[Granting Autonomy, Part Two)
In my classroom, just because I grant autonomy, it doesn’t mean that it’s a free-for-all.
Guidelines still have to be followed.
For example, when I allow my learners to name their groups or their projects, the only guideline I lay down is: “As long as you can repeat it to your mother and not get into trouble, you can use it”.
For presentations, I allow them to do it in any style they want, as long as it won’t result in injury or distress.
The point I try to get across to them is that they have the freedom to express themselves, but that freedom cannot and should not result in harm to others or themselves.
Why I Grant Autonomy to My Students, Part One
[Granting Autonomy, Part One]
When it comes to showcases, something I touched on in an earlier post, I give my students the choice of what sub-topics they want to present and how they want to present them.
This sometimes leads to tussles because there are some modules that are more popular.
Nevertheless, I won’t intervene as long as there’s no physical violence or verbal abuse. And I’ve never needed to.
Disagreements and working them out is part and parcel of working together and I allow them a safe space to work out their differences.
The results of granting my students autonomy?
I’ve been repeatedly impressed by groups of students who take great efforts to research and prepare for their presentations, even scrounging up resources from I-don’t-know-where.
And I've also witnessed the less-enthusiastic students suddenly kick into high gear during Showcases.
I know that there is a certain fear of granting autonomy here, but, if you're an educator, I strongly encourage you to try it.
You will be impressed.
Being the Curious Kid Taught Me Many Things. Some Good, Some Not so Good.
I was the curious kid in school.
Not just in terms of wanting to explore and find out more, but also in the other sense - a bit of an oddball and, though some find interesting, most find difficult to understand or relate to.
It never really bothered me that people didn't "get" me, because I didn't really "get" people either.
I remember writing (in a now-lost exercise book) that I found it frustrating to be unable to discuss things with my peers. I can't remember the exact words, but I recall something about nuclear fusion and the future of human civilisation and energy use.
And that being pre-Internet days, it took a lot of effort to find information in the library.
The good thing was that I learned to refine search terms.
It was an old search system (was it a Dynix?), and our libraries had an octopus mascot on the welcome page. Not sure if anyone else remembers this. It was quite similar to the picture attached to this post.
And when the Internet became widespread, the search term practice I've had since I was a kid turned out to be incredibly useful.
Instead of learning to communicate with people, I somehow learned to communicate with computer systems instead.
And today, with AI and machine learning, more and more people are learning to communicate with computer systems.
Who would've thunk?
Of course, I eventually learned to communicate better with people, but that's a story for another time. Though I say so myself, it's a pretty interesting one.
I Had Hangups About Posting Online and Making Myself Visible. I Got Over Some of Them by Quitting Social Media.
"But I don't want to Hao Lian!*"
When I first learned about "building a personal brand" and "being visible online", this was the first thought that popped in my head.
*hao4 lian4 is a Teochew term used to describe a braggart, show-off, or someone who is unashamedly self-indulgent.
Growing up in an East Asian-influenced culture, Confucian ideals were infused into my behavioural expectations.
A key ideal in Confucian thought is that of humility. Clambering for attention and status are seen as dishonourable and crass behaviours. Above all, it is a cause for loss of ‘face’.
You can imagine how this would lead to me thinking that putting myself out there is no different from blowing my own trumpet, singing my own praises, proclaiming myself from the rooftops… you get the idea.
It wasn’t a desirable thing to do.
And when I examined a little more, I realised that I viewed people who were constantly clamouring for visibility in a low light.
I didn’t want to be like them.
Hence the resistance to making myself more visible online.
Now, obviously, the fact that you’re reading this suggests that something must have changed.
And something did.
I stopped all online activity for over a year.
Truth be told, I didn’t miss it.
Instead of agonising over what to post or what to show, I spent more time listening and reading.
Serendipitously, some of them discussed this topic, about being visible.
And I slowly started to see it in a different light.
What I used to think was “shameless self-promotion” and “narcissism” doesn’t need to be, as long as the intention is purposeful and useful to others.
Sure, there’ll always be people who take it wrongly, but that’s true of anything - whether expressed online or offline.
I started to see that letting others know what I know and offering information is helpful to them. It’s not about promoting myself and my views (though there is an unavoidable element of this in all public expression), it’s about sharing what I have.
Most people are clever enough to figure out the motivations behind your post, and if you share with good intentions, it’s better (and easier) to let them decide for themselves whether they want to read it.
So here we are.
It’s your decision.