There are two things I am very wary of in schools: opinions and ideas. They come as a pair in my mind because, when left unchecked, they can proliferate, mutate and run amok. They do so because they share certain characteristics.
First, they can often be given without personal cost. An aphorism my team will often hear me say is ‘Opinions are cheap’, or it’s twin sister ‘Ideas are cheap’. They may inwardly groan, but none-the-less it is true. We form opinions and have ideas with negligible investment of time or effort, and they spew from our mouths like spittle because we have plenty to spare. Our insights, prejudices, inspirations and biases are released into the world because we believe our they have value, but they are produced at no cost. What a gift we give!
Furthermore, our half-formed ideas and opinions sound credible in the abstract, stripped of their context and ripped apart from reality. Most concerning is when these memes resonate with what others hope to be true; what feeds their narrative about the world and thus comforts them. Such ideas and opinions easily spread and take hold, viral both in their ability to be transmitted and the difficulty with which they can be expunged.
In economics, there is the concept of the public good. Not to be confused with public services, a public good is one that has two characteristics: it is non-diminishable and non-excludable. Take the classic example of a lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper, once he switches on the rotating lamp, cannot control which ships benefit from it’s warning. Neither will one ship being saved from crashing onto the rocks prevent others from being warned of the same fate. This good is free to all, its utility infinite.
Ideas and opinions share the characteristics of a public good. Once made available to one, they become available to all. But there is another economic concept at play: the multiplier effect. Our thoughts can spread exponentially under the right conditions. Like the lighthouse, this may save many people from crashing into the rocks. But like a siren, they can also lure us onto those same rocks.
What steps can we take to ensure that ideas and opinions are harnessed for good? There is a protective measure, which is to tell strong stories about your school. Ben White’s new podcast is a good starting point for learning about the power of story in schools. Strong stories shape the way new information is received and made sense of.
Then there is a reactive measure, which is to treat opinions from those with no skin in the game with due caution and to examine every ‘good idea’ with a critical eye, particularly if it resonates strongly upon first encounter.
Opinions and ideas are, at their best, the kindling which fuels the fire of innovation and adaptation. At their worst, they are a wildfire that burns our carefully constructed structures to the ground. Beware anything that costs nothing to produce.
Matthew Evans 