Engines of Education (Part 3) Intuition and Reason

Intuition and Reason 

How often do you use your intuition? I bet you can't count the amount of times in a day. Intuition is honed, strengthened, with every new experience we have. The more we learn, the more we re-frame our image of the world. How often do you use reason in a day? I would estimate just as many times as you use your intuition. Intuition allows you to make sense of things immediately, without conscious reasoning. Reasoning on the other hand, takes a little logical, sensible thinking. When we use both, which most of us do- we gather information, add the data to our archives and daily collections, then decide to use it, or toss it into the proverbial trash bin. As adults we have learned to balance these two quite nicely, but children need practice. What better place to provide an opportunity for students to do this than a classroom? A student-driven, student-centered, student-collaborative classroom.

Intuition is only trustworthy when we build personal experience making judgments in a predictable, purposeful environment. It is a skill refined and enhanced, the more we use it. So we need to ask ourselves, do we let students use their intuition enough? Do we build robust relationships between patterns and recognition? Do we let them construct a vocabulary they find meaningful? How we make connections uses our intuition. If we provide all the facts and design the arena flawlessly for our students- their intuition becomes dulled by listening, rather than amplified by independent choice. We need to find the balance between silence, pause and lecture- we need a bit of quiet reflection for their intuition to blossom. We need to give them the fundamentals and then let them construct the model. Try fail, risk fail, second or third try success. Intuition stems from failure.

Fundamentals are the glue that hold the tiles of change, mindset and growth together. Without the foundation our knowledge mosaic would crumble. But with the learning grout in place, hardened from intuition and self-awareness, secured with practice, patience and reinforcement- the mosaic becomes petrified, fossilized and sturdy. Not fixed- just adaptable to the many updates and challenges that lie in our learning acquisition. This becomes the base for future tiles, future connections, an expansion of sorts. The stories and concepts become continuous learning. Each a memento that bridges doubt and insecurity because they are placed in the landscape of personal growth, they add dimension and depth, and this creates edges. 

These edges are not fixed- they are neutral. The foundation is sturdy, but the edges expand from the addition of new insights, new possibilities- more choices. Our vision of the world, understanding of personal space are bridged here, in this personal mosaic. This vibrant landscape where every piece is altered a little because of where they decide to place it. These pieces form new masterpieces as students rearrange them. The grout solidifies their framework, but it is pliable, when they want it to be. When they can step back to see the big picture, the full view, they become more confident and open-minded. But we as educators, often stay too close to the center, to where most pieces seem to fit, we ourselves, lose sight of the new concept, because we so want it to fit into the spot we have designated for it. For it to be revealed we must step back and be willing to see the flaws in the mural of our thinking and students need the opportunity to see the flaw in theirs. This is intuition and reason combined.

Even with the thickest of cement- our thinking stays flexible, malleable, at least a little bit. We control the narrative, because we choose what is important to us. Boring concepts taught with mundane strategies will not be important or meaningful to us or our students. They may memorize and figure out a plan to make it fit- but it will be a temporary patch. To make it a tile, a piece of the mosaic, they need to have relevance and sustainability. A way to connect to the concept that makes sense- when things make sense we own them because we feel elated and excited about learning something useful and new. When things stay in the new category though, do not make the bigger connections, they lose their usefulness. Hopping back and forth to find new ways to connect, new ways to challenge is key. Being uncomfortable is the reminder our intuition and reason need a refresh.

We must not hang these new concepts in a dingy warehouse or bustling museum for all to judge. This new knowledge, once we take possession of it, adds to our masterpiece. It is a breathing, living entity and we must maintain it. When it is healthy, our outlook is expansive and adaptable. We must keep adding tiles, sliding them into new configurations- this is how each new portrait emerges, this is how our mosaic remains static. Mosaics stand firm because they are built to last and that is powerful. Providing curiosity and ingenuity makes the paint more vibrant. But the tiles must be accessible. Students must be able to find the gaps and choose the piece that fits best for them in it. These are given willingly and frequently by educators, parents and peers. These tiles are gifts, but often they are chosen because they are interesting. The glue, where to place the tile is personal. Ultimately, we must find the areas to grout, on our own.

Intuition versus reason is ours to determine. Its never the idea, it’s the execution. As educators we rarely take on the one-eyed gambles. We seek the sure thing. But we must take chances and risks. We use our intuition and experience and formulate new strategies- this is how we think. But many of us want to make sure they are well-tested first. We need to allow our students to get the same benefit. The experience and mindset to use their own intuition to acquire and assimilate knowledge. If we don’t do this- new ideas and concepts will never truly stick and never truly inspire them to try new things and experience failure. Intuition provides confidence, especially when it has proven itself to us in the past. When curiosity has driven them to discover and they had fun, they remember it. A classroom is a giant playground of knowledge- let them use their intuition, make choices and they may end up making castles in the sand box or screaming with doubt as they make it down the slide, but they will be learning.

As educators we reflect- we write our own headlines at the end of the day. We create our personal newspaper full of real-time updates and historical footnotes. We need to have editorials as well. We need to break down the silo and speed up communication, this adds articles, bylines. We can’t allow knowledge acquisition to be clandestine- we need to speak up in ways that gains credibility instead of losing it. We need to listen, be journalists and investigative reporters- get out of the newsroom and out from behind the desk. Intuition and experience serves us as adults well- but if we don’t let students hone theirs, they will be readers of the Classroom Daily Journal rather than the writers and investigators that contribute to its fluency.

Engines of Education (Part 2) Paving the Gaps

Paving the Gaps

Education is seeing the gaps and helping students find the answers without judgement. It’s like helping a lost child- you do not ask why they are lost you help them find their parents. Your immediate response to a child in need is to step in and help. You solve the problem without a second thought. When students are lost or bored in our classroom, for any reason, not necessarily anything we have done or are not doing, we must have a tolerance for their misbehavior. Because it is going to happen. Change causes uncertainty and thus severance. We as educators will lose the attention of students, what is important is that we have a plan b, we have a way to find them once they wander off.

Interruption does not necessarily mean confusion or distraction it often means perplexity, and this leads to curiosity. When we are curious, we are focused and engaged. Disagreeable even. But, with disobliging comes questioning for teachers and for students. If students are to be realigned with the lesson, lured back into the activity- we have to know there will be a little disruption or rumbling of the seats. The disagreeable and distracted will leave their mark- maybe even lure others to their corner. This is inevitable, but if we join their cause (boredom and re-engagement) we can rally the troops. Look them in the eye and admit, we ventured off course, I am sorry, here is a road map, let's all meet up at the next rest stop.

Disagreeable students will not just nod and smile- they will challenge us. They are not compliant. They are not so loyal that they turn a blind eye to our short comings. They will point out our mistakes. While many educators, truly dislike being, criticized by students, it is a necessary step towards their independence – we just need to teach them how to do so with respect and kindness. When we have a tolerance for feedback, good or bad, we learn not to take everything so personally. When things are broken, we do not need to toss them out- we simply need to re-purpose and they often will provide the most amazing insights. When we accept the cracks, look the dents and dings head on- we may be able to salvage. Why buy a new car because the old one has a few scratches? But it the front in is smashed and the frame is damaged- it is a good time to visit a car lot. We, want our students to become more understanding, self-aware and growth oriented. When we have patience for misfits and rebels, peers and students alike, we gain a willingness to be critical of our originality, we see the holes in our thought processes, we often putty up to avoid. In other words, we know when we need new wheels.

Every misstep does not weaken us as educators. A famous saying goes "The fall from low is easy, almost painless." If we refuse to grow, we will stay in this position. Failure will never be an option. "A fall from the middle can be devastating-" if it crumbles self-confidence and self-esteem. But the precipice of teaching is neither, it is high, it is visible to many and we must be willing to slide down the side when needed, so that we can climb back up. Each time we do- we notice what others are doing, we must slow to get our footing, and this lets us see things from a different perspective. We begin to see every rock, every groove we place our feet and hands upon, and this makes us see the vulnerability of our jobs. We are just that- vulnerable. We are exposed and we need to let our students see this. This does not make us weak or powerless, in fact, it is the opposite- it makes us human.

We need to switch from me focused to mission focused. We need to stay vulnerable because this keeps us aware. We need to be unique, innovative, and willing to take risks, but we also need to be practical. We need to provide a diversity of experiences- this exposure fosters in our students’ creativity. When we diversify our knowledge base, we are more likely to sample original ideas, use strategies we might be uncomfortable with. If we can retrieve unconventional methods and put them into our classroom then we can disrupt learning- ours and our students. Lessons and strategies do not create value, students do. If they embrace them, then they will become valuable to them. This is priceless. No one can replicate it. But it often comes from a tinkering, re-purposing, engineering of past successes and above all else, past failures. When students find learning valuable, when they embrace strategies like they were their own, then they become solidified into their schema. They will find them useful and will continue to utilize them throughout their lives.

Influence and Prestige

We as teachers have influence and prestige, earned from our years of education and experience. It may be faint in some districts and prominent in others, but it is there. We are often in the public seen as  glorified babysitters but in reality, when you take a deeper look, we do have both of these because what we do is misunderstood and it gives us a little street cred.

Influence and prestige are not our right nor are they easily gifted. But you need both to have any form of authority and earn any level of respect. To exert influence without respect and admiration of your peers can be isolating. But once prestige is achieved, through successful teaching practices and collaboration, rocking the boat is much more acceptable and even accepted. We are expected to stir the pot, make waves towards progress but if we ourselves are not on solid ground, where recognition for advancement and progress is absent, then we are doomed to enter rough seas. Prestige can’t be claimed though, it must be earned. Sometimes it is rewarded to a first-year teacher who does extraordinary pedagogy, while for others it never surfaces. We acquire and are reminded of our prestige mainly through networking with other educators- educators award prestige. The influence however, generally emerges from with one's school, district and from parents and students.

The only way to be granted influence and prestige, not authority necessarily but respect and admiration = influence, is to become a part of the system. Then one can change it from within. We can double-cross it, make it believe we are worthy, then we will not have to coerce it, only nudge it into an upgrade. We need to build a network of rebels. To buck convention, you need an army of forward-thinkers. This is when the establishment will budge, and progress will ensure. Words are not enough. Writing about change is not enough. For some marching in the streets is not the way, rallying is too scary, but classroom disruption is doable. Disrupt the normalcy of classroom routines, just a little, rethink lessons, step back and let some of the ‘influence’ be handed over to students and the small quakes will become rumbles and change will slowly erupt. This change can come in many forms- as Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

We can not favor the comfort of consensus, we must actively, operative word here, actively seek the discomfort of dissent. In ourselves and other educators but also with our students. It is hard to let go of one’s authority and let others lead, especially when they are our students. But this is what keeps us relatable, current and growth-oriented and above all else, open-minded. Placing trust in our students should be easy, yet for some it is a challenge. We believe in them, why don’t we place our trust in them unequivocally? How can we do this, place our role in the background and let students take center-stage? Begin with novelty then add familiarity. Have routine, but then a little unpredictability; this is where curiosity and ingenuity come to the surface.

Part Three of Engines of Education will be about this disruption- using intuition and reason to design a student-centered classroom. But more importantly- giving students the opportunity to use their intuition and reason to guide their own learning.

Engines of Education (Part 1) Rinse and Repeat

Rinse and Repeat

Often a students first contact with a new concept is a wow moment- a 'Shazam' experience- but why is this information not resonating later? Why do they often lose them after the initial confetti exposure? We are often looking for significant changes in behavior, in processing- but we are looking for this to happen quickly. But it takes time to add to our schema, to rebuild the prior knowledge, reshape it- its like LEGO blocks or construction. It takes a short time to look over the easy to read pictures and to sort the bricks. However, if you are going to put together a bigger set, it takes more planning. The instruction manual becomes more important- now those photos in the booklet have more meaning- they are about engineering, rather than just clicking together various sizes of bricks. 

So why do we expect students to ‘get it’ before they are ready to construct, demolish and reconstruct? Time constraints, standards and learning goals aside- why do we lump all the bricks into a pile and not be patient enough and wait until students interpret the manual? Sometimes its more fun to just experiment and build without design, yes. But, for many students, they need the time to sort. They may seem like just different sizes of bricks, but they are much more than that they are: pips, shape, width- not to mention the other pieces that are not bricks. We need to figure out how to let students sort, make piles, tinker and redesign more quickly so we can keep the pace of the class and make sure the vocabulary and concepts are getting mastered.

An unfamiliar concept takes us more effort to understand, the more we hear it, see it, experience it, the less threatening it becomes. Then once we have conquered our discomfort, we can embrace it and add it to our bubble. Too much familiarity, however, can lead to boredom. In other words, large piles of bricks, can get overwhelming and never get used. We need exposure but with different intervals, various time frames and levels of depth. The more we see it as a part of our knowledge base the more we can manipulate it and mold it to our liking. The more we can pull from different piles to create some awesome models. We remember what we like. We use what we see as important and when we enjoy a topic and see its relevance, it tends to become a fixture in our learning and growth. This is the way humans learn.

Shampoo and Conditioner

Here are a few simple strategies to help students gather the bricks they need faster, help them create their own manual for learning, all the while keeping the pace of the class balanced so every student can rinse and repeat as needed.

Definition Maps, Frayer Models and Venn Diagrams are great ways to expose students to a new concept or vocabulary word. It doesn't matter how they organize, just that they do. Have them take the word and create an analogy, write a synonym and sketch an image. This of course can be accomplished in 'sketch-notes," visual notes or a simple magnet summary. But this component also must include a personal definition, something that resonates. Then students can play Charades, Taboo or Pictionary at the end of the week with all their new words and concepts. I use the graffiti wall to have them draw cartoons or comics- the artists leave off the dialogue and other students add to it throughout the day- this is a huge interactive word wall. A fun way to conceptualize and solidify.

Once students have tinkered with the concept, constructed something, an image, a symbol- I have them explain the word to one another, as if they were in kindergarten. Making sure they use simple, concise words, because if they can, then they actually understand the concept well. Then after they have reflected in their journal and discussed as a class these words are used to make bigger connections across concepts. They are not just content words we do this with, in my struggling classes, we do this with brick and mortar words too. The more exposure, the less fear and without confusion we can hear the sound more clearly. We can see the edges and form a more concise, personal meaning of the concept.

Every one of these activities is 5-7 minutes and dispersed within activities and labs. This way they are hands on using the concepts and building their framework of vocabulary simultaneously. This way the resonance of the wow moment lingers- if we get excited about a balloon, but then just tie it to a string and walk around with it, it loses its excitement quickly- but if we bounce it off our hands, twirl it on the string, talk about how cool it is- the balloon becomes animated, a presence that not only follows us but interacts with us. When it eventually deflates, we remember how much joy it brought us- its that emotion that creates the memory. What adds it to our knowledge base.

Pat Dry or Air Dry

We as educators need to disentangle the two parts of education: student growth and success and teacher growth and success. They are not mutually exclusive, but they are not reliant on one another either. As our students learn and process information, how they acquire and assimilate it is very much a part of how we once acquired and assimilated the same information. There are stages we all cross, milestones we all conquer, but we tend to teach how we think about things, not how our students do. We deliver information in very much the same way we remember learning it- especially if it was successful and meaningful. Marzano's Six Step Process of Building Academic Vocabulary tells us we need to describe, explain and give an example first. Then have students put the definition in their own words, draw an example or symbol of representation, reflect in a journal and then discuss with a partner. Use the word six different ways -rinse and repeat.

The basis of communication is words. The meaning of words. Concepts are built around definitions. Connections are solidified because these meanings are often transferable, bridging ideas. Science is vast, different areas of science, like nature itself are all interconnected. The connotation, implication, interpretation, symbolization of these thoughts and images is personal, yet critical to being able to see the world clearly. This may sound grandiose, but think about it- if you are sitting in class and definitions, concepts, meanings are being thrown at you and you are failing to catch them, you are sinking below the surface of the quagmire of vocabulary and hypothesis, theory and supposition- are new ideas going to resonate? For me they didn't. My Dyslexia caused jumbles and noise not understanding and my teachers never slowed down in order for me to pull myself out of the muck.

School is an extension of our knowledge base, it adds to it, but ultimately when we go home at night, it is the clarity of the meaning that puts it in its place and as educators we need to make sure the sound quality is clear and that there is space for our students to create the file- spread out and make piles, construct Lego towers just to watch them crumble and build new ones. We have to be comfortable with the mess, learning is messy. It may take a little more time to clean up the bricks but if they have made a memory- if students have created meaning in their knowledge base, then vocabulary and new concepts have created resonance. This takes patience but if done, we are letting go a little bit of our power and status and allowing students to use intuition and personal reasoning to grow as learners.

This is what will be discussed in part two of Engines of Education- Intuition and Reasoning in the classroom.