An Initial Guide for Emergent Pedagogy
An introduction to why
For years, I have been searching for "the way" to do things as a teacher. I would read books such as Teach Like a Champion, Teaching with Love and Logic, Understanding by Design, and a myriad of other resources. When a resource fell short, I would look for others to make up for that shortcoming. Inadvertently, I ended up being exposed to a wide variety of thoughts, ideas, and practices that sometimes complemented each other, sometimes contradicted each other.
My search was motivated to find "the way". After about four years of trying to find "the way", it began to dawn on me, in a visceral sense, that "the way" was an illusion and an impossibility. I have come to the perhaps overwhelming conclusion that there are ideas, and then there is our own development of those ideas that, inevitably, will differ in implementation depending on myself, my group of kids, and community.
The above is anathema to the standards movement, the idea of "best practices", and the idea of "fidelity to curriculum". However, I believe it reflects the actual reality of being human : non linear, contextual, responsive, and relational. The denial of this reality is a big reason that there is so much misalignment between what we want and what actually happens. We want free thinking, critically minded, conscientious children yet we structure schools to treat the adults who teach them as untrustworthy, non-critically minded, and needing punitive evaluative measures to do a "right" job in a very narrow sense of the word. Adults who are treated like this are unlikely to model the stances that we so want in our children. And yet we are surprised when time and time again students struggle with these stances themselves.
Once I began to embrace the reality of the messiness that is learning, I began experimenting with being more invitational, open, and flexible. Trying to do this in a system that pretends that humans are robots is incredibly difficult and exhausting. I did a lot through trial and error, almost losing my job at times. I have learned a lot and what I hope to offer in this guide is a guide and a companion that I wish I had in my journey, to support in focusing on what matters and to promote clarity of thought. I want you to know that, no, I am not saying allow for a free-for-all-anything-goes (I've experimented with that and let me tell you that was a disaster for everybody involved). But what I am saying is to ask what is the principle behind the limits we do put up?
I offer this guide as an invitation to be a part of actually changing things. This reflects where my thinking is at the moment and will likely continue to evolve. But I hope the exercises are helpful in begining to disentangle our inner conditioning and to help us develop our own next steps.
Good to Know
There are some things to understand about my approach before delving into the rest of this guide. First off, I believe in the power of somatics, or the idea that paying attention to the level of alignment between your mind and body can lead you to deeper understanding of yourself and others. It has changed my life and, I believe, is necessary to sustained individual and collective change. If you are not comfortable with that you can either a) put this book down and pretend we never met or b) notice where you feel the discomfort in your body and begin to wonder what about it makes you uncomfortable (and as a result engage in what is perhaps your first conscious dive into somatics - congrats!). I really hope you choose option b.
I also strongly believe in the power of having a contemplative practice. I recommend reading Pema Chödrön's When Things Fall Apart as a powerful dive into the nature of our reality and life. I find that conversations around early childhood have everything to do with what we consider to be the reality of life. Support yourself through community and reflection to engage with these deep topics.
Another aspect of my thinking and practice is my relationship with power and hierarchy. I do not believe hierarchy is inherently oppressive, it is how it comes about that matters. For example, my power does not come from the fact that I have the title of "Director" or "Teacher" but rather from my demonstrated ability to love, follow through, be in relationship, and have demonstrated experience in the field that has translated to successful practice. I give power to evidence (in all its forms). This means that if someone shows much more compelling evidence for a practice or idea, I give more power to that idea and, over time, more power to that person. As I am giving power, I am engaging in power with, not over, others. My kids give me power because of my ability to maintain a safe environment, develop strong relationships with them and, demonstrate my love for them.
A note on evidence and opinions: while there are multiple truths, not all truths are equal. We have a misinformation problem because people give power to people who have no background, credentialing, track record, or evidence. This idea of "everyone's ideas are valid" has been translated to "everyone's ideas should have the same power". I would hope that you take the advice of a collective group of epidemiologists when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic over a talking head on YouTube who's a "Dr." because they got a Ph. D in something from who knows where. You cannot engage in the following work effectively if you don't pay attention to the experience, track record, evidence, and relationships of others. Be aware of who you choose to share power with and for what reason, including with me through this guide.
First Principles
I aim to work from first principles.
Farnam Street’s definition of first principle is the following: "A first principle is a foundational proposition or assumption that stands alone." One of the first principles that I work from as an educator is that all behavior is communication to meet a foundational need. I use this first principle all the time to then problem solve and get through challenging situations.
Remember how I said I value evidence? Well, if that evidence is based on assumptions that I don't agree with, then it doesn't really matter what the evidence is if the spirit of it is to show how "bad" a child is. If you lose me at the principle you lose me with everything that follows.
In order to be successful in this work, get used to thinking in terms of first principles. Unlike in the hard sciences, first principles are not set in stone in education (and even in the hard sentences, new evidence sometimes completely shatters previously held first principles).
Every emergent system follows a simple set of principles. Here I propose the principles that govern emergent systems in educational spaces (I purposefully don't use the term "school" to allow for vast flexibility in possibilities). Think of the following as first principles of Emergence in educational spaces.
Principle #1 : Strong relationships meet basic needs and allows experimentation and risk taking
Not controversial - but I do believe this is too often taken for granted. We are often engaging in realtionships for the purpose of something else, such as "achievement", rather than for the relationship itself. Being in relationships for the sake of relationship has many radical implications for our practice that are not reflected in the system at large. An educational space where relationships are valued in-it-of themselves feels incredibly different than one where relationships are clearly a tool for something considered "more important".
Principle #2 : Curiosity and interest drive engagement
Pretty self-explanatory. People can't sustain engagment for long in something they are not interested in.
Principle #3 : What is learned is a function of opportunity, experimentation and observation, motivation, and time
This means that what is learned depends on having many opportunities to engage with concepts, have the sustained motivation to engage with these concepts, which increases the chance that one better understands something at any given moment.
Another way to think abu tthis is the more opportunities, experimentaion and observation, motivation, and time there is, the more likely someting is to be learned and for depeer insights to arise.
Principle #4 : Children are among the most excellent learners on the planet.
We don't ask ourselves anymore what is working or not working to help children learn. Instead, we ask what is happening that reflects the details of children's deep desire and skills for learning." Deb Curtis and Nadia Jaboneta in Children's Lively Minds : Schema Theory Made Visible
Alison Gopnik, in her book The Gardener and The Carpenter, goes into how children are better learners than most any computer or sentient being on this planet.
As an example of examining the connection between principles and practice, is the current way of teaching aligned with the assumption that children are among the most excellent learners on the planet? For example, does your context allow for children to show how they learn rather than "have them learn" something? Language and action connects directly to what principles are held or not held deeply in an educational space.
If you do not work with young children or work with adults, you might replace this principle with "People learn all the time" - as people are learning and making sense of their world at any given moment. An implication of this is that learning must be allowed to unfold as opposed to forced to be done.
I believe that the above principles hold true whether or not your context is designed in alignment with them or not - educational spaces all follow these principels. The level of stress or calmness largely depends on the level of alignment or lack of alignment with the above principles.
Pause to Reflect
Do you find that you are able to engage in practice that fully aligns with the above principles, somewhat, or pretty much not at all? Describe how your practice aligns or does not quite align.
Next post can be on using four quadrants to think of practices, mindsets, and structures that align
What is Emergent Pedagogy?
Emergent pedagogy is a philosophy of learning that embraces the concept of emergence. Emergence is the idea that multiple simple interactions result in complex systems. The result is inherently unpredictable yet it tends to be organized, coherent, and be extremely effective for the purposes of the collective. One example of emergence is the ant colony, where each ant has a different job based on the current make up of the colony. If a large part of the colony is washed out, the survivors are able to adjust and distribute jobs accordingly to keep the colony working without a centralized director.
Another example of an emergent system is a good dance party. I love to go out and dance to house and disco, and there are certain parties where the simple interactions of movement, people, and music culminate in a wonderfully complex otherworldly feeling and experiences of bliss and joy that simply cannot be formulaically manufactured.
For the purposes of this guide, I strongly believe educational spaces (or schools as we often call them) are highly complex systems full of simple and powerful interactions. At the moment, most educational spaces work against the emergent nature that is the meeting of people who come to be and learn together. Emergent pedagogy is an approach that aims to work with the emergent nature the defines us as human beings and to emphasize the thinking and being that emerges in these spaces.
It is likely you will need to work through a lot of tensions between emergent pedagogy and the state of schools at the moment. But do know that in working in nudging in a different direction, those simple interactions and changes can result in quite the change at a wider level, especially if a critical mass of people get involved.
Pause to reflect
What's coming up for you at the moment? How are you feeling in your body? What do you think may be going on? What questions wonderings do you have? If working on a team, share with your team.
The 4 quadrants
The 4 quadrants are a view of change based on Ken Wilber's work and introduced to me in this video by Frederic Laloux the author of Reinventing Organizations. I want to introduce it to you here as it has been very helpful to me in thinking through how I can effect change in and beyond my educational space.
I suggest you watch Frederic's video for a well thought out explanation of the 4 quadrants, but I will also explain it here.
Here is my recreation of the 4 quadrants:
The left half of the quadrants reflects those things we can't see on both the individual and collective level while the right half of the quadrant reflects those things that are visible on the individual and collective level. The thinking is that we need movement and alignment in all these quadrants to effect sustainable change.
Many times, interventions and reforms reflect largely one of these quadrants. For example, it is common in schools that a professional development is given on a "best practice" and then staff are expected to execute it with "fidelity" to ensure "strong outcomes". However, more often then not, the mindsets and structures that enable or hinder the practice are minimally or not at all addressed. As a result, many efforts fail. The good news is, when thigns fail, this framework can help to see what quadrant perhaps was not addressed sufficiently. All these conversations are best done in rich dialogue with the whole team.
A quick note on culture - I have come to see that culture is developed with the input of the three other quadrants. As a result, an explicit focus on "culture" is really a focus on addressing the three other quadrants effectively such that an aligned culture emerges. I believe this is how we get to spaces that not only look but "feel" right.
Pause to reflect
Do you find you have a preference for change in any of the above quadrants? I know I tend to start with mindsets and beliefs. Becoming aware of our preferences on a team allows to see where we can use more balance.
So now that we have a sense of what is Emergent Pedagogy, a set of first principles, and a framework for holding what is and what can be in the 4 quadrants, the rest of this work book will guide you on how to think more deeply on each first principle in regards to how it relates to mindsets, behaviors, and structures.
Emergent Pedagogy Guide : Praxis - Connecting theory to practice back to theory
Principle #1 : Strong relationships meets basic needs and allows experimentation and risk taking
As a reminder, we are often engaging in relationships for the purpose of something else, such as "achievement", rather than for the relationship itself. Being in relationships for the sake of relationship has many radical implications for our practice that are not reflected in the system at large. An educational space where relationships are valued in-it-of themselves feels incredibly different than one where relationships are clearly a tool for something considered "more important".
Your Image of the Child and People in General
Mindsets and Beliefs
A strong image of the child is necessary to have strong relationships with them. We cannot ultimately have strong relationships with others if we don't have a strong image of them. Consider this passage from Loris Malaguzzi's, one of the founders of the Reggio Emilia Approach, Your Image of the Child : Where Teaching Begins
There are hundreds of different images of the child. Each one of you has inside yourself an image of the child that directs you as you begin to to relate to a child. This theory within you pushes you to behave in certain ways; it orients you as you talk to the child, listen to the child, observe the child. It is very difficult for you to act contrary to this internal image.
Now, sit down and describe your image of the children you work with. I also encourage you can also do this for your image of people. Often, we have conflicting images of people v. children. Often, we think less of adults and that trickles down to how we work with children.
Behaviors
Now, sit down and and identify concrete examples of what you do that matches this image of the child and other people you are in community with. Also, sit down with concrete examples of what you do that doesn't match this image. It is as important, and sometimes more important, to be able to identify mis-alignments to continue to become more aligned with our professed values. As with so many of these exercises, try to do them both alone and in a team and with people you trust. If you need to, wait until you have written down more stories over the week and see what you come up with.
Structures
Now, what wider structures in your context support or hinder you in having a strong image of the child? For example, if you are in a context where controlling children's bodies is emphasized and something you are evaluated on, that is a structural hindrance to a strong image of the child as you are actively expected and, perhaps, coerced to control children's bodies to a restrict rather than containing point. Or, on the other hand, if you are evaluated in how you meet children's needs flexibly and are evaluated on following a process of collaboration with a child rather than on a strict product (e.g. all kids sitting cross cross apple sauce), there's a structure that supports you in maintaining actions in alignment with a strong image of the child.
Now, what comes up for you in regards to structures and the ones you work within?
For the following principles, repeat the above practice and so so in cycles. Here is a simplified version of a cycle which can ba applied to both your curriculum developmental and the wider organizational changes you wish to see.
In the above image, you'll see four parts : Observe, Reflect, Define, and Implement. When thinking of of how to enter this cycle, you could start in an observation or in simply implementing something. Let's say you've been reflecting on actions you've observed with your self or others in your context. You have been working on the observation as well as the reflection aspect of this cycle. During your reflections, you brainstorm and think of what can be in terms of next steps and possibilities. When you get to the phase of defining, you narrow down specifically what you want to do and then implement that action. For the context of this guide, it allows you to try something, observe what happens, reflect, and iterate to further improve your practice and thinking as both an individual and as a group.
Follow the cycle in analyzing the rest of the principles. Consider the mindsets, behaviors, and structures that are aligned with the principle that curiosity and interest drive engagement. What are the mindsets, behaviors, and structures that reflect this principle in action? What are mindsets, behaviors, and structures that don't align with this principle in your action?
Here is a review of the principles:
Principle 1 : Strong relationships meets basic needs and allows experimentation and risk taking.
Principle 2 : Curiosity and Interest Drive Engagement.
Principle 3 : What is learned is a function of opportunity, experimentation and observation, motivation, and time.
Principle 4 : Children are among the most excellent learners on the planet.
As you are engaging in these cycle of inquiry consider:
What are you enjoying about this process?
What is difficult about this process?
How are your intentions and expectations matching or not matching what is happening?
How are you developing as an educator and/or leader as you engage in this process?
Final Thoughts...for now
Simply engaging in the thinking and trying something is a huge success. Tell a lot of stories of what you're doing, consider time reflecting on these principles time worth investing in improving the quality of your actions. Brace yourself for clarity of thought that can lead to more conviction in your actions. My focus is currently on how do we evaluate practice and learning in an emergent context? I’m excited by some of the answers I have come up with (and will perhaps share on the blog)
I leave most of the work to you, but hope that this framework supports you and your team in beginning to grapple with the beauty and unpredictability of emergent pedagogy and see for yourself how much this approach aligns with how people actually engage with and learn with each other.