What’s Your Why?

Preparing for the Future

Time and time again, children are referred to as the future, and education, as our investment in the future. While it is imperative to prepare children for the world, we need to consider that the future we are preparing them for is ultimately something we could not possibly understand. Sure, there are theories and predictions to what the future may hold, however, it is impossible to know for sure. So, education must take a more holistic approach, targeting cognitive, psychomotor, and most importantly, the affective domain. In essence, focusing education on student emotions and attitudes to instill self-motivation and a desire to be a life long learner so as to become adaptable for the unpredictable future.

When reflecting on the importance of reaching the heart, I viewed Dr. John Kotter’s videos titled “The Heart of Change” and “Leading Change: Establish a Sense of Urgency” as well as Simon Sinek’s video titled “Start with why – how great leaders inspire action”. By appealing to the affective domain of students, you are connecting with their humanity down to its core. Simon Sinek discusses how companies that target the why are speaking directly to the oldest, most integral part of our brain rooted in gut decisions and emotions (2009). When writing the why for my program, I considered how I could reach others emotionally. Logically, it makes sense to create a college application and transition program, specifically for the success of the future generation. However, addressing the lack of access to equitable information, implying the power of information and community, I want to tug at the heart strings of my facilitators and potential facilitators to light their fire and motivate them to adopt my initiative.

It is so critical for an initiative to get people to “feel differently in order to change their behavior” (Dr. John Kotter, 2011). People can’t just understand and go with change, but rather they need to support and believe in the change. This is most true with students, specifically secondary students, and the belief in the power of ePortfolios in my program needs to be rooted in the facilitators for the students to even buy into it. It is essential that the audience receiving this idea of change connects to it, believes in it, and feels the need to act upon it. Connecting to the heart of the audience enforces an intrinsic motivation that creates a sense of urgency within those impacted, leading to a more effective, successful initiative.

Dr. John Kotter. (2011, March 23). John Kotter – The Heart of Change [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NKti9MyAAw

Dr. John Kotter. (2013, August 15). Leading Change: Establish a Sense of Urgency [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yfrj2Y9IlI

TEDx Talks. (2009, September 29). Start with why — how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA