10.04.06
Fostering Conformity
I was recently reading an excellent article entitled Academic Generations: Exploring Intellectual Risk Taking in an Educational Leadership Program, by Carolyn Ridenour and Carla Twale.
Education is a culturally conservative profession that rewards conforming rather than bold behaviors. In fact, McCarthy (1999b) characterizes educational leadership programs, in particular, as complacent and unresponsive to needs for reform. After her national study, she concluded that educational administration is fairly self-satisfied, indicating perhaps, less inclination to take risks. Nyquist (2002) calls for innovation in Ph.D. programs; but innovation often involves risk. She calls on doctoral programs to espouse and support creativity and adventurous research, a move away from what traditional educational leadership may have valued. While teaching growth and change to students, the faculty in the field of education may be slow to change their programs or to purposefully take risks.
This is an interesting statement, but not one that is at all surprising. In their oft-quoted paper about 21st century skills, the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory said this about risk-taking:
Risk taking is the willingness to make mistakes, advocate unconventional or unpopular positions, or tackle extremely challenging problems without obvious solutions, such that one’s personal growth, integrity, or accomplishments are enhanced.
The very nature of learning requires risk taking. Asmall child would never learn to walk, talk, or socially interact without taking risks, experiencing successes and failures, and then monitoring and adjusting accordingly.
Quantum leaps in learning, solving problems, inventing new products, and discovering new phenomena require risk taking. Risk taking within the learning environment requires a willingness to think deeply about a subject or problem, share that thinking with others to hear their perspectives, listen to their critiques, and then build on those experiences toward a solution or solutions (Dweck, 2000; Weiner, 1994). Too often, students are engaged in learning activities that focus on the “right answers.” Instead, students should be encouraged to engage in discussions about numerous approaches—and potential solutions—to a problem (Brophy, 1998; Vispoel & Austin, 1995).
Given that we need to teach students to engage in risk-taking, why aren’t we willing ourselves to take risks in the classroom? Education, as is pointed out above, is slow to change. Why is that? I would submit that most educators enjoy their comfort zones and like to settle into them, resulting in a generally risk-averse population. What are the fears (risks) of trying new things in the classroom? Here are a few:
- Failing in front of students
- Failing in front of colleagues
- Having classroom failures result in displinary action
- Looking stupid to students
- Losing control of the classroom
- Receiving a poor teaching evaluation as a result of failures
On the other hand, we can stay in our comfort zone and accomplish all of the following:
- Follow routine
- Bore students
- Not fail in front of students, but not challenge them either
- Get adequate teaching evaluations because we are not “rocking the boat”
- Not have to use new technology, since we can always use older technology with which we are more familiar
In higher education, many of our students look to faculty as examples. How can we talk about taking risk and changing the world (for the better) when we are not willing to do it ourselves? That is a question we all need to ponder.
