The Art of Possibility – The Third Practice: Giving an A

The Art of Possibility – 3
The Third Practice: Giving an A

In this practice, the authors suggest that we give all of our students an A at the outset– “the only grade that will put them at ease, not as a measurement tool, but as an assessment to open them up to possibility.” The only requirement the author makes is that his students write him a letter dated the following May in which they tell the story of what they will have become by then, to explain the grade of A. He explains that Giving the A “allows the teacher to line up with her students to produce the outcome, rather than lining up with the standards against these students.” (p. 33)

What a great way to describe what we do in our classrooms! We line up with our students in pursuit of an outcome. We are a team, a partnership.

I don’t grade my elementary school students, so for me “Giving an A” is metaphorical. Giving an A “invents and recognizes a universal desire in people to contribute to others.” So, in my classroom, I need to help invent roles for my students that allow them to feel they are making an important, perhaps unique, contribution. Ben Slavic’s classroom jobs do this. Gerry’s fictional attributions do this.

We all have tales of one difficult student, and how everything changed when that student was given a specific job, role, distinction, identity, attribute, or recognition. Sometimes we have to search for the right way to Give the A, but once we’ve given it– metaphorically– our students become precisely who we want to have in our classrooms.

The Art of Possibility – Practice 2: Stepping into a Universe of Possibility

Practice 2: Stepping into a Universe of Possibility

This practice emphasizes the distinction between The World of Measurement, where we live most of our lives, and The Universe of Possibility, “where new inventions are the order of the day.”

In the World of Measurement, we get to know each other and the things around us by measuring them, comparing and contrasting them. Life is organized in hierarchies, an inside and an outside, competition, success and failure, it is the fight for survival. In The World of Measurement, there are only so many pieces of the pie. It forces us into scarcity thinking, which produces anxiety and fear.

It’s easy to see how most of the schools we teach in are rooted in The World of Measurement. We have set schedules; we are asked to report on students; in many cases, to compare students or assess them in a way that creates a hierarchy; we have standards to meet; and in the case of independent schools, we worry about enrollment and attracting families to our schools.

In The Universe of Possibility, it’s all about relationships, contributing, creating new ideas. “We gain our knowledge by invention.” It’s a world of abundance and openness. Every time someone takes a piece of the pie, the pie regenerates!

A presenter at the NTPRS conference this summer spoke about "fictional attribution", where you notice something a student is doing, and by mentioning it, make it (more) so: “You are a good listener.” “You are brave.” “You always notice things about nature.” By building relationships with our students, by helping them feel known, by providing them with new ways to know each other and the world, we allow them to be successful in ways that can’t be measured. That shouldn’t be measured.

Also, you "are more likely to be successful, *overall*, if you participate joyfully with projects and goals and do not think your life depends on achieving the mark because then you will be better able to connect to all the people around you."

This was the the most difficult if the 12 practices for me to sort out. Writing about it here has really helped.

The Art of Possibility 1

My school recommends shared summer reading books for faculty each year. This summer our elementary division was asked to read The Art of Possibility, by Rosalind and Benjamin Zander. Ironically, I at first grumbled about having some poorly written pop psychology pushed upon me when I could have been reading Alfie Kohn or Malcom Gladwell or somebody I'd been wanting to read when I had time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only is TAOP wonderfully readable, but it is exactly what I needed to help me put a positive spin on things, after wallowing in negativity for much of the past year. In these difficult financial times, our independent Quaker school, normally accustomed to the Quaker decision making process of group discussion and eventual consensus, has been deeply affected by a series of top-down decisions, resulting in personnel cuts, surprising changes to program, and lots of sad, mad, bad feelings.

In The Art of Possibility, the writers suggest 12 practices which define "novel ways of defining ourselves, others, and the world we live in," using the metaphor of music and the arts.

Practice 1: It's all invented

In 'It's all invented,' the basic premise is: "It's all invented anyway, so we might as well invent a story or a framework of meaning that enhances our quality of life and the life of those around us." (p. 12) The epigraph for this chapter tells about two shoe marketing scouts sent to a remote region of Africa to find new sales opportunities. One writes back: "Situation hopeless-- they don't wear shoes," while the other writes triumphantly: "Glorious business opportunity! They have no shoes."

This made me think back to when I arrived at this school to teach elementary Spanish 10 years ago. I found out the week before school started that the previous Spanish teacher had departed suddenly, leaving no trace of a curriculum behind. My initial reaction was "Situation hopeless-- no set curriculum" It took me days, weeks, months, in fact it has taken me years to reach my current sense of "Glorious opportunity-- no set curriculum!" I feel this especially now that I understand so much better how children acquire language and what strategies lead to success for all. The freedom I was granted to invent was, in fact, a great gift.