Trust the kids

And help them trust themselves as they venture into the unknown

Rachel Bostman, Trust Fellow at Oxford University, defines trust as being

a confident relationship with the unknown

And says that

If you know what the outcome is, very little trust is required

Rachel Botsman @rachelbotsman

There are two choices when faced with the unknown: 1. Try to decrease the amount of perceived risk 2. Increase our tolerance for uncertainty So often we default to 1.

What’s this got to do with schools and learning?

One of the main things students speak of when they are in control of their learning is that they feel trusted by the their teacher. This is good. It feels nice to hear it. And we all know that without trust a relationship can’t really deepen beyond knowing who someone is into what makes them tick, and that’s the kind of knowledge that can really help teachers tune into and feed the learning sweet spot.

Bostman makes me think that in those contexts where learning is controled by the teacher, and adherence to instructions is tied tight to certainty of achievement, it must be hard for kids to develop a confident relationship with the unknown.

Perhaps more importantly, how are they going to learn how to trust themselves?