Ready to Learn? Not yet…

I chose to listen to the podcast of Amy Collier being interviewed by Chris Friend.

This image is a sketchnote summarizing a podcast by Amy Collier and Chris Friend. It discusses Collier's idea of "not-yetness" as it intersects with educational technology, questioning best practices, taking risks, and learning outcomes. The sketchnote is set up with the idea of "not yetness" being like a vehicle that is waiting for a train to pass by. Cars of the train include ideas on educational technology, best practices, risk, and learning outcomes. The learner is placed in the vehicle of not-yetness, and their level of engagement with these ideas either allows them to stay the same (by not engaging with these ideas) or to grow (by integrating these concepts into their learning).
This image is a sketchnote I composed summarizing a podcast by Amy Collier and Chris Friend. It discusses Collier’s idea of “not-yetness” as it intersects with educational technology, questioning best practices, taking risks, and learning outcomes. The sketchnote is set up with the idea of “not-yetness” being like a vehicle that is waiting for a train to pass by. Cars of the train include ideas on educational technology, best practices, risk, and learning outcomes. The learner is placed in the vehicle of not-yetness, and their level of engagement with these ideas either allows them to stay the same (by not engaging with these ideas) or to grow (by integrating these concepts into their learning).

This project was quite the learning experience for me! A little bit about my process: I had decided to reflect on the podcast, since it was a learning experience for me different from summarizing an article. I initially wanted to do a video response, but decided on the sketchnote because it was something new that I could try… I had watched some sketch-noting in the past, but never thought I’d be “able” to do that. So I channeled my inner Amy Collier and put the idea of not-yetness to the test!

picture of laboratory test tubes
https://www.pexels.com/photo/laboratory-test-tubes-2280549/

I decided to map out the ideas as they stood out to me. There was a wealth of information covered in the 40-minute interview, but what I have outlined in my sketchnote is what I found to be the key take-aways. First off, the concept of not-yetness was the main theme, and then I decided to create a railroad track with the other ideas as they relate to not-yetness in learning… more specifically, educational technology, “best practices”, risk-taking, and learning outcomes.

map with coffee cup on it
https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-ceramic-cup-on-map-2678301/

When reflecting on the content of this podcast, I was reminded of some fantastic music teachers I’ve had the opportunity to learn from. Their mantra’s of “failing forward” and “progress over perfection” combined with a proposal-based-experiment approach to learning were real-life examples of the idea of not-yetness. In these learning environments, failing is used as a tool to learn from, not-yetness is embraced as progress instead of perfection, and risk-taking and learning outcomes are combined in a way that enhances exploration, curiosity, and creativity.

person playing piano
https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-playing-piano-1288489/

I think the concepts outlined by Collier lead to an active participation of risk-taking students, who build confidence by taking action and doing something. This type of learning trains students for the real world. I don’t know about you, but I’m faced with decisions regularly that I feel I’m “not-yet” able to handle, or that I don’t have all the information I need to decide the “best course of action”. These decisions provide me with an opportunity to take a risk – to experiment, grow, and learn –  or not to take a risk. Taking that risk and engaging in not-yetness allows me to grow and learn from situations so that in the future I have more knowledge and experience to base my decisions off of. But if I don’t engage in not-yetness, I just say, “No, not yet…” I risk staying in the same place – not growing, not taking risks, not evolving, and not reaching my full potential.

light bulb in though bubble
https://www.pexels.com/photo/analysis-blackboard-board-bubble-355952/

As a lifelong learner, I am glad I chose to represent this podcast as a sketchnote. I know it’s not perfect, but I wanted to experience Collier’s concept of not-yetness and taking a risk in order to learn something new. Thanks for reading!

-TG

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