In “Innovate Inside the Box,” Katie Novak and I share strategies and discuss the importance of being observant and making connections that could be valuable for learning.
In the book, I share the following:
“Becoming Observant in a World Full of Noise Is More Valuable than Ever
As more and more information is thrown our way and the “noise” becomes louder, the ability to slow down, listen, find great information, and make deep connections is becoming much more essential; for example, if you are new to a social media platform, finding relevant and meaningful information feels a lot like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It seems impossible and overwhelming. The skill of finding nuggets of wisdom and powerful links to information is one that you develop over time.”
George Couros
Looking at something that perhaps has nothing to do with education but everything to do with learning is a skill that can be developed. In short, if you look for it, you can find it.
Here is an example.
I was recently asked how students could draw deeper connections to a novel they have read. I thought about my daughter starting her own “1-Minute-Book Reviews,” where she quickly and succinctly shares thoughts and takeaways from books she has read. Sharing a synopsis of a book with takeaways and insights in a 60-second time constraint is definitely a challenging skill to develop. To be able to share that message with others, you have to have a pretty deep understanding of what you have read.
As I shared this idea, I immediately thought about Forrest Jones and his TikTok page (forrestsautoreviews). He does very short car reviews, and the speed with which he shares, while he clearly has a depth of knowledge, is pretty apparent. I have learned so much from his reviews, and I always stop scrolling when I see them.
Here is an example of one he recently did on a Genesis GV80, and whether you are interested in cars or not, he presents information in a clearly compelling way.
@forrestsautoreviews $83K as tested, worth it?? 🤔🤷🏽♂️ #genesis #gv80 #luxurycars #suv #carsoftiktok #cartok #foryoupage #foryou ♬ Jazz Hip Hop in the early 90’s(219692) – TOKYO Lonesome Blue
Not only does he do a great job exploring the vehicle’s ins and outs thoroughly, but whoever is running the camera is pretty talented! They work amazingly in sync.
Could that video be a catalyst for students to explain concepts of whatever they are learning in the same manner?
A question I often get is, but what about the test? In my opinion, if you can explain a concept the way Forrest Jones can walk you through the details of the interior and exterior of a vehicle, you probably know the content pretty well.
Adam Grant discusses the concept of teaching others to further your own learning in his book, “Hidden Potential” and it is something that I have always believed and shared with others:
“Psychologists call this the tutor effect. It’s even effective for novices: the best way to learn something is to teach it. You remember it better after you recall it—and you understand it better after you explain it. All it takes is embracing the discomfort of putting yourself in the instructor’s seat before you’ve reached mastery. Even just being told you’re going to teach something is enough to boost your learning.”
Adam Grant
In 2020, I shared “4 Ideas for Student-Led Learning During Emergency Remote Teaching” (that title gives me the shivers…Yikes!). Although the article explicitly focused on learning in a virtual setting, there are ideas we can still utilize, no matter the setting.
In the post, I wrote the following:
“The Joseph Joubert quote, ‘To teach is to learn twice’ resonates here. When students have the opportunity to teach a skill or concept, they will know it in a much deeper way.”
George Couros
If we want to further our own knowledge, sharing ideas and takeaways with others both in and out of the classroom can not only improve scores but, more importantly, our ability to learn on our own.
That is the most important thing that we can teach students, and as you see in the 60-second car review, it can create new opportunities for them that did not exist for us at the same age.
