Lost in the Woods

Whenever I introduce active reading to learners, I like to equate comprehension and the quest for meaning in a text to hiking in the woods. Having been lost in the woods a few times (born usually of my own curiosity and ignorance), I like to ask learners what they would do if they found themselves lost in the woods. Invariably, learners decide that standing in the middle of the woods and admitting you are lost is a good start since accepting such a thing can be difficult. But what if that's all we choose to do - just admit that we are lost and then wait around for help to arrive? Many readers do the same when they encounter difficult text - they stop and wait around for someone to help.

Since many of the classrooms in our building use the rotational model of instruction, learners are expected to work independently and collaboratively in addition to the more traditional direct instruction led by the facilitator. Many of our learners find themselves "lost in the woods" trying to figure out the content in our classrooms, particularly in the independent and collaborative rotations. When they acknowledge being lost, the first response is often to raise a hand or go directly to the facilitator for assistance. While many will say that this is our job as facilitators, we should wonder if we aren't teaching these learners that there will always be someone nearby to supply an answer and/or clarify their confusion. I cannot help but envision someone lost in the middle of the woods with his/her hand raised in the air and wondering why no one has arrived to lend aid. Perhaps if they shake their hand and arm back and forth with vigor it will alter the outcome….

We are facilitators and as such our job is to facilitate learning. This goes beyond just our content knowledge to making sure learners first attempt to help themselves before immediately coming to us. In order for this to happen, it is necessary for us to help learners understand that the first, second, third…attempts to correct confusion may not always be successful. We may reread a portion of text many times, or work to simplify an equation several times, or even walk in a direction that might actually lead us away from where we want to be. But what matters is that we are attempting to embrace our confusion by doing something, by working through the mystery and the unknown in an attempt to figure it out. This is the essence of learning.

We all need facilitators in our lives, but the best ones are those who encourage us to figure it out on our own and provide some tools when needed. Raising our hand in life does indeed draw attention and illicit assistance, if available. All we've learned, however, is that we know how to raise our hand for someone to offer us some assistance - without ever needing to struggle and figure things out. Learners need this struggle in order for real learning to occur. When we end up "lost in the woods," a raised hand won't mean much, but knowing how to think through the situation and take some steps to change it will.

Teachers as Guides for Learning

   Recently, I presented to a group of colleagues during a PD day. About two-thirds of the way into the presentation, I realized that I was hardly leading the session. I was not the answer bearer and knowledge imparter. The knowledge and learning was coming from the participants. Each of these educators shared ideas with the group and asked meaningful questions. Each of them brought experience and information to the room that I could not offer. 

   When the session ended, I left the room feeling energized. I could not comprehend exactly how it occurred, but I did know why: We were a community of learners, we taught each other, and we were comfortable sharing what we did not know. That openness with what we do not know is where real learning begins.

   This is what students should be doing in our classrooms, feeling comfortable enough to share their confusions and questions, and then comfortable still with working collaboratively to discover solutions and create meaning. The teacher becomes the guide for student learning. The group of teachers modeled for me this past week what student learning can be, and for that, I am grateful.