Sunday, September 03, 2006

Think About It

A key goal of education is to get students to think. I don’t want my students to passively accept or reject what I share with them. I want them to generate their own insights about the subject we are exploring. But what does it take to get students to think about the subject at hand?

I think about that which interests me. That interest forms the focal point of my thinking. It is the center around which I organize the input of information. Each piece of new information is like a piece of a larger puzzle. By finding where the new piece fits with past knowledge and experience, I add to my understanding. As more pieces of the puzzle fit together, a new and larger picture emerges. When enough pieces have come together, an entirely different perspective may arise. What I once thought becomes transformed. I experience a different reality. My consciousness expands and I thereby have a new experience of myself, others, and the world around me.

For students to think about a subject, they need a focal point around which to organize new inputs. However, students often do not have a central focus. Yes, they are concerned about finding a career, getting a job, making money, forming an intimate relationship. What is typically missing, though, is an overriding passion. They lack enthusiasm. They live uninspired lives. When I ask students what interests them, many have difficulty answering. Others will rattle off a short list of interests. When I ask which of those interests sparks their enthusiasm and energizes them, I usually get a blank stare. What troubles me the most is when I get this response from seniors. College should be a time when students discover their passion. They should graduate with more than a degree; they should leave college with a calling.

This is why I have designed a leader development process, which is offered to students at the University at which I teach, that begins with a journey inward. Students start their development as leaders by discerning their personal mission, vision, and values. Once students discover who they are and who they want to become, they can then decide what they need to do to achieve what they are called to create. Their academic pursuits then have meaning within a larger context. Their courses are no longer perceived as hurtles to get over. The end goal is not the mere earning of a degree. Their education becomes preparation for a calling.

We want students to think about what we strive to teach them. However, we need to help them discover a reason to think about what we teach. How might we do this? Think about it; then let the rest of us know what you think.