I think a lot about the environments we create for learning and how important they are. I imagine you’ve had experiences where learning was fun, playful, exciting — where you felt comfortable and confident. And then there were those other experiences. When you felt nervous. Anxious. Bored. Self-critical.
Not, as they say, conducive to learning.
Particularly as adults, we often bang into barriers to learning. These barriers mostly arise from our own beliefs about ourselves. Do any of these sound familiar?
- I should already know this.
- I’m not good at (fill in the blank). Full disclosure: I still believe that I’m not good at math. It will forever be my bête noire.
- What if I ask a “dumb” question?
- My sense of competence relies on knowing the answer.
- When someone asks me a question, it threatens my sense of competence — what if I don’t know the answer?
- Everyone else knows the answer.
- I should be able to do it right the first time — even if I’ve never done it before.
- And if I can’t do it right, then forget it.
- Dang, everyone is looking at me. I’m not going to stick my neck out, no ma’am.
- OH MY GOD THEY’RE JUDGING ME
- You can’t get smarter or more creative, so why try (and potentially fail)?
- It’s just plain scary to try something new — failure is so awful.
I mean, ouch. And we’ve all been there. These barriers, these beliefs, are not trivial. But any learning experience we engage in is risky. Any learning experience requires us to acknowledge that there’s something we don’t know (yet). And we may very well not get it right the first time (or the second, or third …).
So to fully embrace our potential as learning human beings, we have to knock those barriers and beliefs down. Enter the growth mindset, developed by Dr. Carol Dweck and beautifully explained by progressive educator John Spencer:
The best learning environments are spaces that encourage a growth mindset. No matter what you’re learning — how to build furniture, how to become a more effective leader, how to speak Spanish, anything — you’ll only learn if you feel safe. How can we create environments where it’s safe to take a risk, try something new, even fail? Environments where we can move into a growth mindset? Think about:
- Modeling your own growth mindset. It’s so powerful to hear an expert say “I don’t know. Let’s find out!”
- Doing everything you can to encourage inquiry, especially open questions (ones that can’t be answered yes or no, or with a fact).
- Recasting failure as opportunity. We all know the Thomas Edison quote — “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
- Rewarding curiosity! I care more that someone is curious and inspired to keep learning than I do about any “answer.”
- Providing opportunities for learners to make choices and engage actively, including chances for them to assess their efforts and try different approaches.
- Using small groups to make it more comfortable for people to speak up and participate.
We can’t learn if we’re afraid to try. Keep safety your number one priority in the learning environments you create. Here’s a parting thought from Mr. Edison, again: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
