters an intellectual road block and is able to troubleshoot it on her own. That is when a teacher knows they are doing their job.
-Julia Alden
