Humility is a word that has
been thrown around a lot during our time together. What does it mean to you in
the context of educational research and, more specifically how might it relate
to your field of study/discipline.
Merriam Webster defines humility as freedom from pride or arrogance. Simply put, be humble in the approach that you take with participants when conducting your research. Also, be humble in the way that you deliver the findings.
One of the values of social work is that social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of a person. Therefore, as a social worker, I believe this is how educational research should be approached. Each interaction with study participants, including their responses, which are an extension of them, should be treated with dignity and worth. Social workers also respect differences and diversity. They are humble in their delivery of service to others. I think educational researchers have the same charge when it comes to the work that they do and the people they study or have in their studies.
Humility goes beyond the initial stages of research. It is essential to the research performed and when the outcome of the study is reported. Humility allows you to learn…from what you are seeking to learn about. Humility says that you don’t consider yourself THE expert, without minimizing the fact that you may have expertise in a field. I think when you enter a situation as the expert, you run the risk of limiting your learning opportunities. If your learning opportunities are limited, then you are limiting the possible ways to help others (generalizing your results).
Per the definition in Shenita's post of humility being the freedom from pride or arrogance, I think it's interesting that there has been so much talk about humility in relation to educational research. I wonder if some researchers focus so much on the literal word and less on the application of humility within the scope of their work. For me, humility in educational research means intentionally considering where a researcher's pride and arrogance might get in the way of the work that's being done or supersede the experiences of the participants in the research.
In relation to the field of art education, I think a discussion of humility is related to recent discussions about social justice and critical multicultural art education. I think these two areas connect to the need for humility as art education researchers are contemplating their role in promoting and participating in social justice and critical multicultural practices. In these discussions, there is a need for recognizing one's position on the research topics as well as their individual positionality. Humility asks these researchers to consider how and why they are working towards social justice and making curricula more culturally relevant for and with learners. I think this is also important as art educators are asked to consider how they can use more culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining teaching practices to consider the needs and experiences of diverse groups of learners.
I started my first job in a public service organization. Our motto was “grace and humility.” This was a constant reminder to carefully and thoughtfully approach our work. It was a nod to the commitment we had to our students, their families and the community at large. Humility is a modest approach to our work-- our research. I was often moved by this idea, because it didn’t center me as the expert but instead, it allowed me to really focus on the people I was engaged with. Education research, requires a modest approach as it is the study of praxis and pedagogy. We are dealing with people in varying context, with different styles. With humility central to research, the ways in which we conduct studies or engage participants shifts. Humility is a reminder to researchers that we have no research without, people or experiences to study. As the researcher, I think humility acknowledges that there is a wealth of knowledge and understanding for us to explore and that there are others who have knowledge and can contribute.
I love how humility welcomes diversity. It forces the researcher to see others as experts in a way that can drive critical inquiry. I think humility is definitely related to educational leadership because leadership studies honors those that have a sense of humility. It becomes a necessary character trait. Humility is about service to others and I find that to be true about research. What we learn from research is a body of knowledge that is important to the advancement of the sector.
When I think about humility, I think about being humble, self-aware, and modest. I find this to be applicable when considering educational research, because no matter what you find and no matter what you’re able to add to the body of knowledge, it is always limited. This semester we’ve discussed that research is limited by the questions being asked, and the purpose for which the research is being conducted. That’s not to say that value cannot be added to the body of knowledge, just that findings are inherently incomplete.
The idea of humility fits with the many discussions we’ve had about pragmatism. Pragmatism relates well to functionality and also to humility, because in ed research, and in my discipline, I feel that we are all just doing the best we can with the information/resources/experiences we have now. As time passes, the knowledge and experiences we have shift as well. I believe research and practice should always be developing based on the shifting ideas and experiences of educators, students, and researchers. I believe that to incorporate humility into research and practice is to have awareness of your own limitations, as well as hope for future progress.
To draw on a bit on my peers’ responses, I feel that humility also encourages self-reflection and promotes awareness of others. Being able to truly have humility opens up space for valuable discussions and collaboration across disciplines.
The investigation, experimentation, risk, revision, collaboration and embrace of failure that come with making art are also inherent in conducting research. None of these dispositions or endeavors are possible without humility. The curiosity and inquiry that leads one to begin an art project or to design research questions necessarily positions the artist/researcher in a place of unknowing and requires a humble acknowledgement of ignorance, lack of mastery, and unfamiliarity. Experimentation is rife with risk and failure. The very act of trying new things, playing with novel ideas, materials, media, or methodologies means opening oneself up to criticism, failed hypotheses, lost time, and frustration. Being able to constructively develop one’s work – research or art– requires critical distance, honest evaluation, and a willingness to accept feedback from others. Humility in creating art or conducting research also means that one considers the perspectives of others. To my mind, the most effective artwork or research is that which responds to and connects with the lives of others. Without humility, one’s work lacks the empathy and flexibility necessary for considering multiple perspectives and alternative modes of meaning. If one’s creative or scholarly output is tied up in the maintenance of one’s ego, it will lack nimbleness, sensitivity, and all the benefits that come from collaborative exchange and reflexive revision.
In any field of research, I think it is extremely important to have humility. There will never be an instance where you as a researcher will understand every detail about research participants and you cannot assume that you do. I think if not careful, researchers can become jaded about their area of research and make misguided assumptions. In the field of education, it could become very easy to make misguided assumptions about the capability of students from a particular neighborhood or social status, about teachers in a particular district and so on. It is up to us as researchers and practitioners to keep our beliefs and assumptions in check while practicing research. We must make sound decisions about protocols, sample selection, use of data and our interpretations. Humility in the field of adult learning could take many forms but I think the most important is for professors to remember that they may not be that different than their students outside of the classroom. Adult students are married, have children, may work full time jobs and so on. Losing sight of these facts may cause professors to create burdensome workloads for their students.
My favorite quote about humility is one attributed to C.S. Lewis by Robert Warren. Humility he says, “is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” I think this is an excellent way to characterize humble behavior because it reminds us to honor our opinions but to do so in moderate and deferential ways. I do agree this idea was present in many of our classroom conversations and more importantly in the way we often approached one another’s ideas. It is equally valuable to keep in mind as we research our topics. It is essential to have our own opinions about what we are investigating but it is also critical to focus on what the research says and to acknowledge the many stakeholders is in any situation. In my work with mathematics students, I think humility is paramount. I have many colleagues who became math teachers because of its certainty. There is, after all, one and only one answer to a math problem. They soon find this really is not true. There are several ways to approach each question. Being open to other’s strategies for solving math problems is important. Imposing your thinking on other’s queries inhibits their creativity, inquiry, and problem-solving abilities. Humility allows us to validate the thinking of others.
As I was looking through the Chronicle of Higher Education, I came across the article (below), "Teaching Humility in the Age of Arrogance." It was timely to read this article as I approached our last blog post. I think that something that stood out to me specifically in this article was the concept of intellectual humility. Lynch refers to this as "recognizing your own fallibility, realizing that you don’t really know as much as you think, and owning your limitations and biases." There are a lot of unknowns as we approach this doctoral endeavor. We are still trying to discover our research interests and we are learning from each other. We are discovering what it means to pursue educational research and how we might influence our discipline.
I think about how much I still have to learn, about myself and about others. That humility carries over in to our future research. Just like when we gathered our peers opinions and feedback for our papers, we have to include perspectives that we might not yet know or that might influence our work. Our future work is guided by our willingness and openness to explore multiple perspectives.
Humility, according to google, is “a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.” The first part of this definition seems to give off somewhat of a negative view of the word based on the world we live in today which pushes for high self-esteem and notions of being extremely important. A modest view of one’s importance seems more in line with my thoughts regarding humility. The use of the word “humbleness” is also more aligned with my opinion of the word as well. When I think of humbleness, I see positivity. It is knowing that, despite your level of importance, there is always room for growth. Many would say it shows a lack of cockiness or arrogance, which are words that are frowned upon in society.
In the context of educational research, humbleness is necessary. One must understand, as Dewey implies, there is no end to acquiring knowledge in the land of the living. One must accept that there is no such thing as an absolute maximum understanding of anything. Specifically, humbleness is required in educational psychology because the world and the beings in it are ever changing. As stated by a Greek philosopher, “Change is the only constant in life.” We must be willing to acknowledge that we are lifelong learners who do not know everything. We should be humble in accepting that there are other methods, opinions, solutions, etc. that could parallel and/or outperform ours.
When I think about humility, one person comes to mind immediately: Head men’s basketball coach at the University of Virginia, Tony Bennett. He is the definition of someone who is so successful but is also very modest and humble. Since UVA’s historic loss last year to UMBC in the first round of the NCAA tournament, I’ve read countless articles and heard many interviews with Coach Bennett. Yes, he just coaches basketball, but I think there is so much we can learn from him and how he responded to something where so many people talked so terribly about him and his players. It was inspiring and had an impact on me. In fact, I relate sports to life all the time. Situations in sports are relatable to my own life, to my teaching, to how I lead my department, and to how I coach.
Thinking back on this semester and now, moving forward in this program, humility is something that will keep me grounded with my eyes set on what is truly important. Yes, earning my doctorate is about me and my own personal goals. I think it is important for all people in our situation to recognize that part of this process is for ourselves. And that is OK!. I do believe, however, that it is also about much more than that. I have always believed that to teach, is to answer a calling. Earning this degree and contributing to the body of research that exists in education is a way for me to give back to my field. It is a way for me to further contribute to the lives of my own students as well as to the lives of students around the country. Good, thoughtful, thorough research in education benefits children. Humility is putting others before self. It’s a no brainer in education. Scholars in education have the responsibility to recognize this when conducting research that ultimately impacts the lives of children and their families. So therefore, we do too!
We've talked about humility in several different contexts throughout the semester and it's an interesting concept to take in while being a PhD student. We are all in a position in which we have reason to NOT feel humble (being in this program is certainly something to celebrate and we occasionally get to be a part of things that are pretty amazing!); and we simultaneously have many reasons to feel EXTREMELY humbled every day (our place is student, we are novices in the tasks we are working on, etc.). The peer editing process was in itself an act of humbling ourselves before a peer and saying “I know my work isn’t as good as it can be. Will you help me?” In the context of this course, we have also talked about Richardson's view of us as "stewards" of a field and the humble stance necessary to fulfill this role well. We have talked about the nature of knowledge frequently, which also lends itself to a humble stance as we embark on research of our own: will the findings from our research be seeking Truth or will we approach it with humility that the research has limitations, is socially situated, and may change over time. As we begin research, a humble stance will lead us to shy away from searching from hard factual answers, but instead ask the tough questions and be aware of areas we don’t yet know enough about. Being humble in this way means that we will be thoughtful about the questions we ask, the methods we use, the people we ask to help us, and the conclusions we draw as a result; additionally, we will continue to look at previous findings, knowing that we can continue to learn.
As like most of my peers, I did an internet search for the meaning of "humility" to gain a more solid definition of the word. Google defined humility as, " a modest or low view of one's own importance," and, for the first time ever, I felt uncomfortable by "humility." I believe I will do significantly important work in my respective field. I think most people are/ will do really significantly important work of which they will be proud. I/ we have to believe that the work I/ we am/are doing and the questions I/we ask and all of my/our undertakings are significantly important, otherwise what's the point? I do think it's important to work towards reducing arrogance and working toward critical flexibility, reflexivity, and open-mindedness but I don't think the conflated and contorted definition of humility is the goal.
I recognize that it is highly unlikely that I will ever know everything and everything and that it is extremely likely that I will have work challenged and critiqued and overall unappreciated, but the definition and synonyms of humility (i.e. submission, lowliness, diffident) are extremely unappealing. I think the true goal for any scholar or steward of a field should be to remain humanistic, adaptable, curious, evolutionary, and gracious.
I believe that to be successful in educational research researchers and leaders, at times, must humble themselves. This reminds me of the hedgehog and the fox. A hedgehog has one thing that they are exceptionally good at, whereas, a fox is multidisciplinary and adaptable. Educational research, in some sense, must be like a fox. Similar to scientific approaches, foxes are capable of changing their mind and can be open to new claims. Often, when this occurs it is humbling to the researcher.
This is similar to educational leaders. Humbling yourself is crucial to be a leader. If you are unwilling to change your mind or see the viewpoints of others, you will not see much success. To be a good leader you must know how to gain followers. In order to do this, at times, it is important admit that you were wrong or accept the ideas of others. One of the key points in gaining followers is to create a guiding coalition. This will be impossible to do if leaders do not humble themselves and accept the thoughts of others.
One thing in this class that has stood out to me the most is the graph of research (pure versus applied and hard versus soft). Since educational research is considered mostly a soft and applied science and not taken as seriously as the more hard and pure research studies, I think educational researchers have developed that sense of humility based on the what other disciplines think of educational research. I think as educational researchers we expect readers of our research to take everything we are saying with a grain of salt. Because the research that we conduct is with human subjects and in their natural settings which cannot be controlled, there are always those who identify the limitations to our design. I think approaching our research design with humility is a method of self-preservation on our part. However, within special education where students are still struggling for equal rights as their peers without disabilities, I think humility can work against us. We need to be firm in our theories and research and basically say, “Here is proof that our intervention works!”. If we do not establish our results or ideas without conviction, I think it opens for other fields to not consider us serious.
Merriam Webster defines humility as freedom from pride or arrogance. Simply put, be humble in the approach that you take with participants when conducting your research. Also, be humble in the way that you deliver the findings.
ReplyDeleteOne of the values of social work is that social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of a person. Therefore, as a social worker, I believe this is how educational research should be approached. Each interaction with study participants, including their responses, which are an extension of them, should be treated with dignity and worth. Social workers also respect differences and diversity. They are humble in their delivery of service to others. I think educational researchers have the same charge when it comes to the work that they do and the people they study or have in their studies.
Humility goes beyond the initial stages of research. It is essential to the research performed and when the outcome of the study is reported. Humility allows you to learn…from what you are seeking to learn about. Humility says that you don’t consider yourself THE expert, without minimizing the fact that you may have expertise in a field. I think when you enter a situation as the expert, you run the risk of limiting your learning opportunities. If your learning opportunities are limited, then you are limiting the possible ways to help others (generalizing your results).
Per the definition in Shenita's post of humility being the freedom from pride or arrogance, I think it's interesting that there has been so much talk about humility in relation to educational research. I wonder if some researchers focus so much on the literal word and less on the application of humility within the scope of their work. For me, humility in educational research means intentionally considering where a researcher's pride and arrogance might get in the way of the work that's being done or supersede the experiences of the participants in the research.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to the field of art education, I think a discussion of humility is related to recent discussions about social justice and critical multicultural art education. I think these two areas connect to the need for humility as art education researchers are contemplating their role in promoting and participating in social justice and critical multicultural practices. In these discussions, there is a need for recognizing one's position on the research topics as well as their individual positionality. Humility asks these researchers to consider how and why they are working towards social justice and making curricula more culturally relevant for and with learners. I think this is also important as art educators are asked to consider how they can use more culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining teaching practices to consider the needs and experiences of diverse groups of learners.
I started my first job in a public service organization. Our motto was “grace and humility.” This was a constant reminder to carefully and thoughtfully approach our work. It was a nod to the commitment we had to our students, their families and the community at large. Humility is a modest approach to our work-- our research. I was often moved by this idea, because it didn’t center me as the expert but instead, it allowed me to really focus on the people I was engaged with. Education research, requires a modest approach as it is the study of praxis and pedagogy. We are dealing with people in varying context, with different styles. With humility central to research, the ways in which we conduct studies or engage participants shifts. Humility is a reminder to researchers that we have no research without, people or experiences to study. As the researcher, I think humility acknowledges that there is a wealth of knowledge and understanding for us to explore and that there are others who have knowledge and can contribute.
ReplyDeleteI love how humility welcomes diversity. It forces the researcher to see others as experts in a way that can drive critical inquiry. I think humility is definitely related to educational leadership because leadership studies honors those that have a sense of humility. It becomes a necessary character trait. Humility is about service to others and I find that to be true about research. What we learn from research is a body of knowledge that is important to the advancement of the sector.
When I think about humility, I think about being humble, self-aware, and modest. I find this to be applicable when considering educational research, because no matter what you find and no matter what you’re able to add to the body of knowledge, it is always limited. This semester we’ve discussed that research is limited by the questions being asked, and the purpose for which the research is being conducted. That’s not to say that value cannot be added to the body of knowledge, just that findings are inherently incomplete.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of humility fits with the many discussions we’ve had about pragmatism. Pragmatism relates well to functionality and also to humility, because in ed research, and in my discipline, I feel that we are all just doing the best we can with the information/resources/experiences we have now. As time passes, the knowledge and experiences we have shift as well. I believe research and practice should always be developing based on the shifting ideas and experiences of educators, students, and researchers. I believe that to incorporate humility into research and practice is to have awareness of your own limitations, as well as hope for future progress.
To draw on a bit on my peers’ responses, I feel that humility also encourages self-reflection and promotes awareness of others. Being able to truly have humility opens up space for valuable discussions and collaboration across disciplines.
The investigation, experimentation, risk, revision, collaboration and embrace of failure that come with making art are also inherent in conducting research. None of these dispositions or endeavors are possible without humility. The curiosity and inquiry that leads one to begin an art project or to design research questions necessarily positions the artist/researcher in a place of unknowing and requires a humble acknowledgement of ignorance, lack of mastery, and unfamiliarity. Experimentation is rife with risk and failure. The very act of trying new things, playing with novel ideas, materials, media, or methodologies means opening oneself up to criticism, failed hypotheses, lost time, and frustration. Being able to constructively develop one’s work – research or art– requires critical distance, honest evaluation, and a willingness to accept feedback from others. Humility in creating art or conducting research also means that one considers the perspectives of others. To my mind, the most effective artwork or research is that which responds to and connects with the lives of others. Without humility, one’s work lacks the empathy and flexibility necessary for considering multiple perspectives and alternative modes of meaning. If one’s creative or scholarly output is tied up in the maintenance of one’s ego, it will lack nimbleness, sensitivity, and all the benefits that come from collaborative exchange and reflexive revision.
ReplyDeleteIn any field of research, I think it is extremely important to have humility. There will never be an instance where you as a researcher will understand every detail about research participants and you cannot assume that you do. I think if not careful, researchers can become jaded about their area of research and make misguided assumptions. In the field of education, it could become very easy to make misguided assumptions about the capability of students from a particular neighborhood or social status, about teachers in a particular district and so on. It is up to us as researchers and practitioners to keep our beliefs and assumptions in check while practicing research. We must make sound decisions about protocols, sample selection, use of data and our interpretations. Humility in the field of adult learning could take many forms but I think the most important is for professors to remember that they may not be that different than their students outside of the classroom. Adult students are married, have children, may work full time jobs and so on. Losing sight of these facts may cause professors to create burdensome workloads for their students.
ReplyDeletethis is kayla's post
Deletethis is kayla's post
ReplyDeleteMy favorite quote about humility is one attributed to C.S. Lewis by Robert Warren. Humility he says, “is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” I think this is an excellent way to characterize humble behavior because it reminds us to honor our opinions but to do so in moderate and deferential ways. I do agree this idea was present in many of our classroom conversations and more importantly in the way we often approached one another’s ideas. It is equally valuable to keep in mind as we research our topics. It is essential to have our own opinions about what we are investigating but it is also critical to focus on what the research says and to acknowledge the many stakeholders is in any situation.
ReplyDeleteIn my work with mathematics students, I think humility is paramount. I have many colleagues who became math teachers because of its certainty. There is, after all, one and only one answer to a math problem. They soon find this really is not true. There are several ways to approach each question. Being open to other’s strategies for solving math problems is important. Imposing your thinking on other’s queries inhibits their creativity, inquiry, and problem-solving abilities. Humility allows us to validate the thinking of others.
As I was looking through the Chronicle of Higher Education, I came across the article (below), "Teaching Humility in the Age of Arrogance." It was timely to read this article as I approached our last blog post. I think that something that stood out to me specifically in this article was the concept of intellectual humility. Lynch refers to this as "recognizing your own fallibility, realizing that you don’t really know as much as you think, and owning your limitations and biases." There are a lot of unknowns as we approach this doctoral endeavor. We are still trying to discover our research interests and we are learning from each other. We are discovering what it means to pursue educational research and how we might influence our discipline.
ReplyDeleteI think about how much I still have to learn, about myself and about others. That humility carries over in to our future research. Just like when we gathered our peers opinions and feedback for our papers, we have to include perspectives that we might not yet know or that might influence our work. Our future work is guided by our willingness and openness to explore multiple perspectives.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Teaching-Humility-in-an-Age-of/240266
Humility, according to google, is “a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.” The first part of this definition seems to give off somewhat of a negative view of the word based on the world we live in today which pushes for high self-esteem and notions of being extremely important. A modest view of one’s importance seems more in line with my thoughts regarding humility. The use of the word “humbleness” is also more aligned with my opinion of the word as well. When I think of humbleness, I see positivity. It is knowing that, despite your level of importance, there is always room for growth. Many would say it shows a lack of cockiness or arrogance, which are words that are frowned upon in society.
ReplyDeleteIn the context of educational research, humbleness is necessary. One must understand, as Dewey implies, there is no end to acquiring knowledge in the land of the living. One must accept that there is no such thing as an absolute maximum understanding of anything. Specifically, humbleness is required in educational psychology because the world and the beings in it are ever changing. As stated by a Greek philosopher, “Change is the only constant in life.” We must be willing to acknowledge that we are lifelong learners who do not know everything. We should be humble in accepting that there are other methods, opinions, solutions, etc. that could parallel and/or outperform ours.
When I think about humility, one person comes to mind immediately: Head men’s basketball coach at the University of Virginia, Tony Bennett. He is the definition of someone who is so successful but is also very modest and humble. Since UVA’s historic loss last year to UMBC in the first round of the NCAA tournament, I’ve read countless articles and heard many interviews with Coach Bennett. Yes, he just coaches basketball, but I think there is so much we can learn from him and how he responded to something where so many people talked so terribly about him and his players. It was inspiring and had an impact on me. In fact, I relate sports to life all the time. Situations in sports are relatable to my own life, to my teaching, to how I lead my department, and to how I coach.
ReplyDeleteThinking back on this semester and now, moving forward in this program, humility is something that will keep me grounded with my eyes set on what is truly important. Yes, earning my doctorate is about me and my own personal goals. I think it is important for all people in our situation to recognize that part of this process is for ourselves. And that is OK!. I do believe, however, that it is also about much more than that. I have always believed that to teach, is to answer a calling. Earning this degree and contributing to the body of research that exists in education is a way for me to give back to my field. It is a way for me to further contribute to the lives of my own students as well as to the lives of students around the country. Good, thoughtful, thorough research in education benefits children. Humility is putting others before self. It’s a no brainer in education. Scholars in education have the responsibility to recognize this when conducting research that ultimately impacts the lives of children and their families. So therefore, we do too!
We've talked about humility in several different contexts throughout the semester and it's an interesting concept to take in while being a PhD student. We are all in a position in which we have reason to NOT feel humble (being in this program is certainly something to celebrate and we occasionally get to be a part of things that are pretty amazing!); and we simultaneously have many reasons to feel EXTREMELY humbled every day (our place is student, we are novices in the tasks we are working on, etc.). The peer editing process was in itself an act of humbling ourselves before a peer and saying “I know my work isn’t as good as it can be. Will you help me?” In the context of this course, we have also talked about Richardson's view of us as "stewards" of a field and the humble stance necessary to fulfill this role well. We have talked about the nature of knowledge frequently, which also lends itself to a humble stance as we embark on research of our own: will the findings from our research be seeking Truth or will we approach it with humility that the research has limitations, is socially situated, and may change over time. As we begin research, a humble stance will lead us to shy away from searching from hard factual answers, but instead ask the tough questions and be aware of areas we don’t yet know enough about. Being humble in this way means that we will be thoughtful about the questions we ask, the methods we use, the people we ask to help us, and the conclusions we draw as a result; additionally, we will continue to look at previous findings, knowing that we can continue to learn.
ReplyDeleteAs like most of my peers, I did an internet search for the meaning of "humility" to gain a more solid definition of the word. Google defined humility as, " a modest or low view of one's own importance," and, for the first time ever, I felt uncomfortable by "humility." I believe I will do significantly important work in my respective field. I think most people are/ will do really significantly important work of which they will be proud. I/ we have to believe that the work I/ we am/are doing and the questions I/we ask and all of my/our undertakings are significantly important, otherwise what's the point? I do think it's important to work towards reducing arrogance and working toward critical flexibility, reflexivity, and open-mindedness but I don't think the conflated and contorted definition of humility is the goal.
ReplyDeleteI recognize that it is highly unlikely that I will ever know everything and everything and that it is extremely likely that I will have work challenged and critiqued and overall unappreciated, but the definition and synonyms of humility (i.e. submission, lowliness, diffident) are extremely unappealing. I think the true goal for any scholar or steward of a field should be to remain humanistic, adaptable, curious, evolutionary, and gracious.
I believe that to be successful in educational research researchers and leaders, at times, must humble themselves. This reminds me of the hedgehog and the fox. A hedgehog has one thing that they are exceptionally good at, whereas, a fox is multidisciplinary and adaptable. Educational research, in some sense, must be like a fox. Similar to scientific approaches, foxes are capable of changing their mind and can be open to new claims. Often, when this occurs it is humbling to the researcher.
ReplyDeleteThis is similar to educational leaders. Humbling yourself is crucial to be a leader. If you are unwilling to change your mind or see the viewpoints of others, you will not see much success. To be a good leader you must know how to gain followers. In order to do this, at times, it is important admit that you were wrong or accept the ideas of others. One of the key points in gaining followers is to create a guiding coalition. This will be impossible to do if leaders do not humble themselves and accept the thoughts of others.
One thing in this class that has stood out to me the most is the graph of research (pure versus applied and hard versus soft). Since educational research is considered mostly a soft and applied science and not taken as seriously as the more hard and pure research studies, I think educational researchers have developed that sense of humility based on the what other disciplines think of educational research. I think as educational researchers we expect readers of our research to take everything we are saying with a grain of salt. Because the research that we conduct is with human subjects and in their natural settings which cannot be controlled, there are always those who identify the limitations to our design. I think approaching our research design with humility is a method of self-preservation on our part. However, within special education where students are still struggling for equal rights as their peers without disabilities, I think humility can work against us. We need to be firm in our theories and research and basically say, “Here is proof that our intervention works!”. If we do not establish our results or ideas without conviction, I think it opens for other fields to not consider us serious.
ReplyDelete