Written by I have spent this year chatting with my classes about creating a space and environment that is driven by the notion that we should learn collaboratively and not competitively. I haven’t spent a lot of time talking about it, but enough that I think my students would remember the conversations. It is one of my goals to figure out a way to continue this movement and REALLY convince the boys that they are better off together. Seth Godin’s Blog about this topic reinspired me to continue the conversation. I am planning to share this with the boys and post these words in my classroom. Hopefully, it will serve as a reminder to all of us that working together is better. Being alone on top isn’t
Being alone on top isn’t how I would define success and certainly will not create happiness. Here are the words as written by Seth on his blog:
Hoarding doesn’t work
There’s a contradiction built into our instinct to hoard: the more we do it, the less we get.
An idea shared is worth more than one kept hidden. Opportunities passed from one to another create connections which lead to more opportunities. Opened doors lead to forward motion.
Winning doesn’t usually involve demolishing the opposition. Instead, for most of us, it’s about weaving. A scientist without peers won’t find a breakthrough anytime soon. A bookstore with one book won’t work. A market with only one vendor will fail. And if you’re the only cello player in town, your craft will disappear. Trust and connection and utilization support forward motion.
The primary driver of our well-being is our culture. A culture built on selfishness is harsh, brittle and short-lived.
We’re not paying things forward. We’re launching them forward, and it will boomerang back to us, eventually, somehow, in some form, if we do it often enough and with enough generosity.
I wonder what else I could do in my classroom to build on this idea. Ideas welcome!
Every time I read one of his posts, i am reminded over and over again that Seth Godin is a genius! This one is particularly relevant, especially in our hyper-competitive, university preparatory schools. Every person in the classroom around you is a possible threat to your acceptance at university. I’d be curious to hear how these conversations went in your classroom, and what the response to this blog post was.
@amacrae It was these very principals (sharing,openness) upon which Cohort 21 was founded . @gnichols and I wanted to build a community that not only supported its members and their professional goals but also served the wider educational community (local,national,global) and that meant opening it all up for all the read and share. So far so good we think 🙂
Absolutely. This community of learners, is like no other 🙂 I am so appreciative of being a part of this group!
@jmedved so far so great I’d say! Jen, thanks for bringing Godin’s words and your thoughts into my day. It’s a better day because of it. My advice, simply, is to find as many opportunities as possible to free yourself and your classroom from the many foundational elements at core of our culture of learning that will continually undermine concepts like collaboration. Provide feedback without providing a number. Focus on the learning – provide constructive feedback as opposed to praise, celebrate the process more than the outcome. Place the “how” and the “why” before the “what”. Of course, this is also what Cohort 21 is all about, isn’t it? Hope this helps!