{"id":64692,"date":"2023-05-02T12:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T18:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/?p=64692"},"modified":"2024-08-02T09:12:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T15:12:02","slug":"teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching and Uncertainty- Embracing the Inevitable"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Person
Photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What We\u2019re Reading<\/span><\/p>\n

In our new CTL blog column \u201cWhat 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\u2019s 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a recent Chronicle article<\/a>, 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 <\/span>support curiosity<\/span>, metacognition, and active learning.<\/span> Let’s get to it:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pursue the unanticipated in class discussions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you have stepped foot into a classroom as an educator, you know that things don\u2019t 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: \u201cbring students and instructor alike to new, unanticipated understandings\u201d (para). Maybe we can be a little more relaxed about intriguing discussion detours going forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn means to embrace mistakes\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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 \u201cright\u201d ones can support students to take risks by thinking creatively\u00a0 and be courageous in their learning.\u00a0 For example, instead of simply affirming students\u2019 answers, ask questions like \u201cWhat makes you think this?\u201d or \u201cWhat else should we consider?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Leave room for wonder<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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\u00a0 only about half of your students seem to have understood the concept, don\u2019t engage in frantic additional explanations, but\u00a0 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\u00a0 that after leaving students with more questions than answers, in the next session,\u00a0 students were motivated to debate and discuss. Indicating that letting them sit with uncertainty grew their interest and curiosity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Murphy and Levinson underline that implementing some of these strategies sends a \u201c<\/span>powerful message to students that it\u2019s OK to stumble in class, to be wrong or confused about something \u2014 that uncertainty is not only unavoidable in learning but also a continuing and necessary component of it. It\u2019s a message that students don\u2019t often receive\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s<\/span> new book<\/a>, Instructional Moves for Powerful Teaching in Higher Education<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s your turn! <\/span>Share with us what you are reading to learn about all things higher education, so we can spread the word! Email your su<\/span>ggestions to ctl@boisestate.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What We\u2019re Reading In our new CTL blog column \u201cWhat We’re Reading”, we want to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2704,"featured_media":64693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3074,112,72],"tags":[3058,3059],"class_list":["post-64692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","category-ebips","category-supporting-student-learning","tag-learner-centered-teaching","tag-reflective-teaching"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTeaching and Uncertainty- Embracing the Inevitable - CTL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teaching and Uncertainty- Embracing the Inevitable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What We\u2019re Reading In our new CTL blog column \u201cWhat We’re Reading”, we want to...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CTL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-02T18:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-02T15:12:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/390\/2023\/04\/blaz-photo-zMRLZh40kms-unsplash-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"annemaiello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"annemaiello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"annemaiello\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/#\/schema\/person\/e2196f1af57f088ee856e905eff84878\"},\"headline\":\"Teaching and Uncertainty- Embracing the Inevitable\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-02T18:00:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-02T15:12:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/\"},\"wordCount\":655,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/390\/2023\/04\/blaz-photo-zMRLZh40kms-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Learner Centered Teaching\",\"Reflective Teaching\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Archive\",\"Evidence-Based Instructional Practices\",\"Supporting Student Learning\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ctl\/blog\/2023\/05\/02\/teaching-and-uncertainty-embracing-the-inevitable\/\",\"name\":\"Teaching and Uncertainty- Embracing the Inevitable - 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