Ignorance as a Learning Tool
Randy D. Raysbrook, Ph.D.
Most conferences focus on knowledge and how to
acquire it, but this one focused on ignorance and how to learn from it.
And I can't think of a better paradigm shift for Navigator Community
Ministries staff. Recently I was asked to share my research on learning
at a medical doctors' conference at the University of Arizona at
Tucson. The school has developed a unique curriculum on Medical
Ignorance and has taken a novel approach to training new doctors. While
most physicians go on rounds to confirm what they know, medical
students at the University of Tucson go on "ignorance rounds" to assess
what they don't know. It sounds paradoxical, but it makes sense,
because knowing facts is not necessarily sufficient to make you a good
doctor. When doctors ask questions such as "What don't I know?" and
"What do I still need to learn?" it creates a new model for learning
that leads to discovery. The bottom line is, if you don't know what you don't know, you can't learn.
The "Ignorance Map," from the University of Arizona's curriculum on medical ignorance, is as follows:
Known Unknowns
All the things you know you don't know
Unknown Unknowns
All the things you don't know you don't know
Errors
All the things you think you know but don't.
Unknown Knowns
All the things you don't know you know (For example, a football player may be an expert on the gridiron, but he may not know how to coach and impart his intuitive knowledge.)
Taboos
Dangerous, polluting, or forbidden knowledge
Denials
All the things too painful to know, so you don't
I looked at this unique approach from a Navigators' disciplemaking perspective. As Navigators we're disciplemakers and we're "all about" learning, but what exactly is learning and how does it work? How does it affect our evangelism and discipleship? The dean at Harvard Medical Center has said that 50 percent of their graduates' learning at the time of graduation is already out of date. As Navigators, are we continually re-evaluating what we think we know about discipleship? Are we willing to become lifelong learners and ministry innovators? We can know what something is, but that doesn't mean we know why it is or how it works. (As one sage observed, "Thousands of people saw apples fall, but only Isaac Newton asked 'why?'") That's critical in the areas of evangelism and introducing Truth into people's lives.
If I can teach those I'm discipling to be effective thinkers (this includes being aware of their own ignorance), much of my work is done, because then they replace their ignorance with personal discovery. Disciples who discover Truth on their own are the best able to pass on their faith to future generations. One of my goals is to train those I disciple to think about our culture and the problems within it on their own, rather than just my giving them all the answers.
As Navigators, I believe we are often addicted to answers. When we train and teach, we're so quick to give answers that we bypass the critical processes of learning and thinking. Instead, teach those you disciple to think biblically and how to be humble enough to say what they don't know or understand. Then they'll own their faith and influence the world around them rather than merely repeating what they've heard from you. We don't always understand nonbelievers as well as we could, and we need to continually examine our methods, our forms, and our ways of ministry as our culture continually evolves. When we consider our methods and admit what we still don't know, the understanding of our own ignorance can be the beginning of creativity. Ignorance itself is not bad, but ignorance of our ignorance causes our ministries to suffer. Learning about our ignorance should precipitate innovation, and discovery. As Pulitzer-prize winning author Will Durant once said, "Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance."
The best ways to overcome ignorance are to be curious and to ask questions. When we ask the right questions, we can help each other understand what we don't know. As Community staff, may we acknowledge that there are still things we have yet to discover and continue on our journeys of lifelong learning.
The "Ignorance Map," from the University of Arizona's curriculum on medical ignorance, is as follows:
Known Unknowns
All the things you know you don't know
Unknown Unknowns
All the things you don't know you don't know
Errors
All the things you think you know but don't.
Unknown Knowns
All the things you don't know you know (For example, a football player may be an expert on the gridiron, but he may not know how to coach and impart his intuitive knowledge.)
Taboos
Dangerous, polluting, or forbidden knowledge
Denials
All the things too painful to know, so you don't
I looked at this unique approach from a Navigators' disciplemaking perspective. As Navigators we're disciplemakers and we're "all about" learning, but what exactly is learning and how does it work? How does it affect our evangelism and discipleship? The dean at Harvard Medical Center has said that 50 percent of their graduates' learning at the time of graduation is already out of date. As Navigators, are we continually re-evaluating what we think we know about discipleship? Are we willing to become lifelong learners and ministry innovators? We can know what something is, but that doesn't mean we know why it is or how it works. (As one sage observed, "Thousands of people saw apples fall, but only Isaac Newton asked 'why?'") That's critical in the areas of evangelism and introducing Truth into people's lives.
If I can teach those I'm discipling to be effective thinkers (this includes being aware of their own ignorance), much of my work is done, because then they replace their ignorance with personal discovery. Disciples who discover Truth on their own are the best able to pass on their faith to future generations. One of my goals is to train those I disciple to think about our culture and the problems within it on their own, rather than just my giving them all the answers.
As Navigators, I believe we are often addicted to answers. When we train and teach, we're so quick to give answers that we bypass the critical processes of learning and thinking. Instead, teach those you disciple to think biblically and how to be humble enough to say what they don't know or understand. Then they'll own their faith and influence the world around them rather than merely repeating what they've heard from you. We don't always understand nonbelievers as well as we could, and we need to continually examine our methods, our forms, and our ways of ministry as our culture continually evolves. When we consider our methods and admit what we still don't know, the understanding of our own ignorance can be the beginning of creativity. Ignorance itself is not bad, but ignorance of our ignorance causes our ministries to suffer. Learning about our ignorance should precipitate innovation, and discovery. As Pulitzer-prize winning author Will Durant once said, "Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance."
The best ways to overcome ignorance are to be curious and to ask questions. When we ask the right questions, we can help each other understand what we don't know. As Community staff, may we acknowledge that there are still things we have yet to discover and continue on our journeys of lifelong learning.
