Initiative –
Taking action at one’s own discretion, independent of outside influence or
control.
Merriam-Webster defines initiative as a noun meaning any one of three things: 1) the power or opportunity to do something before others do, 2) the energy and desire that is needed to do something, 3) a plan or program that is intended to solve a problem.
Any one of these definitions fits well with the idea of providing our HCS students with a 21st Century education. In more traditional classrooms, initiative has been frowned upon. for many years our students have been asked to regurgitate data and facts. Students, even teachers or administrators, that showed initiative and stepped out of the normal progression of learning often ran into barriers. However, in the last few years, initiative has become one of the most critical skills sought after by businesses looking to gain an edge in a globally competitive market. The fact, as Tony Wagner points out, that "knowledge is a commodity at the fingertips of everyone at a moment's notice," is driving schools to create learning opportunities where students generate original ideas and show initiative in developing those ideas along with thoughtful plans to solve potential problems.
This paradigm shift presents a challenge for educators and educational systems in that it is difficult to assess and label as good or bad, the process of showing initiative. Rather the process and thinking behind the process matter more than the outcome. Add to that a set of parents who want to know a child's grade or see something that indicates their child has "succeeded" and teachers are caught in a dilemma. Students crave situations for them to demonstrate initiative. Parents, who were educated in a system that asked for correct answers and success was equal to 90-100%, have a difficult time comprehending that a student that generates an idea, develops that idea into an action and tries it and fails actually learned a lot while working through the process.
I was recently with some friends and we were talking science projects for our children. One of my friends, an educator, was totally flabbergasted when her son came home and was interested in recreating the magnetic field that has been measured around the Bermuda Triangle. He wanted to do this an make things disappear. I loudly applauded his intiative and risk taking.. My cheers were met with a resounding "No Way!" and the reasoning was because it would not work. My argument went to the fact that two things were in place to have success: 1) The student was interested in the topic and would devote time to it as long as the process was the learning and not the result. 2) This was an original and creative idea that showed initiative on her son's part. I felt that should be honored and respected. As it turns out, he was talked out of the magnetic field project and did something more generic (I honestly cannot remember because I was so bummed he did not get to pursue his idea!) But this friend of mine was more interested in the student being successful than pursuing a novel idea. What did the student learn from this experience? The message is clear - conform and choose ideas that have a reasonable chance of success. Trying something that is highly challenging and has a high degree of failure is not a good thing. (This is a teacher whom I have tremendous respect for! And still do!)
We do the same in the classroom. I am advocating that we coach and teach students the processes to pursue ideas. That students experience failure as a part of the learning process so that when they move out into the fast paced, global market and 21st Century they are ready to deal effectively with failure and understand the process of generating new ideas and taking initiative to act on them whether they seem doomed for failure or not. They at least can assess the risks and make an informed decision as to whether or not to move forward.
Structuring opportunities for students to show initiative is a key component in developing 21st Century skills for our future generation.
Merriam-Webster defines initiative as a noun meaning any one of three things: 1) the power or opportunity to do something before others do, 2) the energy and desire that is needed to do something, 3) a plan or program that is intended to solve a problem.
Any one of these definitions fits well with the idea of providing our HCS students with a 21st Century education. In more traditional classrooms, initiative has been frowned upon. for many years our students have been asked to regurgitate data and facts. Students, even teachers or administrators, that showed initiative and stepped out of the normal progression of learning often ran into barriers. However, in the last few years, initiative has become one of the most critical skills sought after by businesses looking to gain an edge in a globally competitive market. The fact, as Tony Wagner points out, that "knowledge is a commodity at the fingertips of everyone at a moment's notice," is driving schools to create learning opportunities where students generate original ideas and show initiative in developing those ideas along with thoughtful plans to solve potential problems.
This paradigm shift presents a challenge for educators and educational systems in that it is difficult to assess and label as good or bad, the process of showing initiative. Rather the process and thinking behind the process matter more than the outcome. Add to that a set of parents who want to know a child's grade or see something that indicates their child has "succeeded" and teachers are caught in a dilemma. Students crave situations for them to demonstrate initiative. Parents, who were educated in a system that asked for correct answers and success was equal to 90-100%, have a difficult time comprehending that a student that generates an idea, develops that idea into an action and tries it and fails actually learned a lot while working through the process.
I was recently with some friends and we were talking science projects for our children. One of my friends, an educator, was totally flabbergasted when her son came home and was interested in recreating the magnetic field that has been measured around the Bermuda Triangle. He wanted to do this an make things disappear. I loudly applauded his intiative and risk taking.. My cheers were met with a resounding "No Way!" and the reasoning was because it would not work. My argument went to the fact that two things were in place to have success: 1) The student was interested in the topic and would devote time to it as long as the process was the learning and not the result. 2) This was an original and creative idea that showed initiative on her son's part. I felt that should be honored and respected. As it turns out, he was talked out of the magnetic field project and did something more generic (I honestly cannot remember because I was so bummed he did not get to pursue his idea!) But this friend of mine was more interested in the student being successful than pursuing a novel idea. What did the student learn from this experience? The message is clear - conform and choose ideas that have a reasonable chance of success. Trying something that is highly challenging and has a high degree of failure is not a good thing. (This is a teacher whom I have tremendous respect for! And still do!)
We do the same in the classroom. I am advocating that we coach and teach students the processes to pursue ideas. That students experience failure as a part of the learning process so that when they move out into the fast paced, global market and 21st Century they are ready to deal effectively with failure and understand the process of generating new ideas and taking initiative to act on them whether they seem doomed for failure or not. They at least can assess the risks and make an informed decision as to whether or not to move forward.
Structuring opportunities for students to show initiative is a key component in developing 21st Century skills for our future generation.