Week 2 / Blog 1 – The Art of Possibility (Ch. 1-4)
I had no idea what to expect from this book, and was
actually puzzled as to why this course was even assigned a textbook. Now that
I’ve read the first four chapters, I am starting to understand the timing and
relevance of this book. “The Art of Possibility” is my personal Oprah/Dr.Phil,
causing me to take an objective, external look at Julia Hutchinson. Here’s a
look at some of my “ah-ha” moments:
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve convinced myself that an opportunity was unattainable because of one reason or another. At one time, I had an idea to start a business. I didn’t. Why? Because I convinced myself I didn’t have the knowledge or the money to do it. When I got the money, I didn’t have the time. When I had the time, I didn’t have the….well, you get the idea. I kept pinning myself inside this box of limitations, rather than enlarging (or even removing) the box.
As a instructor, it is easy to position myself on the throne
of rightful authority. What I say goes because I’m the teacher and you are the
student. Why else would you enroll in my course? (And we wonder why students
have attitudes.) Over the past few years, I have relinquished my total
authority in exchange for a more democratic approach to student projects, even
going as far as allowing students to set the criteria and choices for certain
projects. What a difference it made! When I let go of the reigns, the truly
creative students fly!
1 comments:
Blogger TracyMJuly 13, 2012 8:50 AM
Julia
you said a mouthful..When I was younger I had so many ideas that I
would tell myself I couldn't do because of this or because of that. I
realized that the limitation I had placed on my self were because of my
own reservations in my skills but once I removed those and broaden my
scope the possibilities were endless for me. I wonder if these
limitations we place on ourselves has anything to do what could have
been relayed to us when we were younger. I am just thinking out loud...
