We Are Dealing Not with A Square Peg, Round Hole- But a Shape Sorter Scenario (195)

Square Peg, Round Hole

We have all seen scenarios in movies where a group of individuals is trying to solve a problem and someone says, "It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole," or something similar. 

In Apollo 13, they tossed all the equipment they have available on the rocket, on a table and tell engineers on the ground, to solve the problem of getting the astronauts home safely.

We basically have the materials within the system, as given to us by the higher ups and as educators, we have to solve the bigger problem within our means. We have to make sure we are using the provided tools and staying true to our philosophy of teaching, to solve problems. 

The main issue- how can we make learning equitable and customizable to individual students, not just the population as a whole.

Shapes May Vary

The world has changed. Our previous tactics- short combinations of moves to get immediate advantages, no longer will work. Our strategies- patterns of tactics, no longer are going to manage the little battles to win the war. 

Because the little battles are now fought on a very different terrain. We are now fighting on a battlefield fraught with landmines. We have to traverse those, all the while keeping our focus on the cavalry and units we were sworn to protect.

Remember those shape sorters toys we used to have when we were toddlers? 

They were not just built with one shape and one type of hole. The receptacle was full of stars, hearts, circles, triangles, octagons- you name it. They had many different colors and shapes. 

It was trial and error, we tried to fit them in different locations over and over again, until eventually we figured them out. Then they were no longer sorting blocks but building blocks. Their purpose shifted.

I see my classroom as a shape sorter- problems come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Some are plastic, some wooden. Like the pieces of our youth- they all have a hole they fit into. 

No matter how much we try to make the circle fit into the triangle hole- it does not fit. They only difference is we have a receptacle where we have options. We can keep trying different holes until the piece fits. Whereas in the past, we might have felt we only had one hole and one peg.

Shape Sorter Scenario

We have to see our hurdles to come not as single solutions but as shape sorters. Many different angles, many different dimensions, many different diameters. Lessons will have to change shape. Activities will have to have their parameters altered. 

Classrooms will have to be designed for every piece to fit, not seamlessly, but seam with. We will have to stay flexible. Look at our problems/pieces from different angles- knowing there is a solution/hole that will present itself.

We no longer can have the mentality of one size fits all. Square peg can’t fit into a round hole. We have to see the shape sorter. We have to slow our roll, lay out the pieces on the floor, in front of us and try them one by one, until one slides into place. 

This is difficult for many people because they want a quick fix. But, quick fixes in education are gone.

We have to keep grinding and whittling down some edges to make them easier to work with. We have to take the time to notice the differences, acknowledge that what used to work, no longer does. 

We have to allow not just critical thinking to be at the forefront of our expectations but also creative thinking: thinking outside the box, innovation, and ingenuity. That is what is going to keep education moving forward in this new reality.

Now which piece do I think I might pick up first, that is going to take another blog post.