Learning and No. 2 Pencils
During my first year at the Yale School of Management, I found an ad in the school mailroom looking for individuals to tutor math at a middle school in a neighboring town. The paid position was for one day a week for 10 weeks. I had two objectives in mind. The first was to dedicate time and energy to the kids in the local community, and the second was to earn enough during the process to purchase a new set of soccer cleats. Two weeks later, I entered Hamden Middle School prepared to meet my six 8th-grade students, but I first had to meet with Mr. Allen for a brief orientation. After introducing myself, he asked me, “So Mike, what did you do before attending graduate school?” “I was a helicopter pilot in the Army. I flew in combat in the Persian Gulf and just spent my last year about 10 miles from the DMZ in Korea,” I responded. “That works,” he stated. “Let’s go meet your class.” I thought his response was odd and was unprepared for what would happen next.
When he opened the classroom door, my students huddled together in what appeared to be a bad episode of Welcome Back Kotter. Instantly, they separated and scrambled for a desk. Mr. Allen wrote my last name on the blackboard and began my introduction to the class. “This is Mr. Hansen,” he blurted out. “He is your tutor for the next ten weeks.” I quickly scanned the room, looking at their facial expressions. “You better pay attention,” he continued as he pivoted to face the class. “Mr. Hansen is an Army combat veteran, and he knows twelve different ways to kill someone with a sharpened pencil.” They quickly straightened in their chairs, and with their eyes wide open, I was quick to feed off the moment. “Good afternoon,” I boomed, “O.K., let’s get started!”
Early on, I discovered that these students were “stuck,” had failed their standardized tests, and were at risk of not graduating from 8th grade. It was an uphill battle. Half of them thought repeating the 8th grade for a second year was cool. After determining their specific math weaknesses, I created unique assignments for each student to complete in and out of the classroom. I leveraged the opportunity in class to emphasize math applications, such as how money is math-based and essential for everyone to understand. For students who completed their homework, I even offered a monetary reward. Lastly, at the beginning of each class, I intentionally displayed 2-3 freshly sharpened pencils in plain sight in front of the podium as a not-so-gentle reminder. It was a unique model for a special situation.
Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding by Meyer and Land presents an innovative model for aiding and guiding conceptual understandings, which can have a powerfully transformative effect.[1] Students learn at different speeds and in different environments. The importance of concepts, teaching methods, and the exchanges is critical and essential for the learner to overcome challenges and successfully navigate these threshold moments.
While sitting on a recent Zoom meeting for work, our conversation was focused on standard work instructions for warehouse operators, and my peer said, “The trainer hasn’t trained until the learner has learned.” Meyer and Land agree that “teaching is a complex and often challenging process, because learning is a complex and challenging process.” [2] Tension exists within troublesome knowledge moments. Troublesome moments might vary, but within each experience, students learn the best when they are appropriately challenged. If the experience is too challenging, it presents a high level of frustration; if not, the process has no value.
Overcoming Obstacles highlights thresholds in practice for specific subjects such as accounting, economics, and science. While there is value in mastery by specialization, there are also threshold learning opportunities for generalists. In Range, Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein compares the backgrounds of two elite athletes, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, and their different paths to professional excellence. He shares that generalists are equal or better learners in the long term due to their diverse interests and experiences, and not just specialization. For the generalist, there is a distinct benefit to failing and not transitioning forward through those threshold moments. [3] Those moments formulate and build character and ultimately carry individuals further on their trajectory over time.
I have shared the story about the sharpened pencils numerous times and, fortunately, never had to weaponize the writing instrument. I don’t know what happened to those students, and I was never informed if they passed their standardized tests. At the end of my abbreviated liminal chapter with them, they exhibited less anxiety, self-doubt, and frustration while learning the subject matter.[4] Perhaps that was just enough to get them through their troublesome moments and prepare them for success later in life. For me, the result was a hard-earned feeling of joy and accomplishment and a set of new soccer boots.
[1] Jan Meyer and Ray Land. Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge. (London, UK: Routledge, 2006) xi.
[2] Jan Meyer and Ray Land. Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge. (London, UK: Routledge, 2006) xiv.
[3] David Epstein. Range – Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. (New York: NY: Riverhead Books, 2019) 1-14.
[4] Jan Meyer and Ray Land. Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge. (London, UK: Routledge, 2006) i.
About the Author
Michael Hansen
7 responses to “Learning and No. 2 Pencils”
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I can imagine you being in front of a class of young people terrified of your sharpened pencils! Despite the apparent success, I’m sure it wasn’t a method utilised in any other setting! However, I hope that your pilot skills have not been left in the past and could lead to further discovery! .
Your reflections on Epstein’s work concerning the roles of generalists and specialists are thought-provoking. In my informal, relational research over the years, I have seen the impact of children who were specialists from a young age, for example, in music or dance. I’ve found that most of them have regretted that specialist path and feel frustrated with the gaps within their educational foundation.
Thanks Mike!
Betsy,
I have personally witnessed the narrow and deep focus or deliberate practice in athletics. It limits creativity’s elements because you are looking through a singular lens. I have witnessed young participants burn out and lose interest in activities they expressed pure joy with earlier in life. When there has been a broader sampling or diverse pursuit of athletic activities, it has served more as a complement to the primary pursuit. Thanks.
Mike,
You may be sitting on a massive payday with life experience. This story was made for the BIG screen, and I would be one of the first to buy a ticket.
Your mentioning of the fact that “Students learn at different speeds and in different environments,” combined with the threshold topic…makes me ponder the standardized k-12 schooling approach. No doubt it is efficient from a production standpoint, but based on what we read this week, it may not designed from a learning standpoint. I am curious: did the students you mention struggle with other subjects as well, or just math?
Darren,
The early stages of this program have allowed me to think more deeply and reflect on past experiences in greater detail. I’m not sure if this script is ready for prime time.
I am not aware if these students were struggling in other subjects. That was never communicated to me during the process. After the end of the 10 weeks, I was left with the impression that these kids had mastered enough to get through the standardized tests.
As a parent of two kids who have migrated through the k-12 school system, I realized that the traditional school system is not built equally for all students. As a high school student and later an engineering student in college, the more traditional method was very fitting. For my daughter, it was horrific. Because she excelled in middle school, she was fast-tracked, took pre-calculus as a high school junior, and struggled. Other factors contributed to her challenges, but her primary goal was to attend an art school in college. She successfully graduated from art school in 2022.
Welcome Back Kotter. Is this a safe space to admit I just wasted 10 minutes watching YouTube videos of Arnold, Vinnie, and the other Sweathogs. You later reference an article by David ‘Don’t call me Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Huevos’ Epstein. Let’s start over.
Wait—John Wick quote. “I once saw him kill three men in a bar … with a pencil.”
Ok.
I’m interested in what you gleaned from Epstein’s book. As a specialist of specialists, I am continuously stressing the importance that specialists learn about the interfaces and expand their breadth in understanding. This comes from a belief that specialists are needed but their relevance and impact is greatly improved through a generalist approach. Betsy’s comment reframed my thoughts. Specializing too soon limits perspective, opportunity, and variety. Based on the videos of Tiger Woods as a toddler, I’m guessing that he is the example of a specialist from birth.
Mike,
You are such a great storyteller. Having been very familiar with 8th grade math teaching myself, I giggled out loud when reading your sharpened pencil “model.”
I appreciate your recognition that learning is individual and based on varying modes and backgrounds. Your statement “within each experience, students learn the best when they are appropriately challenged. If the experience is too challenging, it presents a high level of frustration; if not, the process has no value,” is profound and complicated. Knowing where the experience meets the individual need of challenge that isn’t too much requires both relationship and solid pedagogy.
While your soccer shoes were a good reward, I am sure those students were rewarded equally by their time with you.
I love the pencil story Michael. I think it highlights a personal philosophy I have in training. One, you offer the right incentives. Two, it is pregnant with purpose and meaning. Third, it is fun. I think you would be so surprised what these young people turned out to be. The space you created was safe, and you helped them discover their personal story without even trying! When a teacher genuinely cares and can achieve these three things, Threshold is written all over it, and only the outliers will self-select out.