What if stepping back actually helps students step forward?
Sometimes our impulse to control becomes the very thing that limits learning. When we create space for uncertainty and exploration, students discover capabilities we never knew they had.
In this thought-provoking conversation with Jason Blair, an elementary art teacher and prolific education writer from Columbus, Ohio, we dig into what happens when educators shift from controllers to researchers.
What do we do when efficiency becomes the enemy of creativity?
How do we create conditions for learning that honor both independence and interdependence?
Why do many of our classroom reactions stem from fear of judgment rather than commitment to growth?
Jason challenges educators to see ourselves as action researchers. His insights reveal how breaking the predictable routines of school can create transformative shared experiences, from first-day surprises to mixed-age collaborations, that change how students see themselves and others.
This conversation isn't about classroom management; it's about the inner shifts needed to become a Paradigm Breaker. As Jason puts it: "Efficiency is the antithesis of creativity." When we slow down and lean into the cracks in our system, we discover that students aren't the problem; our environments are. And if our environments aren’t fit for our young people, we must change them.
All these paradigm-shifting insights, plus practical strategies for moving from control to curiosity, in this episode of Breaking the Paradigm.
Thanks for a great conversation, Jason!
Want to Deepen Your Paradigm Breaking Practice?
After two years of exposing the education status quo, we're going deeper.
Provocations, our new publication, brings together the most innovative global minds—the educators, rebels, and visionaries who refuse to accept that "this is just how school works."
Each issue reveals the hidden patterns keeping millions trapped in outdated systems, and the proven strategies already transforming communities worldwide.
This isn't another academic journal. It's the playbook for parents, teachers, and leaders ready to break free from an education system designed for a world that no longer exists.
Available exclusively to Breaking the Paradigm subscribers.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
Breaking the Paradigm is a division of Developing Education, which is on a mission to transform education globally to foster human development and flourishing for all people.
First Intention: Curriculum and pedagogy support for Montessori adolescent practitioners, specifically with math and language across the prepared environment.
The Enlightened Educator Project: Supporting educators with mindfulness and resiliency through professional development and downloadable resources.
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