Wicked Problem Solutions

Our group has conduced research, asked questions, and surveyed our PLN to understand the wicked problem of using failures as a learning mode. We collaborated to begin formulating solutions to this wicked problem. Through our conversations, we found two potential solutions:

1. Teach students about growth mindset and grit
2. Change teaching practices so that students are allowed to fail and solve problems

We realize the potential challenges that arise with these solutions. However, we believe it is important to begin making thoughtful changes while working toward a solution to this wicked problem.

We created a website to share our problem-solving methods, describe our solutions, and examine potential problems with our solutions.

http://failureasalearningmode.weebly.com/

Enjoy!

Questioning for Life

Reading Chapter 5 of “A More Beautiful Mind” by Warren Berger and an article entitled “It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q.” by Thomas Friedman caused me to reflect both personally and professionally. I decided to create a Padlet to serve as a “vision board” for my ideas. I wrote statements, quoted Berger and Friedman, posed questions, and selected images to express my passion and curiosity as a teacher and learner. I also reflect on ideas and skills I want to pass on to my students. By using technologies in meaningful ways to enhance learners, I hope my students can explore their passions and be inspired to ask questions.

Berger (2014) uses the analogy of climbing a mountain to describe our journey. He encourages us to ask questions like “What is waiting for me at the top? What am I going to do once I get there? Am I enjoying the climb itself? Should I slow down, speed up? What am I leaving behind, down below?” (Berger, p. 182). I can directly relate these questions to my life as a teacher. Each year brings a new class of students and feels like climbing a new mountain, with unique challenges. Berger’s questions can provide teachers with ways to reflect on their goals and establish a purpose for each school year.

Friedman’s article (2013) shifts my focus to students and the skills they will need in the future, saying, “The winners won’t just be those with more I.Q. It will also be those with more P.Q. (passion quotient) and C.Q. (curiosity quotient) to leverage all the new digital tools to not just find a job, but to invent one or reinvent one, and to not just learn but to relearn for a lifetime.” Do our current teaching practices allow students to develop passion and curiosity quotients? Or, are we simply doing “things by rote” rather than “questioning and reexamining everything” as A.J. Jacobs describes in “A More Beautiful Question.” With each new climb, teachers can reexamine teaching practices and decide if they promote student curiosity and passion.

Moving forward, I hope my vision board can help me reflect on these ideas throughout each school year and my teaching career.

References:

Berger, Warren. (2014) A More Beautiful Question. (pp.175-216). New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA

Friedman, Thomas. (2013, January 9). It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/opinion/friedman-its-pq-and-cq-as-much-as-iq.html

Failure as a Learning Mode Survey

Innovation can begin with asking questions around a problem. Warren Berger speaks about using questions to overcome challenges in his book A More Beautiful Question saying, “Better to bring a question out into the light of day and trust that, with help from others, you’ll get something out of it-a solution, a learning experience, an insight, a fresh perspective, a sense of purpose-that will be yours” (p. 132). In CEP 812, we are challenged to formulate solutions to the “wicked problem” of using failures as a learning mode. Educators have valuable insights that can help our group find a solution to this complex problem.

Image Source

Failure can be an important aspect of learning. If students are allowed to fail, they can reflect, ask questions, and begin taking steps to solve a problem. How often does our teaching reflect this process? Do we allow students to fail? Both teachers and students are judged only by success, making it challenging to encourage failures in the classroom. For this reason, students and teachers may fear taking risks in the classroom when success isn’t guaranteed. How can we change learning experiences so that students are allowed to learn from failures?

In order to change the way we view failures, we may reexamine how we conduct and evaluate learning experiences. If students engage in experiences that allow them to learn through failures, students can become more comfortable taking risks making mistakes. According to Shaunna Smith (2015), “the long-term goal of achieving transference is minimized if educators never allow students to figure things out for themselves, in a manner that is personally meaningful. Adjusting this frame of mind is essential for allowing students the opportunity to fail as they learn” (p. 351). If we allow students the opportunity to fail, reflect, and discover, classroom learning can become an authentic and meaningful experience that develops future-ready skills.

I am inviting educators to participate in a short survey (found HERE) that will greatly inform and guide our solutions to this wicked problem. There are 11 questions and it should take about 5 minutes. All answers will be recorded anonymously. Any information from this survey will only be used for the purpose of this CEP 812 assignment. Thank you!

References:

Berger, Warren. (2014) A More Beautiful Question. (pp.1-70). New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA

Buchanan, Macey. (2013, April 25). Work Together. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/maceybuchanan/8682363576/in/photolist-eeeocJ-anTRrE-gmuHDj-oZoMGz-UbtGwV-Hr3W2B-RYr7Gd-pDiA8r-4oSXQA-X7PpbA-bnaiFB-UyyA2t-quZ44i-5auExM-nvGVY3-dmtGjt-JCLgEj-5Rc37j-8GyYN7-qSKwoe-dWLz6o-7vgnjM-7oGaA8-Rjo9GS-6BJ3wD-8N19fu-dJbqDZ-8N1Toz-d5y2rd-VfN8qY-U8YYoz-8EpGgY-WoouhL-go2Y16-WZiXCS-ra2hnn-UtBjP1-qUL89z-Npfsk7-4BfAk7-oFRt3x-qDnMdv-V6WDLQ-UJjUDN-6R5UFZ-Ui71Tq-UtBjiw-4wDdYt-UgJzYq-LmmEvgv

Smith, S. (2015). Epic Fails: Reconceptualizing Failure as a Catalyst for Developing Creative Persistence within Teaching and Learning Experiences. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 23(3), 329-355. Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

This week in CEP 812, we began digging deeper into our wicked problem project. Our group is attempting to solve the problem of using failures as a learning mode. After individually brainstorming questions around our wicked problem, we discussed our problem from multiple perspectives. Then, we identified some of the most important elements of our wicked problem by looking for commonalities between our individual questions. We found that these five questions encompass important elements of using failures as a learning mode:

1. Why are teachers influenced by fear of failure, in both their work and their students?
2. Why are curriculum standards causing students to fail?
3. Why can’t failure be interpreted as learning positively?
4. Why does failure motivate some students and discourage others?
5. Why are students not afraid to fail in some elements of their lives (such as sports or video games) but are afraid to fail in the classroom?

Our problem is wicked in several ways. Failures are often seen as important to learning, but educational systems often put pressure on students to succeed. When surveying teachers within my PLN, the majority think that experiencing failures and success are essential to learning. Allowing students to fail, but ultimately requiring them to be successful, can be challenging for schools, teachers, and students. We also discussed that demanding curriculum puts pressure on students and teachers to succeed, providing less flexibility for students and teachers to experience and learn from failures. Finally, we discussed the challenge around shifting the way we view failures to positively impact learning.  All of these challenges combine to make this a wicked problem.

References:

Matson, J. V. (1991), Failure 101: Rewarding Failure in the Classroom To Stimulate Creative Behavior. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 25: 82–85. doi:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1991.tb01357.x

Smith, S. (2015). Epic Fails: Reconceptualizing Failure as a Catalyst for Developing Creative Persistence within Teaching and Learning Experiences. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 23(3), 329-355. Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.