Letting Go

Learning about education is so very fascinating to me as an almost complete novice in this area. As a complete disclaimer, this is not a native area where I know oodles and oodles about this topic. I had two undergrad education classes both roughly ten years ago and was an education major for a brief scintilla of time. Therefore, I was a relative newbie when I jumped headfirst into the education world starting my M.Ed. in School Library Media from Georgia Southern University.

I have always loved to learn. I found great joy in going to school and learning new things. I'm that nerdy girl no one needed to be warned about because I was sitting in the corner reading. Anyway, I digress. I can always remember my days of learning (from Elementary School to High School with a few college classes thrown in) where teachers taught in a very rigid manner not really allowing for a whole lot of questions. I was able to learn, flourish, and love school despite (or maybe in spite of) this manner of teaching. In fact, I am much more comfortable in school than in "real life."

Therein lies the problem, unfortunately. School should immediately be considered "real life," and should prepare students for a multitude of experiences, positive, negative, neutral, or uncomfortable. Truly great teachers who empower learners should encourage their students to ask questions for which the teacher might not have an answer.

Having the autonomy and authority to ask answerless questions was not the norm in Hart County, Georgia. However, there were still great teachers who fostered learning and were truly kind and compassionate individuals. So, what exactly does a "great" teacher look like?

First, the teacher is an active participant in the educational process. The teacher encourages inquiry and also encourages questions that might be ambiguous or not have a TRUE answer. It is essential for students of education to have a good working understanding of inquiry learning. Neil Stephenson relates that "the power of an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning is its potential to increase intellectual engagement and foster deep understanding through the development of a hands-on, minds-on and ‘research-based disposition’ towards teaching and learning. Inquiry honours the complex, interconnected nature of knowledge construction, striving to provide opportunities for both teachers and students to collaboratively build, test and reflect on their learning" (n.d. para 2). Rather than the teacher reading from the textbook or lecturing for hours on end (I have witnessed both teaching styles) inquiry based learning encourages students to ask questions, to get their hands dirty, and to engage in a kinetic style of learning that fully engages the body and the mind.

Stephenson then relates "it is crucial to recognize that inquiry-based teaching should not be viewed as a technique or instructional practice or method used to teach a subject. Rather, inquiry starts with teachers as engaged learners and researchers with the foundational belief that the topics they teach are rich, living and generous places for wonder and exploration" (n.d. para 4).  Inquiry-based learning is not just a fad, it is a practice which should be encouraged to foster lifelong learning and creativity. Students should be autonomous and empowered to ask questions in an inquiry-based manner for their entire lifespan, not simply the twelve to fourteen years they are a student in a PreK-12 situation.

So, now that we have a grasp of inquiry-based learning, how can we grapple with the idea of instructional technology and truly great teachers? From previous classes about instructional design, I remember that instructional technology and design have a keen focus on how the learner learns the information (which takes a backseat to the actual information learned at times). Wayne State University's College of Education effectively relates that "Instructional Technology's goal is to understand how people learn and how to best design instructional systems and instructional materials to facilitate that learning. We also use appropriate technology to aid us in the design and delivery of the instruction" (2015 para 6).

Given that instructional technologists are facilitators of learning, what should learning actually look like? Learning should look like uncertainty and ambiguity peppered with autonomy and independence to learn and make mistakes. Learning should entail the freedom to ask questions, both big and small, to which the teacher might not necessarily have a good answer. Grant Wiggins, Ed.D. (2014) relates that he learned two vital lessons about education on the soccer field: outlining that learning is about a genuine experience not merely parroting a behavior and that learners, with effective preparation, can respond to prompts in scarier situations in order to live productive lives.

Wiggins later outlines what should be a driving argument to educators and administrations why are teachers and administrators dumbfounded when students do poorly on standardized testing after not properly being taught how to problem solve without explicit signals of what should be done? (2014 para. 7-8). Great teachers teach their students to autonomously answer questions that might not have answers. They also teach their students how to deal with the stresses that high stakes standardized testing brings to the mix, all in preparation for the stresses that life will present.

In a recent review of Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing, Linda Flanagan stated "if students can be made to feel comfortable with uncertainty--if they're learning in an environment where ambiguity is welcome and they are encouraged to question facts--then they are more apt to be curious and innovative in their thinking. Approaching knowledge this way is difficult for students and teachers, however, because ambiguity spurs unpleasant feelings. Indeed, studies show that the typical response to uncertainty is a rush for resolution, often prematurely, and heightened emotions" (2015 para 6-7). It is very difficult to embrace uncertainty, but life is full of uncertainties, and students must be prepared to deal with these in the manner that this is a soft skill area of knowledge that is crucial to be an adult.

Chris Lehmann, a truly inspiring educator in Philadelphia made a dynamic argument for inquiry and project-based learning in this video. Principal Lehmann outlined that parents give their students to us in education in a "sacred trust" in order to prepare students for the future. He further relates that he is upset by the idea that we are preparing a 21st-century workforce because he believes in the humanity of our student body. Lehmann related so many gems during this interview, but one important takeaway I received was that "we have to understand our role is changing as teachers where we must be mentors in our classrooms--kids need us more than ever before...Every teacher that has ever taught knows that there has been a moment in time where they were the adult that mattered in a child's life more than anybody else" (2013).

Those truly great teachers I have been fortunate enough to have--Mr. Corbett--my eighth grade Georgia History Teacher, Mrs. Dickerson--tenth-grade geometry and twelfth grade Pre-Calculus, and so many more were always there for me when I had questions or needed guidance. While their teaching domains were in the more fact driven areas, they did encourage questions and frequently held discussions where every student was made to feel as if they mattered and had a great opinion.

In short, the teacher and Media Specialist of today should encourage inquiry-based learning, embrace uncertainty, and enable their students to become autonomous. There is a connection between instructional design (which takes into account the learner versus the material learned) and great teaching. Those great teachers we are fortunate enough to experience are imprinted upon our souls and allow us to transition from being children into being decent human beings through guidance, encouragement, freedom, and autonomy. I will be best served (when I am fortunate enough to become a Media Specialist) to surrender my control-freakish ways (I am very precise about work) and become a teacher who helps to facilitate autonomy all the while preparing my students to become productive and decent human beings.