Blog

Improving Learning Requires Unlearning

What we think we know has a powerful impact on what we believe, how we behave, and what we see. Our beliefs and perceptions often grow out of early experiences in formal education, what our parents and other adults told us, and the culture in which we grew up. Yet, what we believe and how we see the world are not always accurate. In fact, some of the things we believe and many of our perceptions may be in error. Still, we cling to them because they are familiar. In many cases, they have worked well enough for us in the past to leave their value unquestioned. At the same time, just because some practices and processes have been in place for a long time does not make them perfect, or even highly successful. But they can be difficult to change because they are what we learned they are supposed to be. Meanwhile, we are faced with changing and growing expectations for outcomes, especially in education. In response, we can be tempted to double down on what we know and how schools have traditionally operated. In the short term this strategy may seem marginally successful as we tinker and adjust existing practices. Unfortunately, this approach typically holds little promise for significant, widespread, sustainable improvement. If it did, the efforts of the past 30 years to improve schools would have paid off by now. Maybe it’s time to try “unlearning” some old beliefs and assumptions and try “relearning” by suspending traditions and exploring new ways of thinking. At first, this suggestion may seem naïve. Yet, there are some obvious places we could start that hold significant potential to generate different, more compelling outcomes than we are likely to experience by relying on how things have traditionally been done. Here are five places where unlearning and relearning hold promise:

What if we let go of the idea that schools should be driven by teaching and replace it with the idea that schools should be driven by learning? If we did, the questions of what students are ready to learn and how to support their learning would replace standardized lesson plans, remediation, and students who fall behind.
What if we let go of the idea that students who misbehave should be punished and concentrate on helping these students develop better conflict resolution skills, more alternatives to deal with frustration and anger, and build stronger relationships with peers and adults? We know that punishment accomplishes little beyond some immediate compliance. If we focus on developing the capacity of students to be successful in a social environment, we are likely to see changes that are positive and lasting.
What if we grouped students by readiness to learn rather than age? The average American classroom includes students whose readiness to learn spans 3 ½ years. Yet, we ask teachers to meet the needs of all of these students with a curriculum developed on the assumption that all students are ready to learn at grade level.
What if we focused on the quality of student learning, not just its speed? We typically give special status and attention to students who learn quickly, even though much of the progress we see may be the result of strong short-term memory skills, or an ability to “read” the expectations of teachers. Meanwhile, some of the deepest, longest lasting learning comes as the result of struggle and time-consuming focus.
What if we assigned grades and developed “progress reports” based on what students learn, not just what they know? The traditional grading system gives significant advantage to students who enter classes already knowing much of what will be taught. Meanwhile, students with little background knowledge may learn a great deal, but still fall short of meeting every expectation in the time allocated for the class. The danger is that students who receive the highest grades may be students who learned the least from the experience.

To be clear, making the shifts in processes and practices suggested by this list is not a small challenge. They counter many of the assumptions and beliefs most adults hold about how school should operate. They also ask us to unlearn much of what we have been taught and has been expected of us throughout our careers. Relearning means committing to suspend what has been learned in favor of asking ourselves and each other what could and should be the experiences we offer to our students.

December 22, 2021

Be the Light That Pushes Darkness Away

The change of seasons at this time of the year means the days grow shorter and darkness comes earlier. We become more aware of the importance of light to our activities and routines. We adjust lights in our living space to counter the increasing hours of darkness. Lights also play a key role in our celebration of winter holidays. When darkness grows, we appreciate the presence of light even more. Interestingly, when the darkness is deepest, lights seem brighter and even travels longer distances. On a dark, moonless night lights that may be far away are clearly visible. The same light shining in the midday sun does not stand out and may not even be visible. Light shines brightest when it encounters the greatest darkness. Still, light is not necessarily the opposite of darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. The brighter the light, the less darkness we experience. When light is present, darkness retreats. When a light is extinguished, the darkness reasserts itself. So, what does a discussion of the relationship between darkness and light have to do with our work and role in life? In many ways there is a parallel. We often talk about “dark days” as we describe difficult times when our hope and optimism are challenged. Negativity, doubt, and cynicism may seem to be everywhere. Our energy and enthusiasm can begin to wane. We can also become easily discouraged. Ironically, these are time when we can have the greatest impact on the lives and spirits of those around us. When we push back against the “darkness” we offer hope and optimism and “light” a different path. Like physical light in a dark space, we push back the shadows and illuminate possibilities. We can choose to tolerate the darkness or we can choose to be the light that pushes against it. The choice is ours. It is a significant decision. We can choose to see possibilities rather than problems. When we do, we bring light to the challenges we face. We can seek solutions rather than focus on barriers. In life, we are most likely to find what we look for. Seeking and seeing possibilities is the equivalent of light pushing back darkness and hopelessness. We can choose an attitude of optimism and openness. Attitude is a choice. A positive attitude can encourage those around us to see goodness in relationships and possibility in circumstances. A positive attitude does not mean that we ignore the difficulties we face. Rather it means that we choose to spend our time and energy in ways that value goodness and prioritize potential. We can choose to offer our support and share our wisdom. Each of us have experiences, insights, and learned lessons that hold the potential to help others. During trying times our support for each other can be a powerful way to push back the darkness and build the confidence and competence needed to overcome the difficulties and challenges we face. We can choose engagement. Turning inward in the face of criticism and doubt may feel like we are protecting ourselves, but choosing to engage can lead to better understanding and build trust. Assumptions left unexamined and unchallenged become beliefs. Assumptions can be dispelled. Beliefs are difficult to change. We can choose to take a long-term view. Like the change of seasons, the times we are experiencing will pass. The days will lengthen, and we will experience more light in the days ahead. Knowing that there are better days ahead can give us the courage to press on and be today’s light while we wait for better days to come. We can allow ourselves to become discouraged and wonder if we make a difference. Or we can be the light that shines brightest and is seen from the farthest distance. We may not be able to choose the circumstances we face, but we can choose how we will respond. In that choice lies the opportunity to make a crucial difference in our lives and the lives of all around us.

November 29, 2021

Forgiveness Is Not Just for Others

We understand that people in our lives may misstep occasionally. They may misspeak in ways that cause hurt, and they may misinterpret our words and intentions in ways that cause us pain. Yet, we understand that they are human and humans make mistakes. We can choose to hold grudges and nurture resentment for what others have done or not done to or for us. Or we can choose to forgive and move forward focusing on the future and the importance of our relationship. When people who have hurt or offended us are close friends, colleagues, and family members, forgiveness is particularly important. Failing to forgive those who are significant parts of our lives forces us to regularly re-experience past grievances and prevents us from being fully present for them. Holding on to past grievances also can have serious life consequences for us. We can experience bouts of anxiety, periods of depression, bursts of anger, frequent insomnia, and other unpleasant emotional and physical reactions. Our failure to forgive can make the other person uncomfortable, but it can hurt our emotional and physical health. As difficult as it can be to forgive others, forgiving ourselves can be even more difficult. Yet it is at least as important. We understand that others may have faults and behave in ways that disappoint us. However, we are often much harder on ourselves and even less forgiving when we misstep, misspeak, and misinterpret with our words and actions. When we fail to live up to expectations we have for ourselves, we can become both the grievant and the aggrieved. On its face it seems that it should be easier to forgive in these circumstances since no one else is involved. Yet, we are often harder on ourselves and less willing to forgive when we stumble and fall short. We can find it easier to accept that others might not be perfect while expecting perfection in ourselves. In fact, others may already have forgiven us for some experience, while we continue to blame and shame ourselves. The past year has demanded more from us than we ever might have imagined. We have been asked to deal with circumstances for which we could not have been prepared and for which we had neither the tools nor the experience to address. It was predictable that we would make mistakes and fail to notice and respond effectively to some circumstances and challenges that confronted us. We also operated under significant and sustained pressure and stress. Missteps, misspoken words, and misinterpretations were unavoidable. Now is the time to stop blaming and shaming ourselves for what we may or may not have done in the past, whether associated with the pandemic or not. This is a time when our students and colleagues need us to be fully present and ready for what the future holds. They need the best we can offer. Forgiveness can be easier if we shift our perspective from our shortcomings and setbacks and think about how we would respond if a friend were in a similar situation. We need to grant ourselves the same understanding and grace we would offer to a friend, colleague, or family member. We need to give ourselves the same level of encouragement, support, and confidence we would offer to a close friend or valued colleague whom we know has great talent, excellent skills, and yet untapped future potential. We need to accept that forgiving ourselves is no less important or powerful an act as forgiving others. With forgiveness, we are free to focus on the future and become all that life has to offer us.

November 08, 2021

Timely Advice From Einstein About Curiosity, Imagination, and Learning

During his early years, Albert Einstein was not considered particularly bright. In fact, he was a late reader. As a young student his teachers saw little in him that previewed his brilliant future. Yet, he grew into one of the most important scientific thinkers of his time, or any time. We encounter students every day that might not be demonstrating special talent or intellectual potential. Yet, within them may reside the potential to make a difference for mankind. They may invent life changing cures for diseases, discover the secret to reversing climate change, or create a business that transforms trash into building materials and reduces our dependence on limited natural resources. We cannot know or predict what the future holds for our learners. Our challenge is to protect a full range of life options for our students and design opportunities for them to discover what their future could be. The crucial question for us is how to help today’s students build a path to their best future. Interestingly, Albert Einstein may have left for us a “blueprint” we can use to help meet this challenge. The answer resides in three Einstein quotes about himself and learning:

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
“Study is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

The first quote addresses a common perception of Albert Einstein that he did not share. We think of Einstein as a brilliant man with amazing talents. Yet, that is not how he saw himself. He believed that what set him apart was his curiosity and passion and persistence to understand, not his intellect. We know that curiosity is a powerful force for learning. In fact, without it, little important and lasting learning is likely to occur. If we hope to preserve a limitless future for our students, we need to do all that we can to stimulate, nurture, and preserve their curiosity. The second quote expands on the idea of curiosity by placing it in action. The more curious we are, the more we feed the potential of our imagination. The more we explore and engage the world around us, the more we can imagine what might be possible and how we might make our lives and the world different and better. Equally important, this idea embraces the limitless possibilities of the imagination. We may find that our learners are limited by what we know right now, but they do not have to be limited in what they think, hope, and create. After all, curiosity and imagination can be the fuel that drives the pursuit of knowledge to make what is imagined real. We may think that imagination is frivolous and even a waste of time, but most of the greatest inventions and advancements in our society originated in someone’s imagination. The third quote invites us to think about how we ask students to engage in the process of learning. The idea that study should be in pursuit of learning how to think counters much of traditional instructional practice. We used to think that education was the transfer of knowledge from adults to the minds of young people. Einstein reminds us that teaching students to think opens the door to tapping their curiosity and imagination as sources of thought, reflection, and insight. Einstein urges us to think about our work as lighting a fire in the minds of students, rather than attempting to fill an empty vessel. He suggests that we choose to be curiosity igniters, talent scouts and imagination developers. Imagine how these ideas as daily drivers of our attention and efforts can transform the experience of students and provide energy and satisfaction to our work. They can transform our relationships with learners and make learning irresistibly interesting and purposeful.

September 20, 2021

Words and Phrases That Can Limit Thinking or Unleash Creativity

Words matter. Yet, their influence on us is often so subtle that we don’t even realize how they may be guiding and limiting our thinking. Without our being conscious of or intentional, the words we choose and the patterns of speech we habitually use can be holding us back, even when we are trying to tap into our spontaneity and creativity. Equally important, if we are unaware of the power of words and their influence on our thought and behavior patterns, they can be inflicting harm and creating barriers to our becoming our best selves and doing our best work. Of course, there are times and situations in which we need to limit the scope of our thinking and focus on a narrow set of elements and options. However, even at these times it is important that we are aware of the choices we are making and how our words can help us to frame situations and experiences to help us accomplish our goals. The key is to be intentional about the actions we can take and frame the situation we face with words and phrases that will align our thinking with the outcomes we seek. Let’s explore some examples of when our words can influence our thinking and the actions we take. Consider the implications of asking “why” versus “why not.” When we ask “why,” we are seeking reasons, rationale, and arguments. When we ask “why not,” we are exploring possibilities, challenging barriers, and questioning common assumptions. Asking “why” assumes a position of inaction while asking “why not” assumes a position of action. John F. Kennedy famously presented this dichotomy in his inaugural speech, claiming the “why not” position for himself and his generation. The so called “greatest generation,” of which Kennedy was a member, leveraged the idea of “why not” to achieve unprecedented progress and success for our nation. Certainly, there are times when asking “why” is appropriate and necessary, but real creativity and smart risk-taking grows out of asking “why not?” Next, consider the power of focusing on “what could be” rather than “what should be.” When we give our attention to what we should be, or what we should do, we tap into set expectations, we pay attention to established processes and parameters, and we defer to judgements about what is appropriate. Conversely, when we ask “what could be,” we open the doors to a wide range of possibilities, we ignite our imagination, we activate our creativity, and we free ourselves to attempt what may never have been done before. When we are preoccupied with what should be, we are responding to what others think, acting out of fear of not measuring up, and limiting ourselves to what is conventional. There are times when we need to consider and respond to what should be in deference to the situation and how others may be affected. However, real growth, new ideas, creative breakthroughs, and life changing experiences come from asking “what could be?” Further, consider the difference between describing a situation as a problem versus seeing the situation as an opportunity. Problems exist to be solved and prevented from reoccurring. Opportunities, on the other hand, represent occasions for exploration, inventing, leveraging, and moving forward. Interestingly, the same set of circumstance might be described as either a problem or an opportunity. Yet, the words we choose to define the situation can have a dramatic impact on our thinking, the actions we take, and the outcomes that result from our efforts. These examples of the power of words and their relationship to our thinking represent crucial insights to how we choose to engage in and respond to our life experiences. In our professional lives, choosing to ask “why not,” exploring “what could be,” and interpreting challenges as opportunities will define the path our careers will take. Teaching and coaching our students to think “why not,” “what could be,” and focusing on opportunities can build lifelong skills and habits that will be transformational. Of course, each of these examples of word and thinking choices can also have important impacts on our personal lives and relationships. What choices will you make?

September 13, 2021

We Can Choose and Create Our Own New Normal

There is little argument that the pandemic has been disruptive to our lives. We have been challenged in ways that we might never have imagined. The changes came with little warning and little opportunity to prepare. And the pandemic has lasted longer than anyone seemed to imagine or predict. The result for most of us is that we have changed. We may not be aware of just how we have changed, but there is a feeling that we are different now. Traumatic experiences, especially when they extend over long periods, can have an impact on how we think, how we live, how we work, and with whom we engage. Yet, the fact that we have changed matters less than how we will be different. Fortunately, the ways in which we have changed and continue to change are not predetermined. Nor are they beyond our control. We can allow our post-pandemic lives to play out without making conscious choices and creating a new direction, or we can use the disruption to reimagine and reprioritize our lives from this time forward. If gaining control, determining our post pandemic life path, and creating our own new normal is what we want, there are at least five components to which we can give attention. First, we can open ourselves to new perspectives. We can explore how others view issues beyond what we assume. We can commit to listening, exploring, and seeking to understand. Committing to see life and the world through the eyes of others is a great step toward gaining new perspectives. We can also try new experiences. Changing routines, going new places, and meeting new people can create new understanding and insights, as long as we remain open and curious. Second, we can develop a new sense of purpose. With new perspectives come new questions, new options, and new ways to approach life. We may discover that new priorities emerge for how we want to live. We may see opportunities to serve and make a difference that previously escaped us. We may also find that we rediscover a sense of purpose that had waned in our pre-pandemic lives. A new sense of direction, renewed commitment, and clarity about what is important to us can energize our lives, lift our attitudes, and create a new sense of hope. Third, we can develop new habits. To sustain new perspectives and live with a renewed sense of purpose, we may need to shift old habits and create new ones. Habits are intentions in action. Unless we change the ways in which we choose to live each day, we will soon find ourselves back into routines that are more consistent with the “old normal” than the new normal we are working to create. Our new habits may help us to be healthier, engage in life more fully, or improve the lives of others. Regardless, unless our habits and routines reflect the commitment we have made to change, little progress can be expected. Fourth, we can engage in new learning. New perspectives and new purpose almost always lead to the need for new learning. As we begin to discover elements and aspects of life we have ignored or have been unaware of in the past, we will inevitably find that there is more to know, understand, and appreciate. Our learning may be formal and structured, or it may be more organic and opportunistic. The choice is ours. What is most important is that we open ourselves to continuing to grow and discover. Fifth, we can form new relationships. Often our journey to discover new ways of seeing life and our world brings us into contact with people who may be on the same journey and can help us to discover what we need to continue our journey. Similarly, when we discover new purpose in life, we are likely to encounter others who share our purpose and can help us to live more fully. These relationships can energize our personal new normal and bring a fresh dimension to life. We just need to stay alert for opportunities and be willing to reach out when new relationships are possible. Disruption is usually uncomfortable and disorienting. However, disruption also creates opportunities for change, innovation, and discovery. The pandemic is no exception. The question is, what we will choose to do now?

May 03, 2021

Share Your Tips & Stories

Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.

Send Us An Email

Now Is the Time to Discover Opportunities

The complexity and unpredictability of our lives today might have seemed unimaginable as recently as a year ago. Yet, the circumstances we face do not have to control or define us. We do not have to minimize or ignore the reality we face to find new opportunities, discover new insights, and build new skills and capabilities. At first, such a statement may feel disconnected to reality. Still, it taps an important truth. Despite the challenges we face, we still have choices regarding how we interpret our experiences, decide how we will respond, and what we will learn from the experience. We can default to disappointment, defeatism, and self-pity, or we can resist knee-jerk reactions and commit to finding opportunities, developing new strategies, and strengthening our resilience. The choice is ours. We only forfeit our ability to choose when we give in and accept our circumstances as unalterable reality. We can choose to see potential and possibilities or succumb to disappointment and despair. We can do better than “making do” or getting by. We can commit to creating energy and momentum, focus, and purpose for ourselves. We can ask ourselves, “How can I take this experience or challenge and use it to learn, improve, adapt, imagine, or create?” “How can I make this into something positive and productive?” Consider some common scenarios and how adopting an attitude of opportunity might make a difference:

Rather than bemoaning that I cannot control the behavior of students remotely, how can I develop relationships and influence that make dependence on compliance, threats, and consequences less necessary?
Rather than complaining about how students are overly dependent on my instructions and direction, how might I nurture in them the skills and habits necessary to become more independent learners?
Rather than pressing to cover academic content at a pace that students cannot manage, how might I focus on depth of understanding and building skills that give students the ability to catch up on less crucial content later?
Rather than struggling to find ways to entertain and engage students, how can I tap their internal drive, interests, curiosity, and values to build learning momentum instead of being completely dependent on my energy and drive?
Rather than struggling to conjure and present artificial learning challenges and experiences, how can I tap natural and authentic opportunities to stimulate learning and build understanding in the lives, homes, and surroundings of students?
Rather than setting goals and building paths for the learning of my students, how might I enlist their ideas and position them to participate in setting learning goals? Might it be easier and more productive to enlist their input and commitment rather than trying to drive momentum on their behalf?

Obviously, these are only some of the options and opportunities we can identify and leverage to broaden our skills and build learning success. We can choose to grow and adjust despite the circumstances that have intruded on our routines, disrupted our plans, and challenged long-standing practices. It is up to us.

February 08, 2021

Four Secrets to Making Stress Work for You

We typically view stress as a negative feeling, but not all stress is bad. Nor is all stress equal. In fact, stress is often a driver of success and can motivate us to achieve important outcomes. Researchers often divide the stresses we experience into two categories: distress and eustress. Distress is typically experienced as negative. It can make us anxious, worried, and concerned. Examples of distress might include fear related to future events, feelings of separation and isolation, and circumstances and expectations that feel beyond our control. Eustress, on the other hand, is more likely to lead us to feel excited, motivated, and focused. Examples might include new and significant life and work challenges, taking on new responsibilities, and learning new skills. While we might assume it is the life experience, event, or force that will determine whether we feel positive or negative stress, the nature and power of the stress we feel is more likely to be determined by our perception of and reaction to what confronts us. The same event or experience can create distress for some people and eustress for others. This fact is important because it implies that we have the potential to control and redirect our attention and energy to reduce feelings of negative stress and increase the presence and intensity of positive stress. Exercising our ability to shift the nature of the stress we feel is important in that persistent distress can:

sap our energy and increase fatigue,
rob us of sleep,
threaten our physical health,
undermine our emotional and psychological health, and
lead to conflicts and challenges in our relationships.

So, how can we convert distress into eustress? We can start by finding an element or aspect of the stressor over which we can claim control. We might focus on our preparation for an upcoming event. We can find a creative or innovative way to approach the challenge. Or, we might enlist the assistance and coaching of a trusted advocate to help us navigate the situation. The key is to identify and claim control in ways that shift our focus and experience from powerless to powerful. Second, we can identify and focus on short term goals and actions that break down experiences and situations that feel overwhelming and thus create negative stress. Charting a course toward success, even if in the short term, can build confidence and create momentum. Equally important, even small success and moderate progress can reveal opportunities and create new options that would not have been obvious before. Third, we can explore and analyze the situation or challenge we face to better understand what it represents and how we might respond. We can use what we discover to create a list of potential options for our response and action. When the list is complete, we can choose the option or options with the greatest potential for success. Having chosen a path in which we have confidence can go a long way to reducing anxiety and increasing our positive stress. Fourth, we can claim our ability to choose. Regardless of the circumstances we face, we always have a choice. We can focus on negative and uncertain aspects of a situation or resolve to find positive elements and opportunities to which we can give our attention and energy. A fact of life is that we tend to find what we look for. The more we expect positive experiences and outcomes, the more likely we are to find them. We can choose our attitude. We decide what to expect. We determine where to focus our attention. Often, these choices make the difference between whether we are discouraged and feel distress or are optimistic and experience the energy of eustress.

January 25, 2021

Five Ways to Regain Control in Life–Even Now

We want to feel as though we are in control, or at least that we can exercise some level of influence over what happens in our lives. Of course, there are always limits to our ability to control the events and circumstances we face. Yet, decades of research show that we are happier, healthier, and more productive when we feel as though we have some control over what is happening to us. Unfortunately, over the past months we have endured the pandemic, teaching and learning disruptions, a stressed economy, political turbulence, and other forces that have left us feeling bewildered. So much of what we have experienced feels beyond our personal control. It has confined us, disrupted our routines, separated us from loved ones, and created uncertainty in our lives and futures. In short, it has left us feeling more stressed and less in control. Yet, as difficult as the past year has been, it pales in comparison to what some people in the past have had to endure. Consider Nelson Mandela, who endured years in a South African prison. Still, he emerged from prison to lead a national movement and eventually become president of the same country that imprisoned him. Viktor Frankl spent years enduring horrible conditions in a German concentration camp. He not only survived, he used the experience to inform his philosophy and writing about the importance of purpose and hope. Frankl became a powerful international voice that influenced thinking on resilience and life success. During times when they outwardly appeared to be at the mercy of others, Mandela and Frankl maintained a sense of control in their lives that readied them for what came next. Despite their experiences and circumstances, both men claimed their personal purpose and had significant positive impacts on the world. What can we learn from the experiences of these two people and others like them? We all have the ability to exercise some level of control, regardless of our circumstances. The question is: How can we claim our strength and use it during times like these? Here are five powerful and controllable strategies you can employ right now. Perspective Where we choose to focus our attention and energy matters. We can focus on what we can control rather than being preoccupied by circumstances we cannot. Remarkably, the same set of circumstances can feature both elements beyond our reach and elements over which we can exercise control. We can fret over what we cannot control, or claim control where it is available. The perspective we choose can make a significant difference, even within the same set of limits and opportunities. For example, we might focus energy on organizing our space rather than mourning having to work from home. We can schedule our day rather than allowing the day to aimlessly unfold. Purpose When we set goals, embrace our aspirations, and focus on what is important to us, we gain a sense of control. When our purpose extends to serving, helping, or supporting others or a cause greater than ourselves, our feelings of control and sense of purpose become even more powerful. Clarify and act on what has meaning and purpose for you and a feeling of control will follow. Patience Having patience can be a challenge in uncertain circumstances. Yet, patience can help us to remain engaged even when progress does not come as quickly as we would like. Setting deadlines for the end of negative circumstances over which you have no control can work against feelings of power and hope. Focusing on an outcome without setting rigid timelines usually is a better strategy. General Stockdale, a Vietnam prisoner of war, recounts that captives who focused on surviving until they were freed, regardless of when it might happen, were more likely to survive than prisoners who set deadlines for when they believed they would be freed, only to have the dates come and go without release. Proactivity Choosing to do what you can, even when you cannot control every aspect of a task or challenge can be empowering. Waiting to react often reduces available options. Being proactive even in difficult circumstances can increase confidence and help us to prepare for what lies ahead. Meanwhile, avoidance of difficult or uncomfortable actions can undermine our confidence and increase stress. Find something you can do now and act. Create some momentum for what lies ahead. Persistence Times of difficulty and challenge can tempt us to give up and abandon our hopes and goals. We can make excuses that the time was not right or the stretch was too great. Yet, the greatest opportunities often surface when we choose to act and refuse to give up on what is important to us. Disruption is often a path to opportunity, but only if we are willing to persist until we find the answers we need. We cannot always control what happens to us or limits our ability to determine what happens around us, but we can always control how we respond. We can feel helpless and out of control, or we can choose where to focus, how to think, and what to do to reclaim control in our lives.

January 18, 2021

Discerning Fact From Fiction

Increasingly, we find ourselves in discussions where the people conversing don’t believe they need evidence to back up their statements—or they use one example of evidence to try to make a blanket case for all situations. In other instances, when there is solid evidence that counters their point of view, some people simply choose not to accept the evidence or they claim to mistrust the information altogether. It is baffling and concerning for everyone involved. After all, if there is no truth, what do we have? Mathematicians, those in the legal profession, scientists, and historians have been using their own standards for defining truth for centuries. And there is much we can learn from these disciplines ourselves, and teach our students, about how to discern truth from fiction and how to use critical thinking rather than mere emotion to frame our thinking. Mathematicians start from a base of assumptions that are universally believed to be true. For instance, 1+1=2 and no one disputes this absolute truth. There is nothing fuzzy about this conclusion. According to award-winning and longtime math educator John Benson, “The only way one can doubt a theorem is to find fault with its proof.” The field of law has a much less exact basis for arriving at the truth, but still has merit for our own search for the truth. Legal professionals and scholars use preponderance of the evidence, clear and convincing evidence, and guilt beyond a reasonable doubt as their measures. The concept of evidence is critical in a court of law. Without it, there is no case. There are only accusers and the accused. In addition to evidence, lawyers and judges use the decisions made in prior cases to build a new case for a new circumstance. In other words, they use the wisdom of others who have wrestled with the truth in a similar situation to come to the best conclusion. In the field of science, observations and data provide the evidence from which conclusions can be drawn. If there is no data, there is no science. Historians, too, accumulate data—but in a different way. To them, it’s not only important what happened in history, but also who gathered and reported the information and why. As an example, Native Americans would tell the story of the settling of America differently than the European settlers who ultimately prevailed. Many of the facts might intersect, but the stories behind those facts and the emotions about those stories would differ vastly. So, what conclusion can we draw from these disciplines to sharpen our own thinking about what is true? Here are some questions we can ask ourselves and our students to keep both on track, and avoid engaging in sloppy thinking:

What is the evidence that something is true?
Is there a preponderance of evidence and is it clear and convincing?
What data can you bring forth to substantiate your claims?
Who supplied the data and is it from a credible, unbiased source?
Is there anything that would cast doubt on the data, and if so, is there enough doubt to claim something held to be true is not true?
What wisdom from experts who have grappled with similar issues can you bring to bear on the current issue you are arguing?
Do you have an emotional bias that might keep you from exploring the truth beyond a reasonable doubt?

As educators we have a responsibility to ourselves, our students, and our society to teach critical thinking skills. Certainly, the world our students are living in today and will be living in tomorrow commands it of them. As our world becomes even more complex and information even more accessible, being able to discern fact from fiction will become a necessary survival skill. Let’s make certain they have the know-how and the practice to do so. Research: Herrmann, Z. (2017, May 10). Finding what’s true: A cross-disciplinary search for truth—and the critical thinking skills students need in order to assess it. Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/uk/blog/finding-whats-true

January 04, 2021

The Master Teacher Blog