All right, so welcome to another Deep Dive, and
today we are going to be looking at an essay
called How I Spent My Summer, Life Teaches a
Teacher by Gary Ackerman. So it's interesting
already. It is, and it's a fascinating piece
because, well, first of all, it was published,
I guess, first back in 2008, and then resurfaced
online in 2018. So it kind of had a little bit
of a life of its own there. Yeah. It's also interesting
because the essay kind of starts out as one thing
and then quickly becomes something else. I see.
So like a bit of a twist. Exactly. And maybe
this is something a lot of our listeners can
relate to. But Ackerman, he's an information
technology teacher and coordinator. So he's kind
of thinking about his summer and how he's going
to spend it. Right. That time to kind of. decompress.
Exactly, or finally get to some of those big
projects that you've been putting off. Like the
ever -growing to -do list. Totally. So he's thinking
about things like his dissertation research,
attending this New England League of Middle Schools
board meeting. An LMS. Yep, LMS, exactly. And
he's also got to tackle these school computer
network upgrades. Oh, yeah. the joys of IT work.
Right, so he's got these professional goals lined
up and it seems like it's gonna be a summer of
getting things done. Yeah, pretty typical summer
break for someone in his position, I'd imagine.
Yeah, totally. But then things take a bit of
an unexpected turn. Wow, what happened? So on
May 30th, and this is like the day after he was
planning to really kick off his summer break,
he has a stroke. Wow, that's serious. Yeah, it
was, you know, he ends up in intensive care and
the whole focus obviously shifts to recovery.
Makes you realize how quickly things can change.
It really does. And he actually mentions this
nurse telling him how the doctor was, you know,
just buzzing about what an amazing save it was
by the emergency room team. Wow. So it sounds
like it was a really close call. Definitely.
So, you know, from a summer that was supposed
to be about, you know, dissertation research
and network diagrams, it becomes this, you know,
intense journey of recovery and dealing with
this, you know, very serious medical situation.
Right. And that's where I guess the life teaches
a teacher part comes in. Exactly. Like he was
expecting to, you know, learn more about technology
and educational leadership, but instead he ends
up learning these really profound lessons about,
you know, just life and how we learn and interact
with the world. Fascinating. So what were some
of those lessons? Like, what really stood out
to him? Well, one of the first things he talks
about is the work of this, you know, really influential
figure in agitation named Lev Vygotsky. OK, I'm
familiar with Vygotsky, but... For our listeners
who might not be, could you give us a little
background? Yeah, so Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist.
And even though he died pretty young, his ideas
have had a huge impact on how we think about
learning. And probably his most well -known concept
is the idea of the Zone of Proximal Development,
or ZPD. Right, so ZPD. I think a lot of people
have heard that term, but maybe don't fully grasp
what it means. Yeah, it can seem a little abstract.
So to put it simply, imagine you have a task
in front of you. OK. Now if that task is too
easy, You're not really learning anything new.
Right, you're just coasting. Exactly. And on
the flip side, if it's way too hard, you're probably
going to get frustrated and just give up. Yeah,
makes sense. So the ZPD is that sweet spot in
between those two extremes. OK, so it's like
the zone where you can actually make progress.
Right. It's where you can successfully complete
a task, but you might need a bit of help or guidance
along the way. I see like a scaffold to kind
of support you. Exactly. And the thing about
the ZPD that Ackerman emphasizes is that it's
not like a fixed level. you know, it's different
for each person and it changes over time. Right.
Right. As we learn and develop new skills. Exactly.
And for Ackerman, this abstract idea of the ZPD
became very real and very physical after his
stroke. And specifically when it came to walking.
Walking. Yeah. So, you know, before the stroke,
he was totally fine walking, like two days before
he had gone for a five mile walk. Wow. So it
was well within his capabilities. Totally. Like
it wasn't even a big deal for him. But then after
the stroke, just moving from his hospital bed
to a chair was this, you know, Huge effort and
he needed a lot of assistance. It's amazing how
quickly our abilities can change it really is
and then he kind of takes us through this whole
process of You know relearning how to walk. Okay.
How did that go? So he starts with needing a
rolling walker then he's using parallel bars
You know for support then he graduates to a cane
and eventually he's able to walk independently
again on different surfaces Wow What a journey.
Right, and you can really sense the frustration
he felt in those early stages and then, you know,
the sense of accomplishment with each step forward.
And I bet this whole experience really gave him
a new perspective on the ZPD. Oh, absolutely.
Like he had, you know, taught about the ZPD countless
times as a teacher of teachers. But it wasn't
until he experienced this, you know, drastic
shift in his own physical abilities that he really
understood it on this deep level. It's like it
became embodied for him. Yeah, exactly. And he
talks about how he would get impatient when the
therapy tasks were too easy, you know, like below
his ZPD. Right. And then he would get discouraged
when they were too hard, you know, like beyond
his ZPD. So finding that balance is key. It is,
and I think this is something a lot of people
can relate to, whether you're learning a new
skill or trying to recover from an injury. Yeah,
like that Goldilocks zone, where it's challenging
enough to be engaging, but not so difficult that
you just give up. Exactly. And he also talks
about how important motivation was for him, you
know, having that clear vision of the end goal,
in his case, the memory of walking normally.
Right, having that why. Yeah, exactly. And that
really helped him to push through those difficult
tasks that were, you know, right there in his
ZPD. And he also talks about how much empathy
he developed for learners who are struggling.
I can imagine. Because, you know, he saw his
therapist as his own educators during that time.
Right, like he was the student again. And it's
interesting, he even mentions that his ZPD for
walking wasn't always the same. It would fluctuate
depending on how tired he was, how hungry he
was. That makes sense. Yeah. Our capacity for
learning and performing tasks isn't always constant.
Exactly. And this kind of leads him to another
important observation about the types of activities
that helped him to recover. OK, what's that?
So he talks about this distinction between Exercises
and what he calls authentic tasks exercises and
authentic tasks. What's the difference? So the
exercises were those, you know, very specific
targeted activities like standing on a foam pillow
with your eyes open and closed. Okay, so very
controlled. Yeah, exactly. Like focused on developing
a very specific skill. And then the authentic
tasks were more like those everyday activities
that he was trying to regain, you know, things
like walking on different surfaces, navigating
stairs. Right. The things we do in the real world
without even thinking about it. Exactly. And
his big takeaway was that both types of tasks
are essential for learning and recovery. I see.
So they both play a role. They do. He realized
that the exercises were important for building
those, you know, foundational neural pathways.
Okay, like laying the groundwork. Yeah. And then
the authentic tasks were what really strengthened
those connections in more, you know, complex
and varied real world situations. So it's kind
of like learning the individual notes on an instrument
versus actually playing a song. That's a great
analogy. And he gives this really interesting
example of this with walking. OK, tell me about
that. So at first, when he was relearning how
to walk, they gave him all these, you know, explicit
instructions like stand tall, lift your toes
and all that. Right. Like breaking it down into
the mechanic. Yeah. But he said it felt so overwhelming
and unnatural. I can imagine trying to think
about all those things at once. Right. And it
wasn't until he started practicing walking in
those real world scenarios, you know, building
on those basic skills he had developed through
the exercises that it started to feel natural
again. So the exercises helped him to kind of
of internalize those rules. Exactly. And I think
this has huge implications for education. You
know, we might introduce a new concept or skill
through these focused exercises and clear instructions.
Right. But the real learning happens when students
have the chance to apply those skills in, you
know, meaningful, authentic contexts. Yeah, like
solving a real problem or creating something
tangible. Exactly. And that helps to bridge the
gap between theory and practice. So from this
very personal experience, of relearning how to
walk, Ackerman then kind of shifts his focus
to a broader issue. Yeah, it's really interesting
how he does that. What's that? So he starts talking
about this, you know, big emphasis on competition.
in education, particularly when it comes to international
test scores and how that kind of frames the whole
discussion. Right. Like this idea of national
competitiveness. Exactly. And he admits that
earlier in his career, he was also focused on
trying to give his students a competitive advantage.
Yeah. I think that's a pretty common mindset.
It is. But his experience with the stroke made
him really reevaluate that priority. How so?
Well, he points out that when you look at international
test results, There are talented and intelligent
individuals in all sorts of different cultures.
Right. It's not like one country has a monopoly
on intelligence. Exactly. So it makes you wonder
if this hyper focus on competition is really
the best way to approach education. That's an
interesting point. And his time in the hospital,
I think, further reinforced that for him. How
so? Well, he mentions that he was often one of
the older patients and part of a racial minority
in that setting. Right. So he was experiencing
diversity firsthand. Exactly. And that probably
helped him to see the vast range of human potential
that exists beyond any single set of test scores.
That's a good point. And he even talks about
this thought experiment where he imagines his
own children interacting with the children of
his health care providers. OK. And he pictures
them in both competitive situations and cooperative
situations. And he consistently comes to the
conclusion that the cooperative interactions
lead to better outcomes for everyone involved.
So he's basically saying that collaboration trumps
competition. Yeah. And he even brings in some
of his reading to suggest that cooperation has
been this crucial survival strategy throughout
human history. Interesting. Right. And it seems
like his own experience of you know, being so
vulnerable and relying on others during his recovery
really informed this broader perspective on human
interaction. It makes sense that he would see
the value in cooperation after going through
something like that. Yeah, and ultimately what
he hopes for his own children is that they find
their place in thoughtful, cooperative, and diverse
groups, you know, reflecting the kind of environment
that supported him during his recovery. That's
a beautiful sentiment. And this then leads him
to his final big insight, which is all about
being proactive. Yes, and this is where he draws
on his, you know, two decades of experience in
education. Okay. And he basically observes that
the people who are proactive, those who prepare
themselves ahead of time, they tend to handle
stressful situations better and bounce back from
adversity more effectively. That makes sense,
like being prepared can make a huge difference.
It can, and of course we can't predict every
challenge that life is going to throw our way.
Right. But he identifies a few key proactive
steps that he thinks are you know, universally
beneficial. All ears tell me more. So first he
talks about the importance of exercise. Of course,
exercise is always good. Right, we all know about
the physical benefits, but he also points to
all this research that's coming out about the
cognitive benefits, you know, things like improved
test scores, reduced need for mental health medication,
lower risk of dementia. Wow, so it's good for
our brains too. It is, and he even goes so far
as to connect our need for movement to our evolutionary
history. Interesting, so it's like baked into
our DNA. Yeah, exactly. And then he moves on
to his second point, which is the value of active
learning and building a professional network.
OK. I can see how those would be important. Yeah.
And he actually uses his experience as a stroke
patient to illustrate this point. Oh, how so?
Well, he talks about how he was treated by multiple
teams of medical professionals, and they were
all using these cutting edge procedures, some
of which were very new. Right. So they were really
on the forefront. Exactly. He kind of reflects
on what his outcome might have been if those
medical teams had just relied on their initial
training. That's a scary thought. It is. And
it really highlights how important it is to stay
current, to keep learning, and to be connected
to other professionals who are also actively
learning. Yeah, like that synergy that comes
from shared knowledge and expertise. Exactly.
And then his final point is all about communication
technology. OK, that's a big one these days.
It is. And he actually shares this very personal
story about his family communicating with the
ER doctors by phone during his medical evacuation.
Wow. So in that situation. communication was
literally life -saving. It was and it really
brings home how important these digital tools
are you know for connecting people and sharing
vital information especially during emergencies.
Definitely and I think his point is that we need
to be comfortable using those technologies before
a crisis hits. Exactly like you don't want to
be trying to figure out how to use something
in the middle of a stressful situation. Not at
all. Yeah. So to kind of sum up all those unexpected
but profound lessons from Ackerman's summer.
Yes, let's do that. Remember the power of the
zone of proximal development in your own learning.
Think about how you can prioritize cooperation
in your interactions. Make exercise a regular
part of your life. Commit to being a lifelong
learner and build a strong network of fellow
learners and make sure you're comfortable using
the communication tools that are available to
you. That's a great summary. And I think these
insights are relevant for everyone, not just
people in education. They really touch on these
fundamental aspects of how we learn, how we interact
with each other, and how we prepare for the unexpected.
They do. And as we wrap up this deep dive into
Ackerman's essay, we want to leave you with a
final thought. All right. What's that? We encourage
you to think about which of these insights resonated
most with you. Maybe it's the idea of the ZPD
or the importance of cooperation, or maybe it's
something else entirely. Right. But more importantly,
we want you to think about how you can take just
one of these principles and start applying it
in your life today. That's a great challenge.
It is because Ackerman's story reminds us that
even in the face of these unforeseen challenges,
there's always an opportunity for profound learning
and growth. Very well said. Thank you. And thank
you to all our listeners for joining us on another
deep dive. We'll see you next time. Until then,
keep learning and keep diving deep.