Ambiguity leads to chaos
This article first appeared in the Eduk8me newsletter. Be sure to subscribe to be the first to get articles such as this.
When I was young, I thought checklists and procedures were the providence of the old. Now, after a few years in the classroom and in education, I’ve found that keeping everything that needs to be done inside my head is not beneficial to those around me. Now I’m trying to externalize that information, making it available to those around me.
In the classroom I got a little tired of students asking questions of what they’re supposed to be doing, or what is due. After awhile, I realized that it was a fault of my own, not one of the students. I had not been clear on procedures and expectations. Since that revelation, I’ve worked hard at procedures and checklists.
By sharing checklists and procedures with students and staff decreases ambiguity. That’s one advantage, but there is also another plus. The creation of these support materials forces me to slow down and think through what I want to be accomplished. Oftentimes, this uncovers roadblocks that I wasn’t thinking about.
