Teaching, Training, and the Meaning of Life

Passion is like a fire. Passion spreads when the right kindling is present. When the substrate is ready, the fire spreads. When the mind is ready, the passion spreads. Many of us have wondered at the nature of our own existence. We’ve asked the questions, why am I here? Why do I exist? What is the meaning of life? Although I do not have the definitive answers to these questions, I’d like to present a possibility. We are the way the universe experiences itself. We are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin of the universe. Without life, the universe would exist without experience. It is our acknowledgment of its existence that gives it value. It is our acknowledgment of our existence within it that gives us value. It is our purpose to spread our knowledge to those around us. It is our purpose to ignite the passion of the acknowledgment of our own existence. It is our purpose to ignite the passion of knowledge.

When considering the purpose of teaching and training the most obvious goal is the acquisition of knowledge and skills. We teach people to know certain things. We teach people so that they will be able to do certain things. We as teachers provide the way to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for success. Along with the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills, we hope to provide the conceptual framework that gave rise to that knowledge. When our students acquire the conceptual framework necessary to understand fully what they are trying to learn, they are able to accomplish new and novel things. They are able to add creativity. They are able to take the concepts into areas that we previously could not conceive of. It is the acquisition of conceptual knowledge that provides the foundation for genuine learning.

By understanding that conceptual framework, the student will begin to integrate that knowledge and experience into their worldview. That knowledge will become a part of who they are. That knowledge will integrate and blend with the worldview or conceptual framework they already held. That conceptual knowledge will become a unique blend of the student’s prior knowledge and their desired goals. In the end, it is our hope that the conceptual knowledge gained will fundamentally change our students. Then our students will fundamentally change us.

Along with the acquisition of conceptual knowledge, we hope to ignite the passion of our students. It’s that passion that will drive the students to push past what is being taught. It is that passion that will drive the students to expand their circle of understanding. It is that passion that will drive the students to expand the circle of knowledge and understanding for all of humanity. The passion for the acquisition of knowledge. The passion for learning. It is this passion that drove us to become teachers, educators, and trainers. This is the passion we hope to ignite within our students.

In order to accomplish the goals of acquiring specific knowledge, conceptual knowledge, an integrated experience, and the development of passion, we need to have a fundamental understanding of intrinsically motivating experience. For an experience to be intrinsically motivating, there must be a desire to acquire the experience for the sheer sake of the experience. This is one of the main reasons why I find gamification to be at the forefront of education. Gamification is the use of game mechanics and techniques in nontraditional game environments. Game makers have been studying how to make experiences as intrinsically motivating as possible for generations. If we can learn these techniques and ideas, we can use these game concepts to provide intrinsically motivating experiences within our classes. We can provide the “flow” experience that will optimize learning for students.

Instilling passion in our students may seem at first to be impossible. The truth is, human beings can easily become passionate when in the presence of other human beings. If we want to create an environment that is intrinsically motivating and could potentially ignite passion within our students, we need to model enthusiasm, demonstrate caring, adapt instruction to the students needs and interests, press students for active learning and understanding, and provide clear and frequent feedback.(Fredricks, 2010) Gamification does this beautifully. We need to have passion for the subjects we’re trying to teach. We need to show that we care about our students. We need to understand that there are no one size fits all lessons for every student. We need to actively engage our students to make sure they are learning and understanding the material while we are teaching it. We need to let the students know how they are doing with almost immediate feedback if possible.

When we are assessing our students for knowledge. There are a number of assessment techniques we can utilize. The standard assessment methods both formative and summative can demonstrate the acquisition of specific knowledge. In order to understand the acquisition of conceptual knowledge, we need to go a bit further. Project-based assessments can demonstrate whether the student understands the topic on a conceptual level. If the student is allowed to have freedom within the parameters of the project they can not only show that they have acquired conceptual knowledge, but that they have incorporated it into their own worldview. By giving the student the freedom to choose the topic of the project, we are allowing them to demonstrate their own passion for the topic. In order to assess the passion of the student, the enthusiasm of the student should be identified within the rubric of the project.

Years ago as an undergrad, I was taking a course on reading and secondary education. Of everything that was presented within that course, I remember one lesson specifically. The professor stood at the front of the classroom at his chalkboard. He drew a fairly large circle on the board. He said this is the circle of knowledge. Everything inside of this circle is everything that you know. These are the things you know to be absolutely true. One plus one equals two. The earth revolves around the sun. The circumference of the circle represents everything you don’t know but are aware exists. For me, that would be French or differential equations. Everything on the outside of the circle, that stretches for infinity, is everything that you don’t know that you aren’t even aware exists. As we learn we bring things from the circumference of the circle into our circle of knowledge. Our circle become slightly larger. As the size of our circle increases, so too does the size of the amount of stuff we realize we don’t know. In some ways the more we learn, the more ignorant we feel. But that realization should not stop us from learning. This is why people with very small circles feel like they know a lot and people with much larger circles feel like they know very little.

We exist to experience the universe. In order to appreciate the universe, we need to learn. In order to learn, we need to have a passion for experience. We need to have a passion for learning. We exist to experience the universe. We exist to have a passion for life.

References

Fredricks, J. A., Alfeld, C., & Eccles, J. (2010). Developing and Fostering Passion in Academic and Nonacademic Domains. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(1), 18-30.