Albert Einstein once said that as a teacher, he never taught his students, he just provided the conditions in which they could learn. In this practical and interactive session, we will argue that it is not enough to just create the conditions in which students are able to learn; we also need to create the conditions in which students are intrinsically motivated to want to learn. We will postulate that in order to create these conditions, we need to free students from the worry and anxiety that is usually associated with the process of learning, which inevitably places us in an emotionally uncomfortable position as we find ourselves in a state of not knowing, of being uncertain and of finding things difficult. We will examine how, as educators, we can use the principles that underpin the Joy of Not Knowing (JONK) model of learning and philosophy of education to demonstrate how we can create learning environments where the students love not knowing and where the learning is co-constructed with the students. We will discuss how intrinsically motivated learners help to create classroom cultures where all students are keen to embrace the curriculum with enthusiasm and feel free to take risks with their creative, critical and philosophical thinking, seeking, rather than avoiding challenge and uncertainty, within a culture that provides them with all they require to be able to thrive socially, emotionally, culturally and cognitively.

We will discuss how the art of teaching is so dependent on this ability to create the conditions that enable students to feel comfortable with being uncomfortable. We will explore the idea that these conditions must be established prior to the beginning of any formal learning and demonstrate how this is achieved by dedicating the first of the academic year to a Learning to Learn Week. We will also argue and use examples to demonstrate that students’ learning is at its best when students don’t realise that they are learning (the concept of dis-metacognition), when students are encouraged to access their learning using all the richness of language and culture that they bring with them (the concept of multilingual thinking in multicultural classrooms), where the learning is presented through an intellectually playful lens (the concept of the philosophical learning objective as part of classrooms that function as values and children’s rights-led, democratic, dialogic-rich communities of inquiry), where learners all feel equally valued and are able to develop a deep and lifelong love of learning (the concept of personalised models of learning and the lifelong learning dispositions) and where the purpose of education is at the heart of the teaching and learning process (the concept of knowledge is of limited value unless it is accompanied by understanding and the wisdom that then enables all individuals to contribute positively to society- education as catalyst of social justice, cultural capital and of a sustainable and peaceful world).

Speaker Biography

Marcelo Staricoff
University of Sussex, United Kingdom

Professor Marcelo Staricoff is a Lecturer in Education and will serve as joint Course Leader of the Bachelor of Arts in Primary and Early Years Programme and Course Leader for the Master of Education Course, from September 2024 at the University of Sussex, United Kingdom. He is the author of The Joy of Not Knowing (Routledge, 2021), a publication on the Philosophy of Education Transforming Teaching, Thinking, Learning, and Leadership in Schools. A former scientist and primary school headteacher, Professor Staricoff has worked on behalf of UNICEF with policy makers, educators, and textbook publishers to implement a reformed national curriculum in Uzbekistan. He also works for the Coram Children’s Charity alongside implementing courses and advising several schools and educational organisations in the United Kingdom.

Professor Staricoff speaks regularly at national and international events on the principles that underpin The Joy of Not Knowing’s philosophy of education and school leadership. He is also the author of its predecessor, Start Thinking (Imaginative Minds, 2005) and has published widely in the fields of creative, critical, multilingual, multicultural, and philosophical thinking and learning in the classroom. A member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Education (APPG), a Trustee of the Laurel Trust, and Chair of the Michael Aldrich Foundation, Professor Staricoff’s work and his contributions to education have been widely recognised, being named as a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching in 2019 and through his assignment as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2023.

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Marcelo Staricoff is a Lecturer in Education and will serve as joint Course Leader of the Bachelor of Arts in Primary and Early Years Programme and Course Leader for the Master of Education Course, from September 2024 at the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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