What We’re Reading
In our new CTL blog column “What We’re Reading”, we want to share all those intriguing articles we come across during our research. You know, the ones that we stumble upon, that get saved in a folder, are read and enjoyed, but potentially disappear in said folder. Let’s break the cycle! At the end of this blog post, we invite you to share with us what you are reading to learn about all things higher education, so we can spread the word with you.
In a recent Chronicle article, authors Jeremy Murphy and Meira Levinson invite us to experiment with helping students learn and to be curious by embracing imperfection in the classroom. Imperfection, ambiguity, uncertainty. Not everyone is going to jump up and dance hearing these words. Yet, they are all too relatable and the authors remind us of previous studies that found being open to mistakes and ambiguity in the classroom, can support curiosity, metacognition, and active learning. Let’s get to it:
Pursue the unanticipated in class discussions
If you have stepped foot into a classroom as an educator, you know that things don’t always go as the carefully designed schedule intended. Especially when class discussions are involved. Sometimes students reroute the conversation into an unexpected territory, sometimes we go down a different path ourselves. Of course, it is important to get to the learning goals for the day, but Murphy and Levinson remind us of the purpose of class discussions: “bring students and instructor alike to new, unanticipated understandings” (para). Maybe we can be a little more relaxed about intriguing discussion detours going forward.
To learn means to embrace mistakes
Teaching students that not knowing something or making mistakes is not a crime in your classroom can be empowering – for you and your students. Learning new concepts and exploring foreign perspectives is filled with uncertainty and it is important to develop appreciation for the process of learning. On a similar note, welcoming wrong answers and putting less value on the “right” ones can support students to take risks by thinking creatively and be courageous in their learning. For example, instead of simply affirming students’ answers, ask questions like “What makes you think this?” or “What else should we consider?”
Leave room for wonder
With a packed curriculum schedule and a tight timeline, it can seem like there is no room for ambiguity. Next time you are teaching a new topic leave some time at the end to complete a short poll gauging the students’ understanding. If only about half of your students seem to have understood the concept, don’t engage in frantic additional explanations, but leave them with questions and wonder, picking up the conversation in the next session or offline. Dan Levy, senior lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School says that after leaving students with more questions than answers, in the next session, students were motivated to debate and discuss. Indicating that letting them sit with uncertainty grew their interest and curiosity.
Murphy and Levinson underline that implementing some of these strategies sends a “powerful message to students that it’s OK to stumble in class, to be wrong or confused about something — that uncertainty is not only unavoidable in learning but also a continuing and necessary component of it. It’s a message that students don’t often receive”.
If you enjoyed this content, you will want to read the whole article with additional tips. You may also be interested in reviewing Murphy and Levinson’s new book, Instructional Moves for Powerful Teaching in Higher Education.
Now, it’s your turn! Share with us what you are reading to learn about all things higher education, so we can spread the word! Email your suggestions to ctl@boisestate.edu.