Acting into Thinking

It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting. – Millard Fuller

 

We use this quote frequently with our Action Research groups. I’m not sure if it’s Mr. Fuller’s quote since a quick search attributes several people to similar incarnations of this. The spirit of the quote is what is important.

As teachers we can fill up an enormous amount of time planning. Give us more time and we’ll fill it up with planning. Of course planning is an essential part of the teaching learning cycle. Perhaps there needs to be a slight shift in how our time is allotted throughout the cycle. Plan with all diligence, then act and reflect so that changes can be made if necessary.

What if changes don’t need to be made? Even better, now that you have collected some reflective data around your practice and your students’ learning. All of this adaptation comes from some form of action. It’s this action that drives our new ways of thinking.

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