In my pursuit of the idea of flourishing in education, I ran across a recent book (2020) written by educational philosopher KristjĆ”n KristjĆ”nsson (Flourishing as the Aim of Education). It seems quite relevant for our work here, so I will be sure to share more in the near future.Ā
At the very outset…in the Prefaceā¦.KristjĆ”nsson asks some questions that, as you can imagine, resonate!
Why do some studentsā capabilities, strengths and talents seem to lie fallow at school?
Why do so many students enter school as āoriginalsā but leave as ācopiesā?
Why is so much of schooling preoccupied with preparing students for a life of tests rather than the tests of life?
How can education be designed and executed such that it helps all students achieve their potential?Ā
After pondering the questions for a minute, I noticed somethingā¦ What do you notice?
In The Answer to How is Yes: Acting on What Matters, author Peter Block pushes us to think about the importance of pursuing the WHY question before answering the HOW question.Ā
Think about it: in our learning environments, what is the ratio of WHY questions to HOW questions? I donāt have any research on this, but from my own experience, I would say in schools, we tend to focus far more on those HOW questions before the WHY questions.
Whatās so bad about starting with the HOW?
Starting with HOW oversells the practical and avoids important conversations around the WHY and purpose.
What is the purpose?
Are we asking the right questions?
Starting with the HOW locks us from the possibility of interrogating and reframing a problem. When we ask the WHY first, we make certain we are focused effectively when we do get to the HOW.
How we answer the WHY will lead to a better HOW. When we focus directly on the HOW, we may be doing the wrong work, just ārighterā and more efficiently.
Always return to the WHY. HOW is safer than WHY; but WHY is always wiser.
Focus on the WHY question first.
The next time youāre focused on a HOW question, catch yourself, and instead focus on the WHY question first to better interrogate your purpose.
—–
ā Provocations:
What are some HOW questions youāve been asking in your learning environment? What happens when you take a step back and ask the WHY question first? What assumptions might you uncover?
š Resources:
š§ Mindset:
Inquiry; questioning
š” Area:
Leadership; learning
š£ Drop your thoughts in the comments, or in the Facebook group, and feel free to share resources. š„š„š„
- A silver lining - January 22, 2022
- Is our use of tech working against us? š¤ - September 8, 2021
- Whatās NOT going to change in the next 10 years? š¤ - September 7, 2021