It would be naïve to sidestep the reality of power dynamics here, which is why researchers have also studied the dangers of overidentifying with your limitations while ignoring your intellectual strengths. They feared not looking like the “expert.” “There’s intimacy in the unknown,” says a colleague I know and respect.īut how much humility is too much? And when might it become “ too much of a good thing”? As new teachers, my students worried about giving up their power in the classroom.
When we try something new, we can feel foolish and inept, and that’s OK. This is a powerful form of risk-taking-exposing our learning anxieties (“I don’t know what comes next…”)-as it opens us up to more authentic learning. But, when we intentionally share our own vulnerabilities around learning-the stops and starts, the mistakes, the moments of confusion-we can demystify the struggle for others. What if our students think we don’t know what we’re doing? What if they don’t trust us? Aren’t we supposed to be the authorities in the classroom? Some teacher candidates were hesitant to try this themselves. During a think-aloud, you verbalize all your thoughts as you engage in a learning task like solving a math problem, reading a poem, or drafting an essay. In other words, can you hold an honest and accurate view of yourself and your own limitations (an intrapersonal skill) while respectfully engaging with others (an interpersonal skill)?Īs a teacher educator, I often asked my students to practice using think-alouds as instructional tools. It can be helpful to draw on the “Goldilocks principle” in each situation-assuring that your humility isn’t too big (i.e., revealing a lack of self-confidence) or too small (i.e., demonstrating arrogance). Get comfortable with a level of uncertainty: “I really don’t know (yet)”Īccording to Daryl Van Tongeren, the “ size” of your humility does matter. If intellectual humility enhances our capacity for learning, how can we get more comfortable with the “messy middle” of our own learning as educators, our day-to-day anxieties about our teaching performance, and our general discomfort with uncertainty as humans in this world? Here are some tips. In fact, students who are intellectually humble are more likely to learn from a disagreement, bounce back after receiving negative feedback, persist in learning, and even perform better academically than their less humble peers. Studies link intellectual humility with open-minded thinking, curiosity, and intellectual engagement. Research tells us that we can all benefit from intellectual humility, the ability to recognize the limitations of our knowledge and beliefs. Are you comfortable sharing your learning steps and missteps with your colleagues-the inquiry lesson that went rogue or the difficult conversation with the parent that backfired? I tend to idealize myself as a joyful “lifelong learner,” yet deep, meaningful, down-in-the-dirt learning can make me feel vulnerable and exposed.
From the GGSC to your bookshelf: 30 science-backed tools for well-being.
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