Teaching Without Specific Learner Outcomes

If you’re not familiar, teachers are given large documents detailing all the specific outcomes of learning their students should meet by the end of the school year. Teachers (myself included) put a lot of work into planning units, lessons, and activities to guide students to those outcomes, but I have also found learning to be more fruitful sometimes when not pursuing such specific outcomes.

I used to teach a form of partner dancing called Fusion dance. When I planned a dance lesson, I would focus on a general concept (i.e. playing with levels) rather than an outcome (i.e. the student shall integrate rising and falling into their dance while connected to the music and their partner). I would introduce the concept, model some ways to explore it, and then invite my students to explore it for themselves. After a short time, we would come back together and share our observations before progressing to the next exploration.

What I noticed from this experience was that it invited learners to explore in their zone of proximal development (see last week’s post). It did not set a learning outcome that some found too difficult, and others too easy. It communicated to learners that any progress and any observation is valid and celebrated.

So what does all this have to do with learning for students who are struggling? When we set a specific outcome, a student who is struggling can easily perceive that outcome as a threat, as a binary (yes/no) judgment of their understanding (which it is) and their worth (which it is not). That sense of threat will encourage a fixed mindset (see last week’s post on Mindset) and throw students into a stress response, making it very challenging for them to be ready to learn these concepts they’ve already struggled with.

At Thrive, we focus on progress rather than accomplishment. We celebrate mistakes and changes in understanding even if it’s not the correct version yet. We invite students to explore so they can engage while in their zone of proximal. And through these techniques, we garner trust, confidence, efficacy, and a love of learning.

Can you think of a time where you explored without expectation?