The Future Of Ambiguity

Apple state that when they are looking for new staff there is one quality they seek more than any other; the ability to cope with ambiguity. Thinking about the skills students need in their future careers, it seems reasonable to expect that certainty will be in even shorter supply than it is now.

When folklore and superstition ruled the planet, what the village elder/witch doctor/ soothsayer declared, was the truth. And truth was certain. During the industrial revolution, you followed the instructions given to you by the foreman and income, shelter and food were relatively certain. Now, is anything certain? Perhaps it never really has been, but there was a definite illusion that it was for many ordinary folk. This illusion has been shattered now, ignorance is no longer a shield to being aware that things could easily change, and probably will.

Information Edmition

So, when it is a natural instinct for many to seek out certainty, how can we prepare students for living in uncertain times? The ‘pre-school, school, college, university then job’ treadmill is no longer a certainty. A good education does not guarantee a job for life anymore, or even a job.

I would argue that teachers have been dealing with ambiguity for many years. Measured upon delivery of success using the narrow indicators of exam results, or grades, it has become a working truth for teachers that these are not the most important indicators. In fact, it is clear to anyone who thinks about it that, exam scores are a shallow indicator of an effective teacher. They have to pick out the best route from the ambiguity of options through the content, skills and understanding that they think their students are most in need of, for their future careers. Balancing the need to meet targets, with the desire to do what is best by their students.

Advice on how teachers should be going about their role is everywhere they face. In the media, in books, from parents, from politicians, from school leadership, at courses, on INSET, from inspection agencies, even from colleagues and now all over social media. A lot of it is not that bad, can be effective and is usually well meant. But it is also often contradictory. If nothing else, effective teachers are masters and ensuring they do the things they are required to, which are beyond their control, then selecting the tools that will serve their students best from the plethora that they are faced with. Choosing what to ignore, what to disregard, must be an essential skill in dealing with ambiguity.

What Apple needs, is more teachers!

Create & Construct by lorraine santana, on Flickr

In fact, the real disservice for students comes from only presenting them with certainties in their studies. For example, students are often told; fulfil this certain set of criteria, and you will be certain of this grade. Of course students do need to know what they need to do, and what a good piece of work looks like. But they must also be set tasks where the outcome is uncertain. Where there is no one correct way of doing things. This is a more true reflection of the fluid workplace that so many will be working in. It is their job to come up with an end result without knowing what it has to look like..

For teachers, supporting this must be a priority.