In a rapidly changing world, how can we cope with our limited ability to predict the future, evaluate our options and interpret ambiguous situations? Explore how we use communication in the face of uncertainty.
Are there times when intentionally increasing uncertainty is preferable to reducing it? How do the ways we communicate about uncertainty influence our ability to deal with it? This session will discuss the meaning of uncertainty and the ways we manage the uncertainty we face in our lives and in our relationships. To shed light on the critical role of conversation in managing uncertainty, Professor Jordan will draw on her study of young children collaborating with their peers to design and create robots. The session will also consider how educators can benefit from considering how students manage uncertainty in learning environments that encourage innovation and creativity.
Michelle Jordan, Ph.D., earned her degree in educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. An assistant professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, her research interests focus on human learning and the complexity of influences that interact when learning takes place. She is particularly concerned with students' psychological experiences of uncertainty during creative learning tasks, such as how uncertainty influences learning outcomes, how students respond to uncertainty, and how students regulate their own uncertainty and the uncertainty of their peer collaborators.
Michelle Jordan Assistant professor Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Thursday, Oct. 6 6:30–8:30 p.m. $20
SkySong Global Room 1475 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, AZ 85257 Free parking provided [Map]