Picture this:
When it comes to learning, what makes a student ‘good’ at it?
Now….What makes them ‘great’?

From another lens, when you think about what makes a student well and how they cope, what makes a student ‘okay’? Now….What makes them ‘well-balanced’?

I pose these questions to get us thinking about the difference between being ‘average’ to being ‘good’ to, eventually, becoming ‘GREAT’! We may all agree that we want those students of ours who have struggled academically for some time to reach a point of greatness. We want them to find their personal best and thrive. But how do we support the learner who has not found their footing in their path towards greatness?

The Power of Curiosity
As educators and leaders, I imagine how we might promote students in reaching their potential. In thinking about how we might use curiosity to promote greatness, we might consider its connection to supportive risk taking.

Greatness is cultivated when students experience conditions of safety, permission to take risks, and are encouraged to engage in perspective sharing. They are given space to pose questions that might challenge their peers and in some instances, their teachers. What an incredible way to support students in developing this superpower of greatness!

Risk Taker, as noted as one of the key features of the IB Learner Profile, is arguably one the most catalytic characteristics of a very interconnected profile. Risk taking is the beginning of a student answering a question out loud or solving a problem in front of their peers for the first time this academic year. It can also be the ominous cloud of doubt in one’s abilities, while trying to navigate the self talk.

As adults, in support of students, we might push students to go down paths that are highlighted, better-defined, and in most cases, predictable… but…in risk taking, and encouraging the road less traveled, we can promote and contribute to our students’ greatness. The next generation of learners deserve to become not just good, but rather great!