Week 8 - Indoor Cats and Outdoor Cats
Rubric’s Cube
Much has been said of the impact a standardized testing education has had on the ability of students to think for themselves. It is not only the testing that is the issue, however. Researchers have pointed to all manner of structured activities as being a culprit in the seeming inability of “this generation” to be able to develop their own thoughts and ideas. The picture of the over-scheduled young person going from school, to music lessons, to sports activities, to social organizations, to homework and studying all speak to this composite of a ‘doer’ rather than a ‘thinker.’ Given them instructions and a rubric, wind them up, and watch them go. Give them a general framework and freedom to choice, and the gears start to grind.
I am not much for generalized generational pronouncements of peer group tendencies. Too much is made of these characterizations, and there is too much internal variability within any generational group to use these descriptions with any reliability or validity. Intersectionality is a real thing, with people being a conglomeration of age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, etc. You might point to some general generational experiences as formative, but not necessarily predictive.
That said, I have found students, and especially business students, to be indoor cats. This isn’t a slam against students, business students, or cats. I have owned cats, and found them to be for the most part enjoyable company. I feel the same about students. Their company is generally enjoyable, with annoyances being punctuated by their unwillingness to listen as well as their unwillingness to show any signs of caring. Indoor cats can live a very fulfilling life within the confines of their home as long as they are cared for, fed, and their litter box is cleaned.
The same cannot be said for students. At some point they have to feed themselves and clean their own litter box. Thus, as educators we have to kick them out of their comfortable surroundings and make them into outdoor cats. An outdoor cat needs to be able fend for itself, look out for hawks and coyotes or any other predator, and figure things out on the go. Things can be unpredictable in the outside world, and the outdoor cat has to be able to manage that uncertainty.
I don’t like my freedom
If you have ever thrown an indoor cat outside, you are going to probably meet with protests and howls. It is too overwhelming, and the cat is likely to freak out. Likewise, if you take a feral cat and put it inside, it is going to get anxious and angry at its confinement. For either scenario, there needs to be process of adaption to the change in environment and expectations in order to avoid a major freak out.
The educational movement has been toward ever specific requirements to let students know what is precisely expected and how assignments will be graded. The thinking goes that if you tell them what you are looking for, they will deliver. The problem with that is if that is all they can do, they are not growing as independent minds and critical thinkers. Furthermore, as I repeatedly tell them, it is hard to compete in a global economy on a commoditized skill set that may be easily replaced by technology.
Thus, when I give students an assignment that allows them to have free range in not only what they write about, the position they can take, and the form that the deliverable comes in, it is not surprising that there are looks of anxiety and feelings of panic. This outdoor world is pretty new to most of them, and they don’t know how to manage it. Here are the ways in which I try to acclimatize them to this new environment.
1. Establish pseudo-guardrails and faux requirements – I will provide something that looks like specific instructions for those who really need to have a framework. Think of it as a magic talisman or security blanket that they can wrap themselves in and ward off evil spirits. At the same time, allow for movement outside of that. They are guardrails to help people keep somewhat in the same ballpark, but doesn’t mandate where they sit, or even if they watch the game.
2. Use disruptive terms- I am pretty hesitant to call these items “assignments” or “papers.” If you use that terminology, that schema will be invoked. Ask them to turn in papers, and they will deliver their conceptualization of what a paper is.
3. Give on-going encouragement: If you can remember back to being a toddler, or had the occasion to being around one recently, you know that taking those first steps can be scary. A certain amount of hand-holding and prodding are important to bring the students along this new journey.
4. Provide a map and compass: Orienteering is an activity in which individuals and group use a map and compass, as well as topographic landmarks, to navigate from one location to another. Likewise, students need less of a road map and more of a general navigational setting where they can find their own way without getting completely lost.
5. Encourage failing upward: Part of innovation, design thinking, and agile development is to encourage risk taking that may result in failure. The different in schools is that if you fail an assignment that generally means you get a failing grade. We must question what are we trying to do with these assignments? Test memorization of discrete sets of knowledge? Or stimulate creative thought and establishing linkages between bits of information? Give credit for taking risks, and a safety net of being able to make adjustments if necessary.
You can’t tame me
I tried to hit these points with our most recent assignment, which was titled “Compared to the Past, Things Today are (?????).” The point of the exercise (which is what it was called) was to explore the nuance of how policing and race have intersected overtime and in this moment. There was no right or wrong answer, and students had to navigate the topic with their own judgment. The exercise was provided with encouragement to explore and experiment, to take chances and see what happens. The learning is not just about the course material, but the ability to forage in the wild, discern their own direction, and be a bit more outdoor cat.