The Art of Possibility
c1-4
This is an interesting book stocked with stories and commentary surrounding attitudes towards productivity and contribution. In the first couple chapters I felt more as if it were a self-help book than one that would actually apply to the EMDT program, but nevertheless, I read on. By the time I completed chapter four, I didn't want to stop reading! Although the book thus far is more about mindsets and attitudes than implementing technology or lesson designs, there is poignant commentary for not only educators, but all professionals.
"In the realm of possibility, we gain our knowledge by invention."(20) Of all the sentences in the first four chapters, this one resonated strongly with me. I'm going to make a poster of it for my classroom! I have always strived to make my classroom one of possibility, but in the past several years I've tried to really teach history slightly differently. History can be a little dry, so I restructured almost all of my units in sort of a "choose your own adventure" sort of way so that students can discover and consider various possibilities. We do a lot of hypothesizing and predicting now. Students have learned to consider a particular option and predict the ramifications of their decisions. One example in particular that comes to mind is the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. Students had to compile a thorough reconstruction plan for the nation that included rebuilding the South, educating the freed men and women, creating jobs, reassuring the North of rebuilt southern allegiance, etc. The students were initially concerned that "they'd guess wrong" - that wasn't the point. Once they got over it, they realized that anything was possible in their plan if they could defend its purpose.
In what could have been a few day lecture of the actual reconstruction plans, students were allowed to invent their own solutions. At the conclusion of the unit, they were merely informed of what was actually done - many of their invented plans contained attributes of the actual reconstruction plans. Students gained a thorough knowledge of not only the historical reconstruction plans, but a deeper knowledge of what reconstruction of a broken nation might entail. I realized their depth of understanding when we later critiqued the Fourteen Points at the end of WWI.
I think it is important for educators to create an environment of possibility for students to invent and explore. It is a decidedly American trait to innovate and create and that's what students should always have the opportunity to do. (Of course they need to copyright it though...)
Hey Michael,
ReplyDeleteI would say that the Zander's book is a self-help book, and I too have found the book hard to put down. What really intrigues me about your blog post is the description of how you have chosen to teach your students about the post-Civil War Reconstruction Period. What a brilliant idea to have your students come up with their own reconstruction plan before showing them the actual Reconstruction plan. History as taught by so many traditional teachers can be such a dry and boring subject. It's so hard to get students to find the meaning of past historical events as they apply to the student's limited vision of the world at such a young age. Surely one of the goals of learning History is to hopefully prevent past mistakes from re-occurring in modern times. Of course, History is usually taught in such a boring manner, that the human race rarely learns the lessons of the past, and we sometimes seem doomed to repeat our mistakes forever and ever. How many "wars to end all wars" have been waged in the past few hundred years? Having your students invent their own reconstruction plans connects them to their past in an engaging way that helps them realize the significance of historical events. When they realized that they did not need to come up with the original Reconstruction plan (guessing wrong was "OK") the students were able to take ownership of the assignment and start thinking for themselves. You have really come up with an excellent way to teach any subject.
Steve L.
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteLet's not limit the book's potential to 'self-help' because I think it is also a brilliant commentary on the current state of the educational system. The Art of Possibility is also a great autobiography told in anecdotes about how two music professors decided to treat life and each other a little differently. I do agree with you that it is an awesome read so far, one that I can't seem to put down so easily. I admit that there were several instances while reading that I started to get teary-eyed, because I saw myself in those similar situations, so the lessons Benjamin and Rosamund learned I too absorbed for my own benefit. I am happy that what you have read so far has been a validation to what you are trying to accomplish in the classroom. Do you think you will adopt 'Giving the A' anytime soon? I thought that was a wonderful chapter on how to treat school standards in the midst of student inhibitions and learning. Being able to remove all barriers from a whole new world of possibility goes well beyond the grade and the classroom, and students will take out more from the history lessons themselves--they will also learn how to appreciate and mold their own stories.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI like your posts for so many reasons especially the humor you have the knack of entangling in the words. I agree that students learn when they are allowed to explore material and are best served when we create opportunities for them to create their own understandings based on critical thinking and reasoning. Your class, as I have indicated, has certainly been a reflection of what inspires me about education in the future. History is not a subject that everyone find himself or herself drawn into and some can leave a lot of knowledge on the table due to their personal influences or interpretations. I think you’ve done a great job summarizing the first few chapters as a way to engage in a conversation of possibility rather than specifically focusing on the events. Well done.
Excellent example of how seeing things differently can add so much to the experiences of your students. The need to not give in to the negative voices who go on about what we cannot do because of this or that problem is why I selected the book for you, as you leave EMDT, to not lose heart but to continue to innovate and imagine better things for your students.
ReplyDelete