Teachable Moments by Keith J. Riemer

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Teachable Moments by Keith J. Riemer

"SUSPEND CERTAINTY, LISTEN FOR UNDERSTANDING, AND HAVE A 'TEACHABLE MOMENT'"
by Keith J. Riemer

This article will concentrate on two of the five JLC Learning Conversation Guidelines: Suspending Certainty and Listening for Understanding, and their importance for “teachable moments.”

Teachable moment is defined as a moment of educational opportunity – a time when a person is likely to be particularly disposed to learn something. This moment can happen in any context or forum, be it an educational institution, a corporate environment, or even an every day environment.

Last summer, President Obama had a teachable moment after his rush to judgment concerning an incident between a white police officer from Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Police Department and an African- American Harvard Professor.

Without having all of the facts concerning the incident, Obama stated at a news conference that the police officer “acted stupidly” in arresting the African- American professor at his own home. It was only after he had learned all of the facts that he stated that he “regretted his choice of words” and set up his beer summit with the police officer and professor.

It appears President Obama learned from this incident that had he suspended certainty and not rushed to judgment,rather had listened for understanding, to gleen all the facts, he would not have made the statements he made.

Even though they still did not agree on the circumstances that led the officer to arrest Professor Gates, he stated after the beer summit, “we learned that we can have differences without demonizing each other.”

In his classic ethnography, “Shut Those Thick Lips:” A Study of Slum School Failure, Dr. Gerard Rosenfeld wrote an in-depth, insightful observation of the interaction between students and teachers in a Harlem School.

Early in his tenure at the school, Dr. Rosenfeld had a teachable moment that helped him relate to, and understand the culture of the school and the surrounding community.

One early afternoon, in his classroom, a student confronted Rosenfeld and refused to take his seat and join the rest of the class. The student stated “if you want me, come get me.” Rosenfeld then ran after the student, eventually catching him in the gym. When caught, the student stated “the only reason you caught me is because I ain’t wearing my sneakers, to which Rosenfeld replied “neither am I.”

After this incident, Dr. Rosenfeld noticed that the student was no longer causing disruptions in the classroom, and in fact, had gained a measure of respect for him. It was only after a few other incidents involving observations and incidents outside of the school that Dr. Rosenfeld realized that each corner near the school was an assembly point for argument and debate, for greeting others and watching neighborhood events.

At the school, it was apparent that children put high value on debate and physical prowess. As Dr. Rosenfeld explained, he inadvertently, had exhibited to his student two important attributes of his cultural existence: (1) when he outran his student and caught him in the gym, and (2) he out quipped him when the student told him that the only reason he was caught was because he was not wearing his sneakers, and Rosenfeld responded that he was also without his sneakers.

After that incident, the student assumed a more amenable posture in the classroom because it appeared to him that Dr. Rosenfeld met him on his own terms. Clearly, Dr. Rosenfeld, a trained anthropologist, employed the JLC learning conversation guideline of Listening for Understanding.

In the corporate environment, through years of experiences and teachable moments, mostly by learning how to listen, various leaders explain that the essence of leadership is to facilitate the conversation:

Steven A. Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, in a recent interview, talked about how he tries to get the best out of his people. He accomplishes this by “really hearing them and they have to feel like they have been really heard.”
Eduardo Castro-Wright, V.C. of Wal-Mart, states that he has learned that leadership is about trust. He said, “it is about being able to get people to go places they never thought they could go. They can’t do that if they don’t trust you.”
Teresa A. Taylor, COO of Qwest Communications, talks about how she learned how to truly listen. She shares that she spent a lot of time slowing down and listening to what people say to her.
On the university front, Drew Gilpin Faust, president of Harvard University, believes that if people feel they are listened to, and that their views are taken into account, and that they had a chance to show you the world from their point of view, then they will be much more likely to go along with a decision.

It is obvious from the examples given here that if one Listens for Understanding and Suspends Certainty, two of the JLC Learning Conversation Guidelines, teachable moments can be fruitful, meaningful, and productive.

Successful teachable moments are ones where communication and dialogue can equal success. In the JLC view, successful teachable moments involve meaningful discussion and allow for inclusiveness and diverse thinking. Though two of the guidelines were highlighted in this article, all of them, when practiced consciously lead to successful teachable moments: Listen for Understanding, Speak from the Heart, Suspend Certainty, Holding Space for Difference and Slowing down the Inquiry.

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