Expectations are everything

Wisdom from the Field #20

In 1981 Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology, set up what is now called the “Counterclockwise Study.”

Dr. Langer and her students wanted to know if “age was only a mindset.” They recruited seniors to live in a home for one week that was set up to resemble almost exactly what is was like in 1959. The participants were even instructed to talk about the news and other topics as if they were transported 22 years into the past.

After one week the participants showed improvement in:

• physical strength,

• manual dexterity,

• posture,

• perception,

• memory and cognition, and

• hearing and vision.

It is important to note that Langer and her colleagues also treated the seniors as if they were younger and more capable; for example, they did not carry their bags into the house for them. As she later shared in her book Mindfulness:

“The regular and ‘irreversible’ cycles of aging that we witness in the later stages of human life may be a product of certain assumptions about how one is supposed to grow old. If we didn’t feel compelled to carry out these limiting mindsets, we might have a greater chance of replacing years of decline with years of growth and purpose.” (pg. 112)

Getting what we expect

As educators, we all want our students to grow as readers and writers.

Do our physical spaces, our instructional practices, and the resources we use communicate this belief?

I think we know the answer: not all classrooms. While there might be a lot of books in our classroom libraries, do our students feel comfortable and knowledgeable when checking them out? While we say we believe students get better at reading by reading, does our schedule significantly limit how much time they can actually read? While the resources to support the curriculum proclaim they are standards aligned, are they also relevant to our students?

Honestly examining our daily decisions is a great way to examine our expectations.

Wisdom from the Field is a feature in my upcoming book for Corwin, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H. Check out all posts in this series here.