A Change in Behaviour

 
Image of old worn out boots and shoes.

Change keeps us on our toes. If you’ve been involved in changes at your workplace, you’ll know it can be stressful, filled with both anxious and rewarding moments. People naturally try to resist. Why wear new shoes when the old ones still have life in them? Besides, my feet are okay. I’m blister-free, and these shoes are comfortable.

Keyword–comfortable

We get comfortable in our old shoes, doing what we’ve always done. Creating a change in behaviour (and learning) means trying on new shoes and becoming

uncomfortable.

When I observe learning, I look for, among other things, changes in behaviour. A child who struggles with a difficult math concept chooses an observable behaviour: avoidance. (Remember the messy room?)

The child who understands it can’t wait to use it again. They’re disappointed when the math session ends. The goal is to bring the student who avoids into line with the one who isn’t. I go back and ‘dig’ around in each child’s past experiences.

The avoiding child may have missed a crucial stepping stone that props up the concept they’re struggling with. The child who gets it needs more challenges so they can demonstrate their deeper knowledge.

Math concepts grow in complexity as school progresses. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you once stared down the monster that is algebra. Or calculus.

A university professor once told me that every learner is on the same train journey. Some trains go faster, others slower, but all pass through the same stations.

Mike Cooper

Writer, educator. connect discover think learn

http://www.mikecooper.au
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