Normalizing Mistakes as Pathways to Learning

Teachers often feel immense pressure to appear all-knowing and correct at all times. Students tend to implicitly expect their teachers to be experts on every topic, since teachers are generally placed in a position of authority and trust within the classroom (another topic for another day as to how teachers gain this authority and trust). This sets up an impossible expectation, as teachers are simply human and will inevitably make mistakes. Though teachers strive to provide accurate information, I often wonder if the demand for omniscience sets teachers up for failure. This pressure can also prevent authentic learning experiences where teachers model how to humbly acknowledge gaps in knowledge and correct mistakes. Rather than perpetuating the myth of the omniscient teacher, educators should focus on creating an open learning environment where curiosity and growth mindsets are valued over certainty. This involves transparency about the limits of one's own knowledge and modeling how to gracefully handle being wrong.

(Noting in case it wasn’t clear… this is not to say that educators should not strive to proactively inform themselves to the best of their ability.)

As educators, we are often taught to view mistakes as the greatest opportunities for learning. When students make mistakes (which they will), we have the privilege to guide them through the process of identifying, understanding, and correcting the errors. Rather than scolding or embarrassing students for getting something wrong, we have this immense gift to turn mistakes into meaningful learning experiences. This is one of the things I have always been most grateful for as a teacher.

Similarly, when we make mistakes, we should model how to handle being wrong gracefully. And this is not meant to be in passing, but in the moment, creating yet another learning opportunity for students by owning up to the mistake transparently. Mistakes often occur because of incomplete understanding, not necessarily negligence or ill intent. Framing errors as learning opportunities rather than personal shortcomings fosters an environment where students feel safe acknowledging they don't fully comprehend something. And I would go as far as to argue that is there really any instance where someone “fully comprehends” something? Acknowledging "I don't know" takes humility, but enables progress.  

This is something that I also believe should translate into any environment. The most meaningful learning comes from overcoming mistakes, not avoiding them entirely. Mistakes are pivots that guide us toward deeper understanding and those (not just teachers) who embrace mistakes, model accountability, create safety environments, and equip others with the mindset to persist through challenges, will find the most success in the areas that this is being fostered.

I would challenge any reader to think about how your perceptions of mistakes drive your behaviors as well as how those around you view mistakes and the impact that they have on your emotions and ability to find success in whatever area you are in. And this isn’t an easy solution to make change in - but often the most difficult and challenging ones are the ones worth fighting for.

Ted.aily: AI in Education

The newest wave of news in AI has started to find its way, more publicly, into the classroom today. And although it has always been present, lurking like Smeagol in the shadows, it has found its way front and center stage in recent times. The implications that have come flooding as a result, are vastly different in both extreme directions, though largely seeming negative (as the media covers).

Those of you following along my journey may know that I recently left the classroom to join the AI front, so while my opinions may be biased, part of my responsibility as a Product Manager has been to steer our company in the right direction with how AI can be utilized within the classroom to support learning, rather than undermine it.

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the worries and distrust of AI in the classroom - there is always validity to a teacher’s concern over what is best for their students, and there is a lot of distrust in AI based on frustrating conversations with chatbots, customer support bots, and various smart home devices. I would humbly request that before you turn to pitchforks and torches, to consider that much of the worry around AI may not be for the reasons people believe. A teacher’s job is a million in one, and the introduction of tools like ChatGPT and other outward facing platforms add more work to a teacher’s already colossal list of responsibilities. And while it often comes off as teachers being jaded and technology adverse, in reality, most teachers simply want to teach students to the best of their ability, and they are tired, overworked, and underpaid.

So what is “Artificial Intelligence” (aka AI)?

Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems, according to an article linked by Ed Burns (Ed Burns | TechTarget.com). And while there are multiple facets of AI, the most commonly referred to component is machine learning. This is commonly used in many testing platforms, assessment tools, diagnostics, and generally most analytics/support in modern day technology. This piece has always been extremely valuable and allows for schools to look at enrollment data, benchmark diagnostics, course placement information, as well as trending student data to make high level decisions to support the school culture and learning environment.

More recently, speech recognition, natural language processing, in addition to advancements to machine learning and other facets of AI have become more consumer facing in the form of tools that have been the driving force of current controversy. Here are a few observations about AI that I have made that hopefully helps put some perspective as someone who has now sat on both sides of the fence:

1. AI in the form of a Large Language Model (LLM) requires training and there are better trained models than others. GPT leading the way at the moment with others like Anthropic, Gemini, Claude, etc. Everyone should be aware of the products they use and how their data is being utilized to train or not train AI models.

2. Consumer accessible AI is not always great at differentiating good information from bad - and some tools can be better directed (via prompting or fine-tuning) than others.

3. There is a lot of unknown with AI - even the most brilliant technologists don’t know everything there is to know with AI.

4. AI is here to stay - which is sometimes difficult to swallow, but the reality is that as educators, we have a responsibility to help students navigate the changing world around them and to give them tools to be able to critically think about how they are interpreting the world around them.

All in all, there is a lot to process when it comes to Artificial Intelligence in the classroom. And while I definitely don’t have THE answers - I think it is important for the education community and the technology community to be open to discussing how we can utilize this to best serve our students and how we can continue to develop in a way that is responsible and reiterating on the feedback of people directly in the classroom.

I hope in the coming months to compile some resources for teachers & families, but am always open to dialogue so please reach out - tackling AI in the classroom is a multi-faceted topic, so we should continue to lift each other up and share our learnings both from the technology perspective as well as the classroom perspective.

Cheers to new opportunities in furthering the education community in its intersection with technology!

Ted

Ted.aily: I left my dream job...

It’s a funny thing, life that is, looking back, wondering how my collection of experiences had led me down this tumultuous, winding path to teaching. Years of training to be a student athlete, blood, sweat and tears left on the pitch, combined with a love for science and intensions of being an orthopedic surgeon. Work experiences in walking dogs, city event planning, setting tables and chairs for events, sweeping floors, taking out mounds of trash from campus events, laboratory research, stocking hospital cabinets, ambulating patients, leadership opportunities, musical endeavors, student government experiences and countless whispers and gazes of the highest expectations all combined to set me down this path of education.

My aunt recently told me that great teachers were unicorns, and that a teachers’ role consisted of a hundred different ones, only of which unicorns could perform. And as rare as I knew unicorns were, I always strived to be one.

Teaching was the most rewarding, yet exhausting and all-consuming endeavor I had ever embarked on. And not to say that it always had to be, but in order to truly excel in the way that passion drove me, it ended up being that way.

Over the years, I slowly developed my teaching style and philosophy (details for another time). And while some may disagree, it boiled down to simply always prioritizing my students’ needs over academic needs. I always saw myself as a teacher of students first, and science second. Because of this philosophy, I always encouraged my students to pursue their passions because I was a fortunate product of mine and the encouragement of those around me to pursue those passions. It was because of this that I fell deeply in love with K-12 education, and couldn’t help but give it my all. Soccer coach, check. eSports coach, check. Activities (ASB) director, also check. Educational technology coordinator. Technology department chair. Middle school science teacher. Elective science teacher. High school chemistry teacher. Advisory teacher, sometimes confidant, friend, and club advisor for students. Absolutely, check, check, and check.

I would not trade my experience in the classroom for anything in the world. The past 7+ years I worked day in and and day out, earning my stripes as a classroom teacher. And many times, when I felt like giving up, I was reminded of my students who showed up daily, ready to learn (often times not ready to learn…) needing me to also show up for them.

Without a doubt, many of my students probably never realized that while I was teaching them, mentoring them, advising them, and consoling them, I was in fact gaining far more from those experiences than they were as students. I learned how to be a better person, how to care more for myself, how to read the room and have difficult conversations around racial injustice, gun violence, political scandals, and societal inequities. I learned about advocacy, patience, and unconditional love and care.

After years of giving it my all, on August 26, 2022, I finished my last day at my dream job, teaching first-generation, college-bound students at The Preuss School, UC San Diego.

I had always dreamed of having bigger impact in education. I wanted to help students far beyond the 800+ students on our campus. I found ways to reach more students through extracurriculars, but always felt this urge to want to do more. And while constantly telling my students to chase their dreams and take care of themselves, I realized that I was in fact failing to do just that. I had ambition to do more in education, but was failing to care of myself. My mental health, my relationships, my financial health, all took backseats because I prioritize becoming the best teacher I could be.

And the day I decided to leave the classroom in pursuit of accomplishing more all while taking better care of myself, I was gifted encouragement and grace by my students. My biggest fears of leaving my students and feelings of betrayal, all replaced with words of encouragement and affirmation. 

September 1, 2022 - I started my first day as a Product Manager at Kyron Learning - taking with me the lessons learned and experiences gained from all my classroom experiences. Taking with me the same passions that drove me to want to become a unicorn teacher, to being a change maker in the space of conversational AI in education.

Cheers to new beginnings - and never a goodbye, but a see you later to all those who helped me grow my passion to want to do better and be better each and every day.

Ted.aily: Explaining difficult events to students

I am simply befuddled.

Befuddled at the actions of adults.

Befuddled at the actions of our leaders.

Befuddled at the *lack of actions of our leaders.

During extremely difficult times, I find it especially challenging to be an educator, feeling the need to process for myself as well as guide the next generation in critical thought and self reflection about recent events. Simply put, my job as an educator has never been to tell students what to think, but to help them critically understand and process current events and to come to their own conclusions. My job has always been to inform students know that I too have implicit bias and recognize my privileges. But additionally am working to identifying all the factors/components to help myself be more informed and in touch with my thoughts and emotions, as they too should learn to recognize/identify theirs.

I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how I can best serve my students who come from diverse backgrounds, and have come to the conclusion that no amount of “science” can prepare them for the real world. I have also found that I, too, need to process for myself, before being able to help students come to realizations themselves. And in response to these thoughts, I need to dig a bit deeper and consider how I teach and how I foster critical thinking within my classroom. “Question everything,” I tell my students. As they learn to process current events, I hope that they will continue to view things through a more critical lens and be the change makers that they are capable of being.

In some ways I think we have failed them, but am constantly reminded of their grace and forgiveness in allowing us, adults, to have another opportunity to teach them valuable lessons the next day and the next year. They are a resilient generation, and I do not take the opportunity to support and educate them lightly.

Here are some resources for those of you interested in having difficult conversations with students and need that extra hand to hold:

1. Responding to the Insurrection at the Capitol

• A few things that stood out to me as an educator:

  • Start with yourself. We often try to support others before ourselves, but until we understand and are comfortable with our thoughts and emotions, it is difficult to help students process their own.

  • Adapt. There is ALWAYS room for current events within our curriculum. There is always room for self-care within our curriculum. I am a teacher to my students first and content second.

  • Create a Safe Space. Safe spaces are cultivated through intentional relationship building and cannot be forced and most certainly cannot be rushed. Allowing yourself to be a HUMAN is also part of this process as students are the most adept and keen to seeing through fake people. Let the students know that you are human, and more importantly, let them see that you too are human.

2. Social Justice Standards for Teachers

• The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Framework

• As an educator it is important to have difficult conversations often, as it helps students develop the ability to express emotions and find the right verbiage for processing and talking about difficult topics.

• Looking at implementing standards from Teaching Tolerance is always a really great start to being the change you want your students to bring to the world.

3. Explaining the News to our Kids

• Students are very observant and follow your every action.

• Be mindful of your emotions and actions as you respond to news yourself. Be critical in thinking and have real, thoughtful discussions with your students/kids about the things that are happening.

• Your students/kids absorb all the information you give, so be mindful of your language - your words and actions give them implicit bias and experiences that will influence their thoughts and ideas sometimes permanently!

4. Talking to Kids About the Violence at the U.S. Capitol

• Students often receive their news through Social Media, which is hard for adults to understand and process. Be mindful of this and keep yourself informed. Ask your students often what they see and help them identify bias within the things that they see. Help them understand the different sides - educating the youth helps them respond intellectually to current events, not emotionally. It allows for our students to make critical decisions when they interact with others to help make informed decisions and comments. Just because violence is used, does not mean we have to respond with violence.

• Make yourself human, talk about your feelings! But acknowledge they are your feelings and why you feel this way.

If you want to have more discussions around educating our youth or would like some recommendations on books and resources, please reach out! Being an educator is a privilege and having the ability to comb through resources for families to use is part of it! Cheers to a better 2021, we both deserve and need it.