“ Our role as teachers , then , is to help students develop a perception of control amid uncertainty and to model and reinforce positive reactions to it .”
around the unexpected , the unintuitive ! However , the moment a student recognizes an information gap is a moment of vulnerability . A feeling of lack of control , failed attempts , or discomfort here can lead to experiences of frustration or confusion rather than curiosity . Accordingly , comfort with uncertainty and confidence that they will be able to close the gap successfully are essential for students to view these moments as positive .
Our role as teachers , then , is to help students develop a perception of control amid uncertainty and to model and reinforce positive reactions to it . In math class , one valuable strategy posited by researchers for helping students learn to successfully navigate uncertainty is to encourage question generation and alternative approaches rather than emphasizing a single means of thinking about a problem . This prompts students to reflect on what they do and do not know and experiment with their knowledge to draw conclusions . It centers uncertainty as a natural part of the learning process , helps students identify what they know , and acclimates them to the process of leveraging their knowledge to draw new conclusions . Normalizing mistake-making as a natural part of learning is likewise essential to help students develop comfort taking risks in their problem-solving
One valuable strategy for helping students learn to successfully navigate uncertainty is to encourage question generation and alternative approaches .
“ Our role as teachers , then , is to help students develop a perception of control amid uncertainty and to model and reinforce positive reactions to it .”
and thereby become more willing to engage with problems that expose their information gaps .
One study of high-achieving college students found that students motivated by grades are less likely to explore the unknown , embrace novelty , and accept uncertainty . For these students , uncertainty endangers their academic goals . Accordingly , it has been shown that helping students move away from grade motivation and towards a more intrinsic desire for mastery results in more curious behavior . Numerous studies have shown that praising students for their process or effort are effective ways to guide them towards this mindset .
As I learned more about the role that comfort with uncertainty plays in student learning , I began to see curiosity less as an end goal and more as one indicator of a more fundamental outcome : helping students become comfortable with uncertainty . Larger information gaps ( greater uncertainty ) arise in contexts where more perseverance and creativity are required in problem-solving ; they are the hallmarks of challenging problems . Thus , in addition to its effect on student curiosity , comfort with uncertainty reinforces positive experiences with challenge . For both struggling and high-achieving students , this begets greater engagement and investment in longer , more meaningful problems essential to developing nuance and rigor in problem-solving .
In addition to its effect on student curiosity , comfort with uncertainty reinforces positive experiences with challenge .
While much research on curiosity is still young , I find it empowering and serendipitous to know that barriers to curiosity can be addressed with the same methods that might help prepare students to flourish in mathematics . By taking steps such as giving students time to explore , emphasizing student process , and scaffolding information-seeking , we as educators can simultaneously help students reach a state of mind in which they can find more joy in their education and prime them to meet challenge and uncertainty with poise and confidence . •
David Lane is an Upper School Mathematics Teacher at Saint David ’ s School .
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